The April 5 editorial ("Put the brakes on travel perks") seeks to cast a worrisome eye on members of Congress who travel on private trips and the influence gained by the groups that fund those trips. While the editorial begins with an acknowledgment that such trips "broaden a congressional member's knowledge [and] are necessary and to be valued," it goes downhill from there, raising questions about ethics and influence. The editorial was written in response to news of a trip taken by U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen to Kenya. He took his eldest daughter with him.

Such trips cannot be paid for by lobby groups. Furthermore, a U.S. representative must submit details of a proposed trip, its purpose and cost to the House Ethics Committee, which grants permission to travel. A second report must be made to the Ethics Committee after the trip is concluded to see that it came within the scope and cost of the original proposal.

In Paulsen's case, the trip was paid for by World Vision and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, two truly fine groups that seek to help lift up the poor and particularly refugees in areas of world conflict. Paulsen and his daughter visited a number of refugee camps in Kenya, where people really need help with every basic necessity of life.

It reminded me of a trip I took to Thailand in the late 1980s to see Hmong refugees. The Hmong had fought alongside our troops in the Vietnam era and faced severe retribution by their governments when we left. I visited several camps near the Laotian and Cambodian borders. Many had been there for years under debilitating conditions. A number eventually came here to Minnesota, and I helped them.

In my day, such trips were paid for by the U.S. government — i.e., the taxpayers. Like Erik's trip, my Thai trip must have been costly. Refugee camps are normally remote and require helicopter transport. Overland travel (if there are roads) can be very dangerous.

Erik's trip took a week. So did mine to Thailand. The schedules on such trips are breathtaking and are complicated by jet lag. There was simply no letup. One had to come home to recover! I don't ever recall sitting by the pool as one letter to the editor suggested.

Having said that, the trips were interesting and compelling experiences. One was always glad when the wheels of the plane touched down back in the U.S.

In the 1980s and '90s, such trips were called "junkets." Articles plus editorials like the recent one in the Star Tribune were commonplace. It was hard to defend oneself, but the trips were so worthwhile and broadening (just as the editorial noted) that I never regretted taking them. Tiring, yes, but they sure beat sitting through hearings, reading memos or receiving briefings.

Rep. Paulsen has four daughters. Should he have taken one on the trip? It is allowed by the rules of ethics. For a congressman who is a perpetual traveler away from home, such an opportunity to spend a week with one child in tow must be a treasure hard to refuse, lessons and memories that last forever.

I note that President Obama also made a trip to Kenya. He took the whole family and a most expansive and expensive retinue — as presidents always do and, I suppose, must do. The president explored his roots. It cost the U.S. taxpayers millions upon millions. Erik and his daughter set Bill Gates back a few dollars. I suspect that Mr. Gates won't miss them.

Rudy Boschwitz, a Republican, represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate from 1978 to 1991.