If You Make These Excuses, You Need to Get Out and Travel

“Is it safe?”

Damn. If you actually think living at home is safe, you need a reality check. Depending on where you are, you may very well be in a country other people avoid because of how dangerous it is. This is especially true of those who live in the “greatest country in the world,” aka, the USA.

Ever take a look at crime statistics in the United States? Nah, I didn’t think so. You can probably cite all sorts of scary things that happened to Americans abroad, though. There’s that one guy in this one country. That other guy somewhere else. That one thing that happened that one time. Yeah, that’s totally a good reason to run away from reality.

Take a brief look at a list of countries with the lowest homicide rate, and you might make an interesting discovery. The United States is #104. Let that sink in.

Here are some countries with a lower homicide rate than the United States:

• Laos
• Suriname
• Albania
• Cambodia
• Iran
• Tajikistan
• Slovakia
• Qatar
• Bhutan

If you’re afraid for your life, you should leave home as quickly as possible. Oh, and read this if you think hostels are scary.

“They don’t like Americans.”

Take a second look at that sentence. Is it a preconceived notion based on information other than having been there and experiencing it for yourself? Nice job! You just committed an act of prejudice.

What’s unfortunate about this particular sort of prejudice is it’s self-perpetuating. Once someone gets it into his or her head that “the world doesn’t like us,” they stay at home and never find out how nonsensical it is. Never mind that millions of Americans go traveling all the time and have a spectacular experience. Never mind that some places in the US treat minority populations like presumed suspects (ahem, Arizona). Once people think dumb things and shelter themselves from evidence to the contrary, it’s hard to get facts into their heads.

But I won’t bother arguing against that belief. It’s useless. I’ll merely point out that if you think the world hates Americans (or French people, or Italians, or whatever you may be), then it’s all the more reason to get out there and not be an idiot so people can see.

If they think Americans suck, go prove them wrong. Go somewhere and don’t suck.

“I don’t like how they do things there.”

Ah, yes, culture shock. Everyone’s favorite reason to stick it out in your home country and never experience anything else, all the while thinking your own set ways are somehow objectively superior.

It’s not often I meet people who encapsulate the American Dream, as I generally don’t associate with people whose only aspiration is buying a bigger house and accumulating a dozen business suits, but I’m occasionally reminded that they do, in fact, exist. People who “need” to buy things. Who “need” a new $400 purse. Who “need” a BMW. Who “need” to go tanning. People who think wants and needs are totally the same thing. These people often complain about not having any money. What a wonderful culture! But I digress.

It’s not that I think all ideas are equally valid; let’s face it, some ideas are just plain stupid. But if you’re afraid of other cultures, then you need to experience other cultures. You might actually learn a thing or two. You might learn that the best education on the planet is in Finland. That the longest life expectancy is in Japan. That the happiest country in the world is Norway. That Romania has waterproof, wrinkle-proof, rip-proof money that you can go swimming with. Why the fuck don’t we?!?! Oh, and in most countries, receiving a phone call is free. Only the caller has to pay.

Feeling jealous yet? If you think your culture is oh-so-great, I bet you haven’t seen much else. And that’s exactly why you should go.

“Don’t they have weird food?”

Yes, they do, and it’s fucking fantastic.

So yeah, this is a bit of a minor point, but still, people are extraordinarily terrified of what it’s like to eat in other countries. They have this weird picture of mangy rats on barbecue skewers drenched in the blood of slaughtered newborn children and garnished with wombat toenail clippings.

Ironically, the ones afraid of the food are probably devouring “food” that is cartoonishly unhealthy for them. One look at a week’s worth of food around the world should be enough to show just how much healthier food is supposed to be, and in other countries, usually is.

But I won’t try to convince anyone with the health aspect, because traveling for cuisine is absolutely spectacular. And this is coming from one of the world’s pickiest eaters, especially as a kid, who now gets super excited seeing all the wonderful concoctions the world has to offer. Oh, and street food is quite often the best food.

“I don’t think I can do it.”

Well then that’s why you should go!!!

Seriously, if you’re scared of how tough it’s going to be to travel around the world on your own, well, then your fears are getting the best of you. 18-year-olds with zero travel experience do it all the time, and they have an extraordinary time. Are you really going to let them be cooler than you are?

So if you’re scared of dealing with:

• A weird language
• Funny-looking currency
• Crazy cultural oddities
• Not knowing where things are
• Only bringing a few pairs of shoes
• Being alone

…then you need to go. If you can’t handle these (mild) life challenges, life is going to smack you in the face when real problems occur down the road. Like when your wifi goes out.

And it won’t even be as tough as you think. It’s probably going to be fun.

Now get out of here! This article was originally published at Snarky Nomad and is reprinted here with permission.