Life by Choice

Travel Safety - 18.05.10

Last night I was watching a video that captured the gist of what today’s post will focus on, the danger -or lack thereof- in traveling solo. Skyy John is one of my favorite gurus on YouTube, and if you have the stomach to handle adult themes and language, I recommend watching his content.

The video I linked to is safe for work, though.

Way too often I hear the same thing Skyy John hears, and that is the fear that accompanies traveling, whether it be alone or not. It no longer impresses me when someone halfheartedly claims they wish they could travel. This goes double when it comes from my own peers. One of my greatest gifts (and all others around my age) is my lack of obligations, responsibilities.. anything that would tie me down to one location. Aside from family, teens have the freedom to roam any which way they want. Of course every situation is different, but life is much more malleable in early adulthood than any other period.

My own example tends to be an extreme case, but it shows how one can travel even with so many disadvantages; i.e. no car, limited money, and no high school diploma. These and so much more can be overcome. The hardest thing to overcome is the preconceptions of danger that are spawned from misinformation from parents, friends, the media, and anyone who’s never left home. 

The fear is NOT a natural part of yourself.

Now moving on to the actual stuff that DOES happen while you travel. Like below.

Things change and go wrong all the time.

Though I don’t believe in Murphy’s Law nor its derivatives, shit happens all the time. Chucking around my backpack while hitching from place to place caused my LCD to crack, just like the ankle. But I can still type, connect to the internet, access files, so what’s the big deal? Been working, gaming, and jamming to this baby 2 weeks now.

When it comes to dangerous situations, your greatest defense is not weapons but your own intuition. You would be surprised how well human spidey-senses work when paid attention to. Trust your judgment when seeking help from others or entering new areas. I can’t stress enough how important information is.

Data, data, data! I cannot make bricks without clay!
                          -Sherlock Holmes

Do you honestly want to travel? Better yet, do you honestly want to live the way you want? Figure out what’s stopping you, and then look at the true source of the obstacle. Addressing it may or may not be difficult, but the hardest part is taking that first step.