Reflections on a Trip of a Lifetime
Looking Back on a Trip of a Lifetime
*Too long; didn’t read is at the bottom.*
After just over five months on the road, our journey around the world has come to a temporary end. I say temporary because Amanda and I will never stop exploring the world but for now, we are hitting pause. Before I go into what our future will hold, I want to reflect a little bit about what we’ve learned and accomplished this trip:
• Visited 26 countries together (Amanda likes to remind me that she visited 27 thanks to a weekend trip to Italy)
• Flew over 85,000 miles (190+ hours)
• Over 30 UNESCO World Heritage sites visited
• 165 days of traveling
• And we still enjoy being around each other
Reflection
How does one reflect on a trip of that scale? Well, I’m glad you asked:
Gratefulness - We are lucky. We are lucky that we were born into the families that we are in, the countries that we call home, and even this time in history. We saw a lot of suffering and a lot of devastation (from both nature and humans) to both nature and other humans. Even though it wasn’t easy, it was crucial that we saw some of the dark places. It’s an important reminder to center one’s self back into reality and be grateful for all the gifts that we have. There’s no better way to describe it than this quote by the late Anthony Bourdain:
“Travel isn't always pretty. It isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that's okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”
Learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable is important. Some of our most eye-opening and humbling experiences came from being someplace uncomfortable. If anything, we left with a recharged desire to help however we could and will be devoting more of our time to volunteer in our community.
Minimalism - This ties into the materialistic aspect of gratefulness. We successfully traveled the globe with a 35L bag each. We even had some extra space to buy some needed gear along the way. I was able to survive with just a handful of shirts, boxers, shorts and two pairs of pants for this entire trip. We came to the conclusion very quickly that we have too much stuff back at home. While on a short stop back to the States for Christmas, the first thing we did was donate 3 black bags worth of clothing and goods to local charities. And that’s just the beginning, as we will be working towards donating more of our unnecessary goods to those in need. It was very liberating to be able to travel easily between all our destinations with just a backpack.
“There are two ways to be rich: One is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little.” - Jackie French Koller
On a group tour while visiting the Angkor Wat temple complex.
People are inherently kind - Everywhere we went we felt welcomed. The people we encountered loved to share their stories with us about their cultures, their way of life, their passions, and even their own wants and desires. And on a basic level, most people want the same thing: food on the table, safety/security, and to have their children be better off than they are. Most people don’t care what your religious beliefs are, your sexual orientation, your political party, or your skin color…they just want to live their lives. The few that do care ruin it for everyone else. We were lucky that we didn't encounter any ‘bad apples’ either. No one is born to hate, it is something that is taught.
Short Observations
American food is super salty.
Off season/shoulder season travel is the best. We successfully visited every country during their shoulder or off season. It is cheaper and there are fewer tourists.
We never felt our lives were in danger, even in some of the poorest places in the world. Some of the most dread we felt was back in certain areas in Charlotte.
Public transportation in the US is needs a lot of work.
Our Favorites
Favorite cities? Taipei and Singapore
Most scenic? Bhutan and New Zealand
Best food? Taipei and Singapore
Most expensive? Singapore and Japan
Least expensive? Vietnam and Cambodia
Most impressive historical site? Tiger’s Nest (Bhutan) and Angkor Wat (Cambodia)
Least favorite city? Kathmandu
Best public transport? Singapore and Taipei
Least Westernized country? Bhutan (not a single McDonalds!)
So where is the Next Layover?
It’s actually going to be Charlotte. It was a very difficult decision to cut our travels short and change our original plan. Throughout our travels, Amanda and I discussed our wants and goals for the coming years. We’ve set out a list of things we want to achieve, and the best place for us to accomplish them is back in North Carolina, for now. If anything, this trip truly exposed us to what we really want and keeping that in the back of our minds will really push us to achieve our goals. We won’t be sharing what our goals are, as research states that sharing them might actually lead to a lower probability of achieving them (read here). Not only will we return home with more stamps in our passport, we are also returning with more clarity.
In Conclusion
If there is one thing you take from this, I hope it is this: travel more. Forget the new fashion trends, or skip the latest model iPhone…use that money to see somewhere new and create a lifelong memory that will last far longer than anything you can buy in a store. I promise you that you won’t regret it. We certainly haven’t.
TL;DR: Done traveling. Loved it. Back in Charlotte. For now.
“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” – Ray Bradbury
“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson
