So this is it. After 116 entries, this will be my final post. I've reached the end of my trip and the end of my journal. I thought I would wrap up with a more meaningful conclusion instead of the day-to-day.
In the past 32 days, I realized just how small the world really is. I just flew around the circumference of the Earth, so I know both literally and figuratively. It also struck me just how similar we all really are. Everywhere I went, people are trying to feed their families, improve their lives, and entertain themselves. The lady selling bugs at the market and the man driving the taxi may have different interests, but we all end up doing most of the same things each day.
After traveling to all these different countries, I realized that the buildings, beds, and sights aren't what I remember. It's the people. I remember the way people treated me and the people I met along the way. I remember how I felt about the cities more than I remember what I saw in the cities.
I think the Australians have it right. International travel helps you open up your eyes. In the US, we live in bubbles. We think adventure is going to the poor side of town for an errand. Adventure is riding in a taxi in Malaysia because your train was cancelled and hoping the driver isn't kidnapping you. I think anyone who goes abroad for a month, even if it's in a safe place like London or Paris, comes back with experience that matures them. Once you see how other cultures operate, it gives you the ability to reflect on your own.
On the flight to Boston, at the hotel in Boston, and on the flight to Dallas, I found myself annoyed at the conversations I was hearing. In the United States, we no longer realize what we have. I saw a lady furious with the bus driver because he asked her very politely if she could move away from the doors so he could close them. She threw a fit. In Thailand, the bus driver would just grab you and push you away from the doors. Or, he would just start driving and if you fell out, it was karma.
We have also become so unfriendly. In the Eastern world, everyone seemed excited to meet me. Strangers would stop me on the street to ask if I spoke English. Remember the man marching and singing about Obama and the USA in Penang? It was hilarious. If someone in the US started singing in the street, we would probably walk away as quickly as possible. The South may not be as bad as Boston, but we're still pretty isolationist. We almost never speak to those around us unless we have a good reason to.
It pains me to see how awful Americans travel, but it might be even worse to see how we act when we're at home. Other countries appeared very united. The US seems so divided all the time.
On perhaps a happier note, my trip was a success. The learnings may be a little sobering, but the trip was a blast. Yes, I had many things go wrong. I missed flights, trains, and hostel reservations. I wore dirty clothes and ended up with a few blisters. I caught a cold and couldn't find medicine. I was stuck in Mumbai airport jail. Still, these things were no big deal in the end. I made it back safe and sound and have a ton of memories from the month of June 2012.
I used to always talk about how awesome my trip to Europe in 2008 was. I won't say that this trip was better entirely, but parts of it were. Solo travel is entirely different than group travel. I was able to set my own schedule each and every day. It is very liberating to be able to cancel an activity when you are tired and add an extra one when you're feeling up for it. Solo travel is scary, but it also forces you to meet other people. I'm not sure how much more solo travel I will be doing, but I am glad I did it this time.
So, that about wraps it up. I backpacked across the world for 32 days in 2012 and I am a better person for it. I don't know if I will ever have another trip like this again, but I said 2008 was a "once-in-a-lifetime" trip and I was wrong.
My closing is this: Go. Find a way to go. Don't make excuses about money, time, jobs, friends, family, or potential terrorist attacks. Bad things happen in life. You could die abroad. Then again, you could die at home. Plan the trip, book the tickets, and go. Otherwise, you might regret it for the rest of your life. You're only young once.
Go.
- Adam
In the past 32 days, I realized just how small the world really is. I just flew around the circumference of the Earth, so I know both literally and figuratively. It also struck me just how similar we all really are. Everywhere I went, people are trying to feed their families, improve their lives, and entertain themselves. The lady selling bugs at the market and the man driving the taxi may have different interests, but we all end up doing most of the same things each day.
After traveling to all these different countries, I realized that the buildings, beds, and sights aren't what I remember. It's the people. I remember the way people treated me and the people I met along the way. I remember how I felt about the cities more than I remember what I saw in the cities.
I think the Australians have it right. International travel helps you open up your eyes. In the US, we live in bubbles. We think adventure is going to the poor side of town for an errand. Adventure is riding in a taxi in Malaysia because your train was cancelled and hoping the driver isn't kidnapping you. I think anyone who goes abroad for a month, even if it's in a safe place like London or Paris, comes back with experience that matures them. Once you see how other cultures operate, it gives you the ability to reflect on your own.
On the flight to Boston, at the hotel in Boston, and on the flight to Dallas, I found myself annoyed at the conversations I was hearing. In the United States, we no longer realize what we have. I saw a lady furious with the bus driver because he asked her very politely if she could move away from the doors so he could close them. She threw a fit. In Thailand, the bus driver would just grab you and push you away from the doors. Or, he would just start driving and if you fell out, it was karma.
We have also become so unfriendly. In the Eastern world, everyone seemed excited to meet me. Strangers would stop me on the street to ask if I spoke English. Remember the man marching and singing about Obama and the USA in Penang? It was hilarious. If someone in the US started singing in the street, we would probably walk away as quickly as possible. The South may not be as bad as Boston, but we're still pretty isolationist. We almost never speak to those around us unless we have a good reason to.
It pains me to see how awful Americans travel, but it might be even worse to see how we act when we're at home. Other countries appeared very united. The US seems so divided all the time.
On perhaps a happier note, my trip was a success. The learnings may be a little sobering, but the trip was a blast. Yes, I had many things go wrong. I missed flights, trains, and hostel reservations. I wore dirty clothes and ended up with a few blisters. I caught a cold and couldn't find medicine. I was stuck in Mumbai airport jail. Still, these things were no big deal in the end. I made it back safe and sound and have a ton of memories from the month of June 2012.
I used to always talk about how awesome my trip to Europe in 2008 was. I won't say that this trip was better entirely, but parts of it were. Solo travel is entirely different than group travel. I was able to set my own schedule each and every day. It is very liberating to be able to cancel an activity when you are tired and add an extra one when you're feeling up for it. Solo travel is scary, but it also forces you to meet other people. I'm not sure how much more solo travel I will be doing, but I am glad I did it this time.
So, that about wraps it up. I backpacked across the world for 32 days in 2012 and I am a better person for it. I don't know if I will ever have another trip like this again, but I said 2008 was a "once-in-a-lifetime" trip and I was wrong.
My closing is this: Go. Find a way to go. Don't make excuses about money, time, jobs, friends, family, or potential terrorist attacks. Bad things happen in life. You could die abroad. Then again, you could die at home. Plan the trip, book the tickets, and go. Otherwise, you might regret it for the rest of your life. You're only young once.
Go.
- Adam
