The idea of packing up a bag, quitting your job, starting fresh, and catapulting into the unknown is an often overwhelming thought. Not knowing where you’ll be, who you’ll meet, what you will learn… all these things can feel horrifying before they come to be…

I walked into a bookstore the other day while I was on the main street in Ubud. The latest issue of TIME Magazine caught my eye, reflecting an image of a child in desperation with the headline, “Asia’s Shame.” I was naturally drawn to this since, well, I am currently in Asia. An older, British…