Seeing wonders such as Christo Redentor, Machu Picchu, and the Taj Mahal. Trekking in Peru and Nepal. Camping in the Amazon. Hitting the beach in Tamarindo, Florianopolis, Cancún, and Marseille. Eating and drinking at Buenos Aires parrillas, Rio de Janeiro churascurias, Berlin beer gardens, London pubs, Paris Michelin-starred restaurants, Tokyo sushi counters, and Bangkok street food stalls. Hanging out in castles and palaces, slums and favelas. Staying in homes, hostels, ryokans, hammocks, boats, monasteries, and 4-star hotels. Studying and practicing meditation and Spanish. Visiting holy sites in Istanbul, Kyoto, Kathmandu, and Pushkar. Meeting old and new friends along the way. Writing one hundred pages of memories and taking a few thousand photographs. Traveling 55,000 miles and visiting 22 countries. That’s how I spent my year.
Then I packed my suitcase one last time, got on a plane, and came home.
Worth it? Yes. Best year of my life? Yes. Learn anything? Many things, but most importantly these:
Life Lessons
- I am very rich. Several people told me so along the way, and looking around at the rest of the world it was easy to see they were right.
- Being happy, helping others, and purifying our thoughts, words, and actions–these are fundamental to living a meaningful and successful life. Each is a skill that can be practiced, developed, and cultivated. Understood properly, they are also the same thing.
- It is important to have a set of principles that you strive to live up to and measure yourself against, and it is good to have teachers, role models, and friends to support you in that pursuit.
- Achieving lasting world peace, ending the negative effects of poverty, and devising means for sustainable resource use should be the top political priorities of the world until they are all accomplished. Citizens should hold their leaders accountable, and leaders should hold each other accountable for making constant progress toward these critical objectives.
- Every day we should do the essential, then the important, then whatever we want.
Travel Lessons
- Don’t be put off by others dismissing a place as “too touristy”. After all, why does a place become “touristy”?–because a lot of people want to go there. And why do a lot of people want to go there?–frequently, because it is awesome.
- If you did the same thing as someone else (flight, tour, hotel, or purchase), don’t ask or tell them how much you paid. One of you will feel bad.
- Current mishaps can become future great memories. You might get sick, lost, scammed, robbed, delayed, re-routed, rained on, threatened by animals, homesick, lonely, stuck in uncomfortable places, harrassed, or exhausted. I did, and it was worth it.
- It is worth the time to take pictures and to help other people take their pictures.
- The key to having a good time is to maintain a relentless positive attitude.
- In the Third World…
- It is easy to get annoyed by hawkers constantly offering you taxis, tours, trinkets, and drugs. Resist the urge to be rude or offer some cunning reply. They are just trying to make a living–likely a very modest one–and they too would probably prefer not to bother you if they had a better option.
- Try not to get scammed, but don’t feel bad if you do–especially if it is just for a few dollars. Some tricksters are very good at their schemes and you can’t recognize them every time.
- Negotiate on purchase prices, but remember that the last couple of dollars probably mean a lot more to the seller than to you.
- It is best to tip when expected, even if a situation is obviously (and awkwardly) manufactured for the express purpose of “earning” a tip.
- It is counterproductive to import your First World standards. Transportation will be delayed, plans will be deviated from, communication will be poor, bathrooms will be terrifying, thieves will be lurking, business processes will be inefficient, people will stare or smile at you creepily. Make peace with all of this in advance and many great times will be had.
Michael, I have enjoyed keeping up with you through your blog and will miss reading about your adventures. I think your decision to take this trip was wise and brave and I am so glad you found it worthwhile. I look forward to hearing more about it the next time we see you.
Enjoy the holidays with your family !
Alice, thank you very much. It is so cool for me that you read this blog.
Wow…one year gone? The time is flying by very quickly…
I bet it was an amazing trip …what a great experience! A lot of memories…
Thanks for stopping by during your Europe adventure 🙂
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Martina! Yes, it was the best trip I could imagine and hanging with you in the Czech Republic was one of the most fun times.
Michael! Have enjoyed “watching” you travel around the world! We have missed you!
Thanks for the lessons learned and the beautiful photos!
Trina, it has been my privilege to have you “along”. Thank you for reading!
You really are one of the world’s greats, my friend. I am happy to have shared a small portion of your journey, and I’m richer for doing so. I look forward to more time spent on terra firma planning the next adventure.
Thank you, Daniel. London with you and Saigon with you and Leah were among the best days of the whole trip.
It might be too early so say, but how has this trip affected you? Will you drop back into your former life or will it be different? Has it changed your thoughts about Americans and America? What’s next?
Uncle Charlie,
I feel more connected to the rest of the world, both places and people. I am more dedicated to improving myself, for my own benefit and the benefit of everyone around me. I tried to cultivate patience, calm, and a positive attitude and I think I made progress.
I probably will drop back into my former life, but view it with more gratitude and a greater sense of purpose. I began with the romantic notion that I might end up moving to Tokyo or Prague or Buenos Aires, but fear I might end up “drifting” if I did. For the long run, it is best to resume my career and stay connected with my friends.
I have a much greater sense of the impact America has on the rest of the world. Economically, militarily, and culturally, it is such a huge influence. The rest of the world is watching what we do and hoping we get it right, because they will be deeply affected by our choices. It was valuable to see America from a distance to recognize what makes it great and contemplate how we could make it even better.
What’s next? The details of a job and a place to live must be arranged, but the big picture is is place: remember what I learned, strive to become the best possible version of myself, help others, and enjoy.
Hi Michael! Håkon from spanish school and BAFA in Buenos Aires here. Have been reading your blog now and then to catch up to what you have been doing and where you have been, and it looks like your journey was incredible. Im really happy for you! Thank you for some good times playing football, and seeing Rio de Janeiro together. Be sure to let me know if you ever come back to Europe, and to Norway one time. You did a really nice job with the blog here. Hope everything is still good! Was really nice meeting you.
Håkon
Håkon! Great to hear from you! Thank you for the nice message. When I think back on Buenos Aires, I feel very lucky to have been there at the same time as you and our school classmates. It was impressive how people from our various parts of the world became friends so easily. I’m working some of your ball fakes and moves into my soccer game. I’ll hang on to your email address and hope to stay in contact with you, and I’ll certainly see what you are up to you next time I come to Europe.