What traveling taught me about death

On the purpose of life, priorities and an experiment that will enhance your life.

Traveling can be dangerous, and I believe part of why it changed my view on death is because the number of life-threatening situations has tripled since I embarked on this journey. Never before have I literally looked death in the eye – whether navigating bumpy roads beside cliffs in Nepal, camping alone in a desert in Jordan, teetering on the edge of a cliff in northern Thailand, or narrowly avoiding a bike crash in Vietnam. These encounters brought mortality closer than ever before, reshaping my understanding of life's fragility. In a humorous light, if it were just me biting the dust, that would be a bummer but manageable. However, realizing I've got my tiny travel companion relying on my survival skills adds a new level of concern to the situation.

If you're wondering why I would even consider choosing this “dangerous” lifestyle, despite carrying the most valuable luggage with me, I'll tell you what I've learned along the way: