On a good day, I can name all 197 countries in the world (I’m using Sporcle’s country list. It includes Taiwan and Palestine BECAUSE WHY WOULDN’T IT). Clips like the Jimmy Kimmel video below make me worry about the United States and how we interact with other countries (well, that clip and a whole lot of other things happening in the news lately…).
I’ve been thinking a lot about this topic lately because I’m traveling next week. As I prepare for my trip to Peru, I’ve been examining what travel means to me, how it fits into my financial journey, and why cheap tickets to Cancun are just not appealing (I have no desire to pay money to lay on a beach somewhere because that’s something I could do in my own country).
Why I Travel
I started traveling internationally when I was 4 years old. My only memory from that trip to Hong Kong is watching the movie Jumanji with a friend there, but thankfully that wasn’t my last international trip. I’ve since been to 25 countries, and I’ll add the 26th to the list next week. Those first memories of traveling with my mom are the reason I love it so much. That sense of wonder and discovery, of new foods and bright colors and crowded markets. I think it’s also the reason that Western Europe isn’t high up on my travel bucket list—it feels too tame after memorable trips in Cambodia, Jordan, and Turkey. And the countries that are on that list take me far from my comfort zone and expose me to new experiences. Top of the list after Peru: Indonesia, Namibia, Morocco, Egypt, Myanmar,…it goes on for awhile.
My mom instilled a strong desire to go beyond the basic guided tours when traveling. When I was in fourth grade and we went to Jamaica on a cruise, we didn’t pay for any of the packaged day tours. Instead, we found a taxi driver to show us around. He took us to his favorite lunch spot, where we sat on overturned buckets and ate whole fried fish (I was fascinated with the fact that it was staring at us…).
Travel Is Expensive, But Worth It
Travel isn’t always cheap. It can be, but especially when I have specific countries on my bucket list, I’m not inclined to jump on the latest cheap flight to Iceland. I’d rather save up and go somewhere that I’ve been dying to visit. Peru wasn’t the cheapest destination for my friend and me when we booked our tickets, but that was the specific place we desperately wanted to go.
Thankfully, it is possible to alleviate costs. I used Amex points to cover my entire ticket, and I booked some hotels through the Amex portal so that I could get bonus points. We found decently priced hotels, and instead of booking tours, we’re visiting sites in the Sacred Valley during our taxi ride from the airport. There’s a pretty big gap between backpacking between hostels and doing an all-inclusive luxury tour; you just have to find your own sweet spot in that range.
Travel is about getting outside of yourself and your bubble. It’s about expanding your horizons, considering other points of view, and questioning your assumptions. How can you know that your home is the best place ever*, if you never visit anywhere else?
*spoiler alert, it’s probably not. Just saying.
Travel is Also About Mindset
Being somewhere else physically isn’t enough. If you travel (or move) somewhere new, and you’re still surrounded by people who look, talk, and act like you, then what’s the point? I asked an American expat in Cambodia to take me to his favorite Khmer restaurant, and he legitimately drew a blank—he didn’t eat the local food. We went to an Italian place for dinner instead.
I had a math teacher in middle school who had a fundamental impact on my future path. As students, we thought it was weird that for one semester, she made us learn the location, abbreviation, and capital of each US state. It was math, wasn’t it? I can’t remember her exact response, but the general gist was that she wasn’t teaching us to be mathematicians, she was teaching us how to be good citizens, good adults, and good thinkers. We should at least be familiar with the layout of our own country.
A Global Mindset
I’m glad that my college education took that a step further and taught me the geography, politics, and history of the rest of the world. Think about it—how much non-Western world history did you learn in high school? What about in college? I’d guess that for most of us, it’s little to none. I learned about the Opium Wars, the Silk Road, and Genghis Khan. There might have been some other small details thrown in, mostly related to Western colonization.
On this road to seeking happiness and overall wellness, I’m trying to do more to broaden my horizons when it comes to world affairs. So if you have a favorite regional history book you’d like to recommend, let me know. Eventually, if I reach financial independence, I want the knowledge and background to get significantly more active in making a difference, without the limiting factor of needing a regular paycheck.
We’re global citizens, and we need to damn well act like it. That applies to the way we consume products, the way we vote, the way we travel, and the way we learn. I encourage you to consider this factor on your own journey, and assess how well these goals fit in with your personal story.
Also, if you want to brush up on your own world geography, check out my Etsy shop! I’ve designed several sets of downloadable flashcards, with more being added regularly.