Adventure Waits
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” Eleanor Roosevelt, American Politician and First Lady of the United States
*** In the 1993 comedy Wayne's World 2, Wayne (Mike Meyers) dreams he meets Jim Morrison of The Doors. In the course of their conversation, Morrison informs Wayne it is his destiny to put on a big concert in Aurora, Illinois. Wayne asks how to put together the concert and Morrison tells him, "Book the bands and they will come." Take the first step and the rest will fall in to place; have ticket, will travel. Whether long or short-term, traveling is simple. You choose a place to go, decide upon your method of …show more content…
Traveling, however near or far, requires a multitude of decisions and at least a skeletal plan. While the act of traveling comes easy for some, for others, overcoming the apprehension, fear, family issues, or other limiting beliefs is initially the most complicated step. Adventure waits, but only for those willing to take risk.
When I moved to Thailand, the time was right. I had some international travel experience: Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Great Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands. Before I went to Europe, traveling to Asia was something I considered too foreign and too much of a hassle. Despite my travels, I knew very little about the ways of the world. I believe my thoughts were along the lines of, “Thais don’t speak English, how am I supposed to have fun when I don’t understand them and they don’t understand me?” Although I enjoyed the business I had created, I wanted less stress and more out of my life. One of my customers traveled to Indonesia twice a year and after several long conversations with him, I began thinking I too could jet halfway around the world. It would be a step outside of my comfort zone but it sounded exciting and I …show more content…
Indonesia sounded interesting, but I wanted to go to Thailand to train in Muay Thai. In the course of my research, I learned about courier travel. Courier companies use your check-in baggage for their customer’s documents and in return allow you to travel for a greatly reduced fare. The airline only allowed you to bring carry-on baggage but this was a minor inconvenience and minimalism travel at its finest. The Los Angeles Times ran ads for courier companies every Sunday, so I bought the latest paper and found Polo Express Couriers. I immediately called them, ran through a long list of questions, and although slightly apprehensive, made arrangements to fly to Bangkok. My first ticket to Bangkok cost just $200. The company tells you the time to arrive at the airport, where to meet their representative, the departure time and the return date and time. Missing an appointment meant blacklisting you from traveling with their company in the future and the forfeiture of your ticket. Flying as a courier was a good gig so avoiding any screw-up was in my best interest. In the next year, I traveled to Bangkok four more times, once for $50, visiting Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya, Koh Samet and several other cities. I loved the
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” Eleanor Roosevelt, American Politician and First Lady of the United States
*** In the 1993 comedy Wayne's World 2, Wayne (Mike Meyers) dreams he meets Jim Morrison of The Doors. In the course of their conversation, Morrison informs Wayne it is his destiny to put on a big concert in Aurora, Illinois. Wayne asks how to put together the concert and Morrison tells him, "Book the bands and they will come." Take the first step and the rest will fall in to place; have ticket, will travel. Whether long or short-term, traveling is simple. You choose a place to go, decide upon your method of …show more content…
Traveling, however near or far, requires a multitude of decisions and at least a skeletal plan. While the act of traveling comes easy for some, for others, overcoming the apprehension, fear, family issues, or other limiting beliefs is initially the most complicated step. Adventure waits, but only for those willing to take risk.
When I moved to Thailand, the time was right. I had some international travel experience: Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Great Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands. Before I went to Europe, traveling to Asia was something I considered too foreign and too much of a hassle. Despite my travels, I knew very little about the ways of the world. I believe my thoughts were along the lines of, “Thais don’t speak English, how am I supposed to have fun when I don’t understand them and they don’t understand me?” Although I enjoyed the business I had created, I wanted less stress and more out of my life. One of my customers traveled to Indonesia twice a year and after several long conversations with him, I began thinking I too could jet halfway around the world. It would be a step outside of my comfort zone but it sounded exciting and I …show more content…
Indonesia sounded interesting, but I wanted to go to Thailand to train in Muay Thai. In the course of my research, I learned about courier travel. Courier companies use your check-in baggage for their customer’s documents and in return allow you to travel for a greatly reduced fare. The airline only allowed you to bring carry-on baggage but this was a minor inconvenience and minimalism travel at its finest. The Los Angeles Times ran ads for courier companies every Sunday, so I bought the latest paper and found Polo Express Couriers. I immediately called them, ran through a long list of questions, and although slightly apprehensive, made arrangements to fly to Bangkok. My first ticket to Bangkok cost just $200. The company tells you the time to arrive at the airport, where to meet their representative, the departure time and the return date and time. Missing an appointment meant blacklisting you from traveling with their company in the future and the forfeiture of your ticket. Flying as a courier was a good gig so avoiding any screw-up was in my best interest. In the next year, I traveled to Bangkok four more times, once for $50, visiting Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya, Koh Samet and several other cities. I loved the