10 Powerful & Simple Ways Traveling The World Reinvented My Life

I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for a leap of faith I took after college.

At that point, I was 21, graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a 3.8 GPA, and was the President of the Undergraduate Economics Society. My plan was to work on Wall Street and get an MBA.

3 years later, however, I was working at a tiny gym in Northern LA, cleaning toilets, mopping floors, and washing dishes for $8/hour. And strangely enough, its exactly what I wanted.

So what happened?!

I changed every thing I wanted in my life and I owed it to my 22 harrowing months abroad.

Every day taught me something profound. Every day challenged me and forced me to grow. And every day encouraged me to reject what thought I wanted with what I really did.

In this article, I’ll share the most powerful lessons these experiences taught me. I hope they offer the same life-changing benefit to you too.

1. I Stopped Caring About Money

You’d be surprised how little money you need to enjoy a great life while traveling.

When I lived in Taipei, I made a whopping NT$500/hour (roughly US$16/hour) cash and worked only 11 hours a week. And it was more-than-enough money!

I lived in a nice apartment in the middle of the city, partied on the weekends (and weekdays), and had all the shmoney I needed to enjoy a good life for a single, 23-year-old dude.

But let me adjust that first sentence a bit:

You’d be surprised how little money you need to enjoy a great life while traveling.

You really don’t need much money to have a good time ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

Think about it: How much of the shit we waste our money on do we actually need? And how much of the greatest pleasures in life are absolutely free?

The more we feed the mindset that we need a lot of money to “enjoy life,” the more trapped we become.

Sure, certain places like Sydney, New York, and London are expensive as hell, but don’t forget, yours truly somehow managed to survive in those places without dancing naked for nickels.

Also, don’t forget the other 80+ countries that are WAY cheaper than America and just as fun.

2. I Wanted A Life Of Freedom

As a boarded my flight one way flight from LA to South Korea, I wondered how much I would miss Los Angeles, my friends, my way of life.

But shortly after I left America, all I wanted to do was to NOT come back to America.

I was hooked. I wanted to travel so badly that, during my time in Taiwan, I even created a remote business, which eventually got shut down by the Federales (aka “Google”).

But it planted the seed to make my dream a reality. And from age 24 to 28, I hustled my ass off to build a lifestyle to do the work I wanted, to do the work when I wanted, and to avoid a goddamn office.

It isn’t perfect by any means, but I’m grateful everyday I created freedom for myself.

3. I Embraced Risk

The riskiest thing I did in the 20 years before I graduated college was watching ESPN2 instead of ESPN.

Okay, I’ve done some risky things before then, but it’s kind of a mixed bag: What many people consider “risk” is like skydiving or bungee jumping.

But to me, that’s not really risky.

Anyone can jump out of a plane when they’re strapped to a skydiving expert.

But few people can quit their job tomorrow and reject their former life for something new.

Even fewer people can do that while moving to a new continent where they don’t speak the language.

Eventually, I realized these “risks” weren’t as damning or permanent as we made them to be. If anything, life gets a hell of a lot better when we do embrace risk.

4. I Eliminated Distractions

As part of my English-teaching contract in Korea, I was supposed to get a TV and internet in my home.

Well, I got internet, but no television, and here’s the crazy thing:

That was the first time in my entire life where I lived in a place without a TV.

It forced me to spend a lot less time watching a screen, and more time going out in the world and living.

(Fortunately, during that “era,” social media was nowhere as ubiquitous as it is today, nor were phones as capable either — I had a flip phone with no internet.)

It changed my hobbies. If I had a day off, rather than just sitting at home and watching television, I’d just put my laptop and book in a backpack and tour the city.

In Taipei, I cruised around town, exploring different neighborhoods, talking to girls, and drinking boba. In fact, I’m writing this as a 29-year-old and wondering, “Why the hell am I not there RIGHT NOW?”

5. I Made An Effort To Explore

Growing up in LA, my family and I never really explored the city: We just went to the same restaurants, vacationed to the same places, and did the same things.

Even in college — isolated in an enclave of San Diego called “La Jolla” — I rarely ventured into the city despite having a car and all the free time in the world.

I never considered checking out different neighborhoods and enjoying a cup of coffee and a book. (I didn’t like either of those things back then, actually.)

Yet, when I was living abroad, it would almost have been a waste of a day to not go out and explore!

When I lived in Taipei, however, I explored the city almost everyday. I would randomly pick an area and check it out. If I found a coffee shop, I’d hang out and read a book for a little.

If I met someone cool, I’d talk to them and follow them around.

And I kept that mentality with me.

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.
— Saint Augustine

People think you need a passport, a plane ticket, and free time to “explore the world.”

You don’t.

All you need is the explorer’s mindset. Suddenly, even your hometown will look different.

How many different areas in your own city have you traveled through? How many different people from different cultures have you talked to in your own building?

By the time I moved back to Los Angeles, I started exploring different neighborhoods on foot (again) armed with nothing but a backpack, a book, and a bottle of water.

In Denver, I did the same thing.

No passport required.

6. I Started Saying “Yes”

When I was living in Korea, I made a rule that, if ever someone invited me out for dinner, drinks, etc., I had to say yes.

The reason being I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity to go out and do things.

beforehand, I used to live a very boring life.

Now, at a certain level, it’s probably better to say “no” to more things because only a few things will actually improve your life.

But as a 21 year old, I simply did not have enough life experience to show me what I should or should not have done.

So while I do agree that once you’re at a certain level, you should be selective, when you’re just starting out, just say yes to everything (within reason).

because as you experience more, meet new people, see more things, and do more things, you get a better idea of what you actually like, what you don’t like, and what’s really out there.

To know that what we know is what we know, and what we do not know is what we do not know — that is true knowledge.

— confucious

7. I Fell In Love With Reading

I used to joke I was illiