Every Reason Under The Sun Why You Should NOT Travel

The conversation started out simple enough but quickly turned into a scolding as to the inherent dangers of travel and how easy it is to fall prey to cutthroats and scoundrels.

In fact, travel is easily the most dangerous activity known to man. With every reason under the sun proving why you shouldn’t go, you’d be a fool to step outside your little hamlet. Right?

It was a recent conversation with my mother that got me thinking about this. I mentioned that I wasn’t going to be in Thailand for a month as she had thought (and bravely accepted). I would be there for about four months. That’s when the grief started to roll…

“Be careful! They don’t hold themselves to the same standards we do. There were two girls that got life in prison there. What if you get kidnapped? Swine flu is everywhere there. Don’t run with scissors.”

Insert scene of me rolling my eyes and saying, “Y’know, I wasn’t going to be careful before but now that you mention it, sounds like a good idea. I’ll give it a shot.” Insert sound of her slapping the back of my head.

Now, I understand that it’s in her DNA to worry – she’s a mother. However, if you look beyond mothers and agoraphobes these same fears and concerns resonate with everybody to some degree. Which begs the question…

How the hell does anyone ever actually travel beyond their driveway let alone travel abroad?

Have you seen the National Geographic show Locked Up Abroad? The series tells stories of travelers who get locked up, beaten and helpless in foreign jails. Oh, snap! What a horrible fate awaits me!

Actually, most of the folks on the show are dumb shits who got conned into smuggling drugs but still… jail (anywhere in the world) ain’t a happy place.

But, what could happen to you if you travel?

In the book 4 Hour Work Week, there’s an exercise to help you put all your crap on the table and really look at all those travel fears for what they really are… excuses to not do anything worthwhile.

In the exercise, the question goes something like this:

Write down all the scary and horrible things that could happen to you while abroad.

Hmmm, let’s see. What could happen?

1. End up in a foreign jail, shackled in a hole in the ground
2. Stranded without money or help
3. Mugged and beaten by a gang of thugs who recognize my mugger’s wallet for what it really is
4. Catch a flesh eating virus
5. Kidnapped and held for ransom (good luck)
6. A major organ could fail and the pain reduces me to sniveling sobs on a bedroom floor with no one the wiser
7. Eaten by tigers (damn good story if I actually lived through it)
8. Murdered, burned and left in a ditch

All in all, not a bad list of things that could happen while traveling (feel free to add your own travel fears in the comments below). The likelihood of any of these things happening are pretty much nil. The only ones that have any real lasting impact are the ones that include death. Of course, if that happens it’s a done deal and there’s no use complaining about it.

That’s the idea of the exercise, though – to discover that your nightmares, however big and scary, aren’t that likely or permanent. Even so…

Are the positive outcomes of travel worth nightmarish risks?

The next exercise from the book asks you…

What are the positive outcomes?

1. Witness things that were personally never thought to exist or be possible
2. Meet and learn from amazing people and call them friends
3. Discover a new self, a new confidence
4. See parts of the world only a small percentage of people have ever known
5. Take part in once-in-a-lifetime adventures
6. Make a difference in someone’s life
7. Learn a new language
8. Shift perspectives on people and life
9. Have experiences that make life worth living

Again, not a bad list (feel free to add any positive outcomes in the comments below). Especially that last one.

For the analytical types, we now have some pros and cons of travel. From where I’m standing, one side vastly outweighs the other.

You can brainstrom every reason under the sun what could happen and use those as excuses why you shouldn’t travel. However, even with death (which comes to us all at some point anyway) weighing in for the cons, the opportunities for personal growth, fulfillment, and getting more from life make the argument for travel far more compelling.

Life isn’t about avoiding danger and risks, it’s about choosing how you live.

Related Topics

lifestyle design, safety, travel