The Antidote to Ignorance
Trevor Noah once said, “If there’s one thing you will never waste your money on, it’s traveling. Traveling is the antidote to ignorance. It changes your mind, your prespective, how you believe and what you believe.” And Mark Twain said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” I love traveling and I couldn’t see my life without ever traveling the world or even the United States. We live in a vast country as it is, and the idea of never even leaving your home state is mindblowing to me. Traveling, especially outside your home country is an experience second to none. It builds character in people and helps build memories that you could never even imagine.
I have traveled to 21 states, and my goal is to see all 50. I have many states that I love for many different reasons and a few I’d be happy never to return to. Some that I love for their beauty, some for their people, and some for both. I was born and raised in California but lived in Virginia for a short time. I loved it there and have talked about making a permanent move there in the future. Yet, the things I love about these places, others might not agree with. Everyone should get out there and see these places and make up their minds for themselves. Since I’m from California I have explored most of the state. It is a huge state though, so I can’t say I have seen it all, yet. I still have places in California that are on my bucket list to see. For instance, I have yet to go to see Yosemite. Yosemite is a landmark location in California. Especially for people that love hiking and the outdoors as much as myself. Also, this summer, I plan on getting to Fern Canyon in the Redwoods State Park. One big draw for me is the use of the canyon in the second Jurassic Park movie, The Lost World.
I have now been to three countries as well, I include the United States in the three. I was in Mexico for 8 hours on a stopover on a cruise. I got to ride quads through the streets for a couple of hours. It was an experience I will never forget. I am planning to go back and explore the country more soon. But with the current uptick in cartel activity, it has put it on the back burner for the moment. Mexico City on November 1st, Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead is on my bucket list as well. It is a day to honor and remember your ancestors before you. It is more of a celebration than a mournful day.
I have also been to South Africa on many occasions. I have done a lot of exploring in South Africa, due to it being my wife’s home country. Like California, there are still a lot of places I want to see in South Africa though. But the amount of poverty in South Africa makes me, as an American, appreciate the things that we have in our lives. Granted they do some things better than us in the United States, such as their medical system. Their universal healthcare system isn’t the greatest, but no one is going untreated. Their healthcare system is much cheaper to get treatment. And they don’t let the insurance and pharmaceutical companies gauge the system. On one visit, I decided to see a physical therapist for a lingering foot injury I was dealing with. I got two appointments and paid in cash. I paid half of what I would be paying in the US, with insurance, for one appointment. In the US, I was also recommended to go at least twice a week. But after two visits to South Africa, I was already starting to feel a lot better. So the unfortunate side of visiting other places, I also have seen where we as Americans can do better.
“Travel is an investment in yourself”. I read an article, I will post it here. https://travel.eatsandretreats.com/infographic-traveling-and-reasons-to-travel/ I had two major takeaways from the article. Traveling forces you to expose yourself to new people and new ideas. These could be different from the mindset you normally deal with. And traveling forces you to be in new situations, and try new things. This can give you a new understanding of yourself, that you might not have had before. The last takeaway I got from the article. Get away from the tourist locations, and truly experience the locals in their daily life. This is one thing I have always tried to do myself, in the US and in other countries. Learn some of the language of the locals the best you can. In my experience, if you try and converse with locals in their language, even just a little goes a long way. I have had locals get excited in South Africa because I can say thank you in Afrikaans, my wife’s native language.
Traveling alone, and I don’t mean seeing new places alone. I mean just traveling to your destinations alone helps build confidence in yourself. It forces you to keep track of time and if you need help, ask random people for help. This can be very hard for someone who is self-conscious or have social anxiety. I found the first time I traveled by myself, maneuvering through these situations is very easy for me. But it has always been easy for me to talk to strangers. I can start a conversation with almost anyone I meet. Yet, for my wife, the first time flying alone, it was much more intimidating. But she was able to find the self-confidence to make it to the US by herself.
At the end of the day, you will only push yourself as far as you are willing to get out of your comfort zone. If you are not willing to get out and feel uncomfortable, then traveling is not for you. I promise you though, the things you can experience, if you are open to it, can be incredible. I have traveled with people who, as soon as things get a little uncomfortable, get annoyed and want to run home. That is not me in the slightest, and I thrive on uncomfortable situations in life. My final lesson is, pushing your boundaries is what makes you grow as a person.
