Some people are wanderers. They just like to move around. Not all wanderers are adventurous. That is to say, some wander, or travel, seeking new places of comfort, while others seek places and experiences that challenge them to adapt and appreciate the diversity of life. And there are those who like to stay close to home. They have no desire to shake up their existence or seek the unfamiliar. And yes, at some point, we must all settle into some place we can call home and learn to nourish the best of us where we are. Yet, if we have not yet taken any journey abroad we must take a moment to ponder what a miracle it is to travel. It is a historical luxury, a unique thing, that so many people in the world can travel, even to the other side of the world, and expose themselves to cultures and experiences that can redefine how we see life. Trips that use to take weeks or months, now take hours. I know this is not breaking news, but we need to understand just how remarkable this is. Even kings and queens could not get around like we can, nor do so in such comfort. And yes, the cost can be expensive, increasingly in these times, and yet our experiences can be priceless events we can both cherish and take with us to the grave as fond memories.

So how, why and when should we travel? Let’s begin with the why and then do a little inquiry on if we have our head on straight as to our reasons to travel. Many people have a sort of bucket list. Sometimes it is a small bucket. Maybe they just want to get to Paris to see the Eiffel tower, or perhaps see some Mayan ruins. Some people are happy simply having that sense they went to a well known place and did what all good tourists do, making sure to bring home the appropriate sweatshirt or embroidered hat. Some people love museums, while others dream of traveling just to eat food in a place where that food comes from. There is no right or wrong, but there are forms of travel that truly expand our understanding of life. We can travel for the people/culture, for the history of a place, for the natural beauty, or for a certain adventure, to face adversity. And yes, we can travel as a spiritual journey as there are places in the world that can stir our souls in profound ways just by standing in or on them. There are many places in the world that check many of these boxes. Some, all of them. The fundamental question is, are we traveling to find a new form of comfort, or are we traveling to expose our selves to something that may just rewrite how we view life? Something that may make us completely re-prioritize our way of living? A place that makes us realize there are many ways to live?

I am not a fan of drugs as a means to empower our long term evolution in life. I would argue that the world would be a better place if everyone went somewhere quiet and peaceful and did some mushrooms, just once. That is a door opener, but once we open doors, I believe we need to take a boots on the ground approach to becoming our wisest self. To this, I enter my favorite drug, which has been travel. I am not an addict. And while I have many travel stories to tell, I have truly only done any serious traveling perhaps once every five years, sometimes much longer stretches of time in between. Still, I have found nothing more life changing than being in a whole new culture or environment when it comes to rethinking life and re-inventing how I see and experience life. It is impossible to say just how much our cultures truly shape us as individuals without stepping outside of them. Sometimes this is for the better, sometimes not so much. All cultures, all places, cast a certain light and their particular shadow. It is only by staying in one long enough do we often get to fully realize this. This is what binds all cultures even though they may have dramatic differences. We are all juggling the human drama in our own ways.

Arriving in new places I always discover new parts of myself, as they suddenly have a permission to exist. Some cultures welcome loud and meaningless chatter. Others do not. Some accommodate laziness and others demand we show some fortitude. Some are easy to get around and others very difficult to get from place to place, yet no one is in a hurry to get anywhere. Some are covered in the fashion of the times and others have not changed in centuries. We can travel for the purpose of being pampered, a reward that we treat our selves to for all of our hard work. But we can be pampered anywhere, no? One of may favorite things about traveling, being wired the way I am, is the sense of history you get in other places. My culture is so young, new to the game and fashion of the moment, we have lost our roots. To go places where people have been doing the same thing for hundreds of years, to stand in places that haven’t changed, is life changing. We realize that change for the sake of change is over rated. That what we think of as progress is maybe not as progressive as we are led to believe. And we realize what a blessing it is to be able to keep things simple.

