Why?

After telling my friends and family about the adventure I plan to embark on, I get many different reactions ranging from “that’s awesome man, you gotta go do it” to “what are you crazy!? Why?”.

I’d like to explore some of my reasons for embarking on this trip.  First, I’ve always wanted to “travel the world”.  Though I’ve been to many places like New Zealand, Australia, China, Tanzania, Italy, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii and many other US states, the trips have mostly been one to two weeks with the exception of New Zealand (5 months).  I really enjoyed visiting these places, but these short trips packed with tourist attractions have always left me wanting more, and I don’t feel like I’ve really traveled the world.

Second, at this point in my life, I don’t have many obligations (like a family), I don’t have a house, and I don’t have many posessions.  I’m young, single, and have enough money saved up for a round the world trip.  This is probably the best time in my life to accomplish my dream.

Beyond accomplishing a dream, I believe backpacking around the world will truely be an invaluable learning experience.  I will have to live out of a backpack for a year that is small enough to carry on a plane.  After living my whole life with many more luxuries, it will provide some good perspective about what is really necessary and practical to have.  

Throughout my travels, I will be spending lots of time living in completely different cultures from my own and striving to interact with local people.  By immercing myself in new cultures, I will learn about myself and about the world.  I will have a more personal connection with why people do the things they do.  This will allow me to learn more about myself and be more tolerant and sensitive to other customs.

I know what I gain from this experience will change my life for the better.  It will help me in all aspects of my life and my career.  Now that I know this opportunity exists and is available to me, I would be doing myself an injustice if I did not pursue it.