When you ask the average child what he wants when he grows up, you’ll probably get a variety of answers based on careers, outlandish ideas – e.g. “to live in a castle with a pet dragon” – and a combination of wealth and fame. Seldom do we hang on to these ideas into our...
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I have no regrets about my time on this life-avoidance trip. I left Dallas without much of a plan: just visit a friend in Chattanooga, work in Atlanta, and see what may come in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington DC. There were some times I felt a little out of place – meeting...
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Walking around any major city at night is something I’d recommend to newbie travelers. Although you’re sure to encounter traces of home, like a Little Caesar’s Pizza across from a Starbucks advertising pumpkin spice lattes, they might be in the shadow of a thousand-year-old mosque, or inside the Louvre. Little things stand out: the...
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In the summer of 2004, I accepted a position working the graveyard shift at a small fishing resort on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. The job was pretty straightforward: bag ice when customers weren’t around, make sure the shelves were stocked. I even took a few shifts as a server and dishwasher to mix...
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One of the things most likely to come up in a conversation with me, no matter the topic, is my list. My all-encompassing list of activities and destinations I have yet to experience. As a traveler, this list keeps getting bigger with each Internet search and knowledge of new adventures. I’ll give you a...
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After two weeks at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in the redwoods of California, I find myself disconnected from the world. Not the real world, mind you – not the one filled with green fields, snow-capped mountains, and blue rivers – but the one in which everyone is obsessed with getting the fastest wifi and burying...
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Working in the customer service industry and being a white face abroad (in most countries, anyway) have a lot in common. I’ve already done my share of ranting over my superficial treatment in Asia: for as many benefits as there are in being a foreigner – e.g. not expected to know or necessarily conform...
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I can’t explain why autumn has this affect on me. For as long as I can remember – and we’re talking as far back as 5-6 years old – I’ve always associated sunny weather, chilly winds, and brown leaves with being at peace. I can remember walking to my father’s office from school on...
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I’ve been having a lot of latent thoughts since my return from Canada, the only bit of international travel I’ve had since the Philippines… ok, even that makes me sound a little spoiled. My worldview and my definition of happiness and success are changing all the time for the better. If you had asked...
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As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to change my definition of success more times than I could count. If you had asked me what that word meant at fifteen, I probably would have said a mansion in LA, an acting career, and a supermodel on my arm. In college, I would have settled for...
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