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1 – Are “they” to be feared? Who are “they” anyway?

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One of the most common reasons I hear for not traveling is the fear of getting into trouble somewhere and having no one around to help. While it’s a possibility, in my experience, the people in this world are more than willing to step up and help when needed or just perform some random act of kindness that makes your day better. For some reason, this seems to happen more when I am on the road than when I am in the USA – or maybe I am just more receptive to it. Whatever the reason, some of my favorite parts of traveling involve the local interactions I have when all hell is breaking loose.

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2 – Dear Europe: When did you capture my heart?

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Granted, Europe is the only continent I have had the opportunity to explore in depth (with so much more to see!), but to me it feels like home. With the glaring exception of Paris – which I still don’t like – almost every place I’ve visited in Europe has elicited an “I could live here for a while” from me. Give me the buzz of motos over the growl of SUVs any day! Having been back in Europe (Spain to be more specific) for about three weeks now, I can say that I fully intend to spend more time here in the near future. In some ways I wish I didn’t have the connection I do since it can be hard for me to be motivated to see other places when there is still so much to see and explore here.

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3 – The trap of being “busy”

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With rare exceptions, I just don’t ‘do’ busy (anymore) – and I like it that way. Most people associate being busy with home and work life but I meet plenty of travelers who spend their entire trip rushing from place to place rather than relaxing, enjoying and experiencing and I would definitely consider then to be ‘busy’. I had enough of that during my “normal” life and career to last me a lifetime. These days I tranquilo is the name of the game and taking things one day at a time works just fine. I think that’s one reason I love the Latin cultures (mexico, Spain, Italy, etc.) because I can really get behind the whole 4-hour lunch phenomenon.

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4 – Six ways to get the best coach seat on an airplane

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Some obvious – and not so obvious – tips on how not to get stuck in the suck seat (aka the middle seat) on your next flight. I have only been upgraded once on an international flight – and that was by accident – but I have been lucky enough to always get my preferred aisle seat. I would probably end up murdering someone if I were stuck in a middle seat for 6+ hours!

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image source: A Dangerous Business

5 – What’s Really Scary About Long-Term Travel

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A very real but rarely talked about aspect of long-term travel. I know I have faced all of these fears, and still struggle with a few of them, but it’s worth it for me. Part of the challenge in life is facing your fears – no matter what your situation. The travel lifestyle is no different I that way though it may offer some unique things to fear that a more traditional lifestyle wouldn’t.

NOTE: unless otherwise indicated, all images were sourced from their respective articles.