Life-Altering

In 2006 I spent six weeks traveling solo through Southeast Asia. Those were possibly the most incredible six weeks of my life and I never once felt unhealthy or unsafe. Also, for every American traveler I met in Asia I met about fifty British travelers.

Somehow the American media has convinced the population of the entire nation that the outside world is diseased, dangerous, or otherwise catastrophic... America, of course, has a monopoly on safety and to leave its borders would be tantamount to wandering through a mine field. Somehow, though, the British get away with traveling while Americans sit safely at home and watch the world as depicted by CNN.


When I tell people I'm going on another solo trip overseas occasionally I get looks like, "Wow, I'm glad you're not my kid", or, "I hope you don't come home in a body-bag". Sometimes, though, I get supportive comments that are particularly entertaining. My favorite one so far came from a friend of mine after telling him about my upcoming trip to Africa and Asia:

"Woah man... that's like... life-altering."