999. "If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home"

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home" -James Michener

This quote has stuck by me for a long time. I am a lover of travel, meeting new people and learning new customs. I have studied in three different continents and visited four of the seven, with the remaining three as my goal. We live in a world that is connected in ways never before seen, the world is truly flat. Business now has few boarders in this world and travel has few restrictions. I can hop on a plane and land in Egypt, or China, or Russia within a day. Thats mind blowing.


Ive traveled with a countless amount of people who refuse to challenge themselves while traveling. They eat at McDonald's, instead of trying local cuisine. They interact with their small group, instead of reaching out to locals. And I could go on and on about this, but it boils down to one thing. When you are traveling, it is not the local that is the 'foreigner', rather it is the opposite. You are the foreigner in a new land, so why not try new things and embrace where you are?


My philosophy for traveling has always been this. Determine your comfort level, and then increase it by 1. If you always push yourself to new small steps, you'll be amazed at what you can conquer and discover about yourself. So don't be afraid to try new things, even if its a small as a different culture in your own country (Theres a big difference between the city life of New York and the country of Mississippi). Challenge yourself everyday and eventually nothing will be able to stop you.