Being in the travel industry for quite some time, I hear a lot of ums and ahs when it comes to the real movement of putting travel plans into action. I guess that’s the hardest part for most of us, the most daunting part of traveling, it’s actually going from imagination, ideas and inspired recommendations to paper and of course parting with the money that usually goes into put travel into action. I hope this can encourage him to take the final step, if he finds that he is still putting off the simple act of booking that vacation!

Travel through the soul. I am a true believer that going to a new country and seeing a different way of life, meeting people with unique and culturally different ways of living everyday life than your own, is an inspiring and life-altering experience. In general, most people go home with a new appreciation for what they have, or perhaps even as I find myself, a new appreciation and desire for the simplicity of another way of life, and that sometimes things are they get too messy at home for no apparent reason other than, that’s the way it is!

I have not met many people who have not found something that defines them throughout their experience of traveling to non-Westernized or underdeveloped countries, whether it was in that moment when they sat alone contemplating the vastness of the Himalayas, looking at them as a target. wave in an ocean of brilliant blue skies. Or a poverty-stricken child smiling at them for something as simple as a western face smiling back at them, these life-changing moments bring back what seems so important to the size it really is, small and insignificant. And as a very wise person once told me, traveling is an investment in life, so why not pay for memories and experiences that you will cherish forever?

Why do we stop? The first thing that strikes people about traveling to a non-Westernized country is its simplicity, most of us build this complicated picture in our minds of ‘how am I going to get from one place to another?’ ‘what if no one speaks English’ ‘what if I get sick’…etc. What we forget to think is that these local people travel from one place to another, they also get sick and feel well in most destinations in the world today, people are basically educated or have the need to speak basic English, in case of doubt There is the option of joining an organized tour, where inevitably your guide will speak English if he joins a reputable company and simply asks for an English speaking guide. Medical facilities may be basic, but if it’s properly insured as it should be, then there’s no reason if need be that an emergency evacuation can’t be done in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand or China, of which they have some outstanding hospitals.

In any case, I find that most countries have at least one or two very well-equipped hospitals. Transportation in any shape or form goes without saying, in life we ​​all need to move, buses, bicycles, horses, man-powered rickshaws, motorized tuk tuks, light aircraft, trains and feet. And lastly, a lot of people can’t seem to find that one person who has the same interest as them in exploring these fascinating but somewhat underdeveloped areas of the world, an organized tour is a great way to travel, feel safe and make fast friends while traveling. it’s hard not to in one of these, plus there are hundreds of solo travelers just like you, you’ll find them in airports, restaurants, hotels, nightspots, hiking, or just walking the cobblestone streets, it really isn’t! As daunting as it sounds, it’s just go out and do it!

There are plenty of big travel companies out there obviously the better known ones that have giant head offices most likely right on your doorstep however try not to leave out the smaller ones there are plenty of local companies really well established and competitive with very in depth knowledge of the countries you are visiting on the tour, because they are actually based there, I would rather have a head office to go to while I am there rather than calling one at home if something goes wrong .