"I was in plane crash so I hate flying. I throw up in cars. I'm not a good traveler," she recently told Leland High School students. "I don't sleep well when I travel too."

Shapiro was invited by social studies teacher David Rappaport to speak to Leland freshmen and sophomores about the importance of traveling internationally.

Americans are increasingly viewed in an unfavorable light by people of other nations due to our politics and policies, Rappaport said. Encouraging young people to visit other lands and teaching them how to be respectful of other nations' customs could help break down a barrier that seems to be building.

"They could be our cultural ambassadors," he said.

The well-traveled Shapiro is a host of travel adventure series Globe Trekker--seen on PBS stations and the Travel Channel--which takes viewers to countries on all continents exploring the people and their cultures.

"If you ever have a strong opinion about what's going on in the world, take a breath. Don't judge until you've been there," Shapiro said.

She showed the students a video of a collection of clips from some of the Globe Trekker shows she has hosted, and she also showed the trailer from the documentary Promises, which she produced and directed.

The documentary focuses on several Israeli and Palestinian children living in the conflict-ridden regions of the Middle East. The film follows seven children from various backgrounds for three years as they tell their stories about the ongoing problems from their point of view.

Shapiro encouraged students who might have a desire to make documentaries to follow their hearts and dreams.

"Documentary filmmakers, it's our job to tell stories that matter because all we see in this country is the crap we see in the news which is all superficial," she said.

Very little media attention is given to foreign nations unless a catastrophic event such as December's tsunami occurs, she said.

Dozens of hands went up--from more than 100 students in the first session--when Shapiro asked how many of the students had traveled outside of the United States. The globe trekker, who was born in South Africa and reared in Berkeley, said it was more than she had expected given that only 11 percent of Americans hold a valid passport. And when they do travel beyond the borders, she said, it is usually to countries such as England, France or Spain.

"It's so important that we travel because we only have a perception of what we know [about other cultures,]" she said.

Stifling some snickers from the group when one student said he had been to Canada, Shapiro told them that Canada is unique from America though there are many similarities.

"Canada is a different country. They have a very different culture and very different values," she said. "Cross the border into Canada. Cross the border into Mexico. It's another world."

Asked which, of all the countries she has visited, was her most valuable experience, Shapiro told the students it was India.

"It was like going to another world. To me, everything is upside down," she said. "It made me realize how much I am a product of my own culture."

In addition to her travels for the London-based show, Shapiro has traveled extensively on her own, spending time in Mexico, Morocco, Europe, Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

Rappaport wanted students to hear from Shapiro the benefits of traveling internationally and learn that the experience doesn't have to include a four-star hotel stay to be rewarding.

Shapiro said she has learned that the most expensive part of traveling is the airfare, but there are ways to keep costs down by staying in hostels and backpacking and visiting areas that are less commercial.

Advising students to be aware of where they go and spend their money, Shapiro said that the dollars visitors spend can have a huge impact on some communities.

"A group of backpackers can affect the entire economy of a village for a week," she said.

It was in a small village of southwest China that brought Shapiro one of the most unusual meals she has ever experienced. As the guest of honor at a dinner during a spring equinox festival, a bowl of what she thought was popcorn was set on the table.

It turned out to be moth larvae, she said.

"This was their protein. To them it was like lobster," she said.

And so to choke down the foreign delicacy she had to convince herself that eating what she was about to put in her mouth was really no different than eating lobster or chicken. Chicken are raised cooped up in pens, pumped up with steroids and antibiotics so how could it be any worse, she said she told herself.

How did the larvae taste? She replied, "Well, I didn't savor them."