Several years ago, Ferry started adding what he calls "side trips" to the main Taiwanese weeklong trip. "The legislators pay for those themselves. They are vacations for the legislators and their spouses," notes Ferry.

This year it was several days in Vietnam — and all of the legislators except House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, took the side trip.

For Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, it was his third trip to Taiwan on the Ferry-organized trip. Valentine, who served in Vietnam during the war and enjoyed his return last week, also went to Taiwan in 1995 and in 2001.

"Usually we go every two years," said Ferry. "If you went two years ago, you can't go again on the next trip. In some cases, a legislator who couldn't go when he was in leadership goes the next time."

Sometimes a leader has to cancel out at the last minute, like House Majority Leader Jeff Alexander, R-Provo, did this year. "Then we have to scramble to find someone who has a passport who can go at the last minute."

It's good to get Utah legislators out of their comfort zones, show them how other people live, how other governments work, says Ferry. "Congress — the House and Senate — take these trips all the time. It's a good thing."

And there may be some economic development benefits to Utah, Ferry says. "When we got off of the airplane in Taiwan, I pointed to the jet way. It was manufactured in Ogden."

But such trips are always problematic for legislators. Is it a junket, a perk, or a real fact-finding trip?

Truth is, it's a bit of all three.

I was covering Salt Lake City government in the early 1980s when the city's Taiwanese sister city invited the new seven-member council and then-mayor Ted Wilson for an all-expenses paid trip. They went. It was an interesting time, they all said when they got back. But it was also wearing. They saw a lot of small factories, ate tons of strange food, and at least at that time were expected to drink lots of toasts at dinners, a sometimes-odd thing for the non-booze-drinking LDS members of the council.

"By the way," says Ferry, "the Taiwanese government won't pay for any liquor" on the trips the Utah legislators are taking. "They are very strict about that."

Not a problem this year, since it appears all of those who went are LDS and likely weren't drinking any liquor anyway. The Utah legislators also meet with local LDS Church representatives in Taiwan, "and we try to help out with any problems they may be having in their work there, too," says Ferry.

Considering that other Utah officials — and certainly elected officials from other U.S. states — have been going on these all-expense-paid trips, is there any problem with this?