There is nothing more humbling than a warm smile of welcome from locals when you arrive in a country, especially when you are well aware that inflammatory comments from leaders, threatened boycotts, talks of war, sanctions and complaints to the UN have been raging for decades. This is exactly how our Americans feel when they first land in Iran and that is just one of the joys – and privileges – of travel.

It might come as a surprise to many of you but dozens of Americans visit Iran every month through our agency only, not to mention the other few hundreds who visit Iran every month in total.

The demand is so high sometimes that we even have a specific visa page for our American guests. ()

There are many reasons why individuals have traveled beyond their own societies. Some travelers may have simply desired to satisfy curiosity about the larger world. We appreciate that many of our guests are seasons travellers and Iran might not have been on top of their 'to visit list’ but when they finish their tour, many of them comeback a year or two later with their family and friends. We believe this is the first step in building nonpolitical bridges between our two great nations.

Despite where you come from, or your country’s foreign policy, you are reduced back down from a collective foe to just one person – a guest – stopping by to appreciate the best of what’s on offer in your hosts’ country. Iranian people want to proudly show you what they love about their nation and you want to learn about them, it’s an exchange that goes beyond politics.

So perhaps one should all forget this mass hatred of a nation and come visit our beautiful country.

If you’re an American and are concerned about visiting Iran, we strongly recommend that you watch Rick Steve’s documentary about Iran on youtube.com or read his blog here.