Great conversations are spoken in hostel kitchens and guesthouse terraces.
Great friendships can come into being with the most unlikely people in the most unlikely of circumstances.
Great fun happens when sharing a taxi on the way to the next party in the Balkans or while wandering through town when the schoolkids are going home and staring unabashedly at this temporary celebrity.
Great ideas emerge while persevering through a challenging, strenuous trek during a rainstorm or navigating through overcrowded aisles of flea markets.
Great thoughts materialize while admiring the sunset from atop an ancient, abandoned temple or feeling the crisp, morning air at the summit of an extinct volcano for sunrise.
Great reflections arise while looking out the window of a long-distance train or an overcrowded chicken bus.
Great humility is felt when staring into another person’s eyes and realizing there’s a common humanity there that unites us, despite all the perceived differences that exist.
Great lessons are learned in the most compromising, unfamiliar situations.
Great inspiration is found from the most unimaginable of sources.
Great fear is left in the past when you appreciate how many times you crossed imaginary lines and self-imposed barriers.
Great doubts and insecurities evaporate knowing and realizing that you did all of it.
Are these good enough reasons to travel?!
It all starts with the decision to go…
Cross the bridge!
And follow your path!
Patrick and the World 