In terms of adventure, there are many travel channels on youtube. If you have not yet stumbled upon Yes Theory, that is a great one. The channel’s tagline is seek discomfort. In other words, if you want to grow, put your self in the unfamiliar. Sound scary? There is potential danger everywhere in the world, and while there are far more dangerous places in the world than where I live in the US, I would argue many, if not most of those places, look after each other more than we do. People get attacked in the US and no one wants to get involved. That is someone elses’ business. Thinking about walking into a sketchy dark alley? Most people in the US will just watch and not warn you. I have found the opposite in most, but candidly not all places, outside the US. There are secrets to navigating anywhere. The number one rule is being a good person but not being a naive person. Make local friends. Treat them well and they will look after you. Don’t make friends with the sketchy guy on the corner. Families, students, people going about doing their thing, this where is where you want to find friends. To adventure travel you need a good radar for people. In my experience it is the fearful paranoid travelers that often fall prey to the worst experiences not the open and relaxed ones. Why? Because if we travel in a state of paranoia, we usually end up looking at the surface of things. We are trying to fit things into boxes of what we think we should or should not fear. The great snakes of life take advantage of this. They tell us what we want to hear. They try to take the form of something we will trust just by listening to them. If we have no radar for dangerous people, which has nothing to do with the surface of things, we should probably stay near the hotel. When we endear our selves to locals, the good ones, they will have our back. They will tell us where and where not go, what is and what is not dangerous, or accepted or frowned upon. You might even get to have dinner with them and stir up a lifetime friendship you never thought possible. I try to land somewhere that is the safest place to start. Then I have conversations with locals and create my itinerary over a few days.

There are breathtaking places all of the world. Endless places we can find in our own countries where we can sit with nature and get that sense of awe, one of the great ways to commune with whatever we may see as God. But new can really re invent how we see life. Sometimes it is a thing of wishing we were more like another culture, and sometimes it is a powerful reminder just how fortunate we are to live where we do. Often, it is a bit of both. There are cultures that prosper materially and yet completely lack warmth or depth. And then cultures materially poor that have some of the kindest, warmest people you will ever meet. And, of course, everything in between. There are countries that may have a strong military presence in most places you go, teenage soldiers with machine guns, and then there are places with monks who walk up and down the streets. Everywhere has a way of navigating it. I have mentioned that we find parts of our self when we travel, if we are open and choose to experience our travels that way. Most importantly, we can find our old souls. Most of our history and lineages were much more simple for us, as we go back in time. Easier? No. Simpler? Yes. We can’t go back, but we can reconnect through our experiences abroad.

Where do we go? If you have a bucket list that looks like everyone elses, like all the places you are supposed to go, step back and take a moment to investigate places. Europe is a classic example of a place people go to see the London bridge, the Eiffel tower, the ruins of Rome. If you have never been to Europe you don’t know it is filled with smaller cities that have amazing ancient architecture, charming streets, castles and rivers, minus the sense you have arrived at a tourist destination overrun with thousands of fellow travelers. Most people don’t know Europe has some of the biggest carnivals, think Brazil not the circus, with costumes, parades, and week long activities These are all over Europe. Do your research and give your self an exit strategy. If you wind up somewhere touristy and do not like it, have your plan B. There is always something not too far away that can erase your negative experience. I am a big fan of never booking a room in a place I have never been more than 3 days. That way you are not committed. You can commit if you want. Even if you have to change your accommodation, you can see, in person, what else is around and make an educated choice knowing where you are.

As to the when? As we all know, life is a thing of trade offs. Career. Family. All of these things define the time and resources we have to experience the finer things in life. It is never too soon or too late to travel. Traveling in youth can expand our mind to the possibilities for how we can construct our lives, before we dump a bunch of time and money into school or another career path. Transitions are a great time to travel. If you are dying to go somewhere, make it happen. Think in terms of the grand scheme of your life. When this is all over what will be your regrets and what will be the things you do not regret. If there is one thing in my life I have no regrets about is has been my ability to make time to travel abroad. I have done so traveling on the cheap, doing my research, waiting years to create the opportunity to do so, but every trip has had meaning and revealed the gift that traveling can be. Look at it this way, 100 years ago, not even the wealthiest person in the world could get on a comfortable plane, get served a hot meal, listen to some music on their headphones, and wind up on the other side of the world, or on a tropical island in less than a day. Once in your life treat your self to the greatest luxury while you can. Dare to wisely explore. Take your time. Travel solo if you can. You have no idea how fun and easy it is to meet people on the road. You can connect or isolate your self as much as you choose. This is all giant push to all of you sitting on the fence, not sure if you should jump on that plane, or invest the time in money in that one trip. Find a way. Go. Just go.