NEW YEAR, FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Nearly one year ago I boarded a flight to Bangkok to begin a soul-searching, quarter-life-crisis-averting, #yolo solo expedition through Southeast Asia. That journey brought me to nine different countries over the course of 11 months. In those 11 months, I climbed a volcano, ran from a wild elephant, met some incredibly kind souls and some complete lunatics, laughed like a maniac, cried like a baby, learned to surf, rarely set an alarm, fell in love, drove a tuk tuk, and ate a seriously ridiculous number of noodles.
2019 will be tough to beat, to say the least.
When I began this trip, I think I had high expectations of what would result from a year of foreign travel. I thought I’d have the answers and know what I wanted to do with my life, with solid career goals and a clear understanding of what city I’d want to call home. But as I’m leaving Bangkok, the same city where I started this adventure, I have no answers or definitive plans.
I have something better: A fresh perspective.
When you have the answers and the plans, there’s little room left for exploration and uncertainty. And if there’s anything I’ve learned in the last year, it’s that exploration and uncertainty bring me, a total planner, a lot of happiness. Because these things don’t have to mean chaos and a #wanderlust life, but can instead open your mind up to unlimited opportunities.
As cheesy as it sounds, this trip has truly made me believe that nearly everything is possible. No, I’m not coming home with the answers, but I am coming home with an overwhelming sensation that almost everything is obtainable if you’re open and motivated enough to do something about it. I have never in my life felt more capable.
This trip has helped me to stay within the present, to think more positively about the future, and, maybe most importantly, it has given me a heightened sense of appreciation for what I have. In some of the places I visited this year, I saw oppressed women, painfully poor families, and people who will never have the opportunity to leave their country, let alone their village. It seems so unfair. How can a birthplace have such a dramatic impact on lifelong opportunities?
The U.S. has its downfalls, certainly. But being born here, or in any other highly developed country, opens doors to opportunities that many people in the world will never have the chance to experience. This is something I didn’t fully understand until this trip and has left me unbelievably grateful for the privileges I have.
I started this trip in Bangkok. I ended this trip in Bangkok. But I’m leaving a different person than when I arrived—not in a dramatic “I’VE FOUND MYSELF!” sort of way. But in a way that only a year of new experiences can change a person.
If I uploaded all of the photos I took on this trip I’d break the internet. So, for everyone’s sake, here are my top 10 to 50ish favorite photos from each country/region I visited, in the order I visited them. They’re not necessarily the most beautiful or interesting photos, but they’re the ones that mean the most to me. Many with a great story behind them.
