Member-only story
What I learned from 2 months of (almost) solo travel
Travel, like life, is a marathon and not a race
— somebody
Globalism, smartphones, and balance. These were my topics of musing and reflection during my summer travels. I spent almost 2 months, in between my college graduation at the University of Florida and full-time employment at Facebook, bouncing between Europe and Southeast Asia with just a backpack. This somewhat-solo trip was unlike anything I’d ever done before, and as I’ve settled into a stable groove here in San Francisco, I’d like to unpack some of the personal and more broad-reaching insights I’ve gleaned.
1. My personal level of privilege
One of the biggest things I realized was how much privilege one has from being a citizen of a country such as the USA. I saw the other side of this privilege briefly when I lived in India during my childhood. The vast majority of my relatives are still living in rather impoverished conditions, a stark contrast to my current life. My immediate family and I are now naturalized citizens, a title that has given benefit to employment, political rights, and land ownership. However, I don’t think I ever truly understood the deeper meaning of this designation.
If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’d like to get on my high horse and tell you what I think American (or…
