Amazing adventures of a nobody

Amazing Adventures of a Nobody

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it - Goethe

Leon Logothetis was running a business in the UK.  He was jaded, burnt out, and felt out of touch with others.  So he made a bold decision; he left his job, and decided to travel from New York City to Hollywood on $5 a day.  He forced himself to connect with people, and was able to make this amazing journey relying on the kindness of strangers.

I recently read his book about this life-changing experience.  While I will never have Leon's bravado to embark on a similar adventure, the thrill from a sense of "danger and generosity intertwined" was something I could relate to from my own travels.  I think the "danger" often time originate from a combination of the reality (e.g. political instability, poverty, being the obvious foreign tourist target...etc.) as well as our own biased perception of our travel destination tainted by horror stories or what we see on the news (e.g. Africa being the dark continent with poor people everywhere, corrupt immigration officers...etc.).  In a way, the danger in traveling to foreign, particularly developing countries, is quite real, but I think many time it's blown out of proportion by our own ignorance and tainted view from subjective descriptions of the places.  I think this is what makes the "generosity" feel that much more endearing when we experience it.  It hits us at the most unexpected moments, and as a result, make the deepest mark on our hearts.

I also found a few other things Leon mentioned in the book quite thought provoking on a personal level: 

[why we travel]

• Hypothesis 1: "the reason we like travelling so much is because it places us in a position of control we don’t often find for ourselves in our daily lives.  When we are home in our routine, we go where we’re told, or where we must, on someone else’s time, at someone else’s pace – to work, to school, to the shop…but when we travel, we go where we wish"
• Hypothesis 2: perhaps we "travel to run away from the only ones who could hurt [us]. Traveling was a way to be safe and alone." I think there could be a grain of truth to this observation.  I find some chronic travelers, particularly those after their mid-30's, almost are in this endless search of something else.  They are constantly moving from one destination to another, which means a lot of short, enjoyable relationships with locals and fellow travelers, but very few of those relationships have staying power.  While I would agree that those relationship could be meaningful connection, the level of commitment from these relationship cannot be compared to someone from your home country, who's known you for several years, and will pick up your call late at night to hear you vent about something.  Sometimes I wonder if some of us constant travelers are searching for something or are actually running away from something, someone, or some situation?

[how we travel]

• De-emphasize the destination: "The destination is the obstacle; it draws such attention from us that we aren’t allowed to think about what happens in the middle, between here and there." I definitely find this more and more true as I travel more and get older.  While the "sites" are still very interesting, I noticed that the little incidents and various experiences en route to the sites are often what I remember most fondly upon after I return.  After all, I can always download a photo of the rice terraces in Sapa, Vietnam, but the people I met on the train ride there was what made the trip most special and cannot be replaced!
• Mode of transportation: "Efficiency is the enemy of connection.  We have connected less and less; talked less and less…Now, the journeys are just about speed – getting someplace as fast as possible."   Consider slower mode of transportation, it helps allows us to connect with others and enjoy our surrounding more.  

Amazing Adventures of a Nobody is a quick, easy read, and probably would resonate with many young professionals who feel disenchanted and wants more.  I think one may not need to do what Leon did to find happiness.  Traveling might not even be the right approach to get there.  However, I think the element of human connection and boldness to go after one's dream are key component to life's content.