Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
out into the world knowing it all. They pick it up along the way. Don't doubt yourself. You get by in your
regular life just fine. The same will be true when you travel.
The World Isn't as Dangerous as the Media Says
CNN, FOX News, and other major media outlets often make the world outside our borders look like a pretty
scary place, where you'd be crazy to leave the safety of the United States. They paint a picture of a world
filled with violence, anti-Americanism, rampant natural disasters, and lots of crime. But in all my years
of traveling, I have never encountered any problem or suffered from any anti-Americanism. One of the
main reasons why the world seems so dangerous is because we have instant communication now. Whenever
anything happens, we can know about it right away through twenty-four-hour news, Twitter, or Facebook.
Earthquakes have always happened, but we could never find out about them instantaneously through online
media before.
My mother constantly tells me when I go anywhere in the world to “be careful,” as if the world is a
big scary place. She'll tell me how nervous she is if I end up in a country that she once heard about in the
news . . . in 1975. I try to tell her that the world is not that scary and I could get mugged just as easily in
New York, Miami, or Houston as I could in London, Beijing, or Brazil and sometimes she'll agree, stating
“I guess you have a point.” Many of my old coworkers do the same. My friend was going to join me in
Thailand, and when she told her coworkers that, they replied, “Why would you want to go there? Hawaii
has beaches and do they
even
have electricity in Thailand?”
We believe what we hear on TV so easily because we don't hear otherwise. I remember watching
The
Tonight Show with Jay Leno
, and he often did a sketch called “Jay Walking” in which he would ask Amer-
icans questions about foreign leaders or countries, and most people were stumped. According to the Pew
Research Center's
State of the Media 2010
, only 10.5 percent of news coverage is related to international
affairs. That is shockingly low. It's no surprise to me that so many people know so little about the world,
when they are exposed to such little information.
However, realize that everyone around the world wants the same things that you want. They all have
jobs, families, and things to do. They want their kids to be safe, earn money, and be allowed to live life.
They want to be left alone. They aren't looking for trouble. Travelers from all corners of the world are cross-
ing paths every day without any problems. In any city in the world, use your street smarts to avoid dodgy
situations, and you will be fine. Parts of New York City can be just as unsafe as other parts of the world.
As a whole, the world is no more or less safe than any part of the United States. Using common sense,
you will not encounter any problems you can't find in an American city.
You Will Make Friends
People always ask me how to make friends on the road. They tell me they're not very social and that it's
hard for them to meet and talk to strangers. After all, not everyone can walk up to a stranger and say hello.
You might spend the first few days traveling by yourself, afraid of making the first contact. I was really shy
when I hit the road. I could talk my friends' ears off, but when meeting a stranger, I grew silent. Now I have
no problems talking to people, and I can thank travel for learning that skill.
The good news is that when you travel, you are never alone. There are many solo travelers making their
way across the world who are in the same boat as you. They want companionship. They want friends. You'll
