It's a trip, man!

 

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I’ve been extremely fortunate to have experienced as much travel in my life as I have. By the time I turned eleven, I’d been to more countries than most people get to visit in a lifetime. I’m grateful for those experiences, and I realize how privileged I am.

I’ve also had the good fortune to do a fair bit of travelling as an adult, for work and for personal reasons. Of the countries I’ve been to as an adult, I had visited all but four (England, Germany, Norway, China) as a child. I’ve spent at least one night in every Canadian province, but have yet to visit the Territories, something that I hope to rectify because, hey, who doesn’t want to be chased through a northern hamlet by a polar bear!

Travel is educational (duh) and formative. Much of who and how I am today is because of travel. Meeting people from other cultures, on their home turf, has had a positive impact on how I interact with people who are “different”, regardless of context. Be curious and empathetic rather than judgemental and suspicious; you’ll be better off. As long as people aren’t stupid or assholes, I’m pretty accepting of them. The stupid ones make my brain hurt and assholes simply aren’t acceptable under any circumstances.

Travel issues, being lost in Beijing, and almost getting arrested in Brussels (it was because of Markko from Iceland – I’m pretty sure he didn’t do it) will test you. If you travel enough, shit’s gonna happen. Just be a grown up and deal with it. At worst you’ll arrive a little late and be exhausted (not the end of the world); if you’re lucky and have a positive mindset, you’ll end up with a great story to tell. A “just go with it” attitude is pretty handy even when not travelling, by the way. Just ask yourself if it’s an inconvenience or a disaster.

I understand how unbelievably fortunate I’ve been, and that not everyone has the opportunity or resources to travel. But for those of you that can swing it but haven’t, what’s stopping you? Seriously, getting out of your comfort zone and doing something different is a thrill. I cannot recommend it enough.

One of my favourite things to do when I’m in a new city is to just walk. If I’ve got a free Saturday or Sunday, I’ll just walk the city for a few hours, stopping for something to eat & drink when I need to, chatting with people when the opportunity is there. It’s such a great way to spend time.

Chris’s list of travel don’ts:

1. Don’t refer to a Belgian as French or Dutch.
2. Don’t refer to a Swiss as German.
3. Don’t refer to an Irish person as English (in my defence, Morris started it by calling me American).
4. Don’t refer to a Canadian as American.
5. Don’t, under any circumstances, say “this isn’t how it is at home.” You’re not at home, that’s the whole fucking point!
6. Don’t try to swim across the Elbe River while naked and drunk.
7. Don’t think you can take that Thai kickboxer in Bangkok (wasn’t me but was funny as hell to watch).

Bad things about travel:

1. Jet lag
2. Being away from your family
3. People in airports that don’t know what they’re doing

Have you had the opportunity to travel? How has it affected you?

Be great today, be better tomorrow!

Cheers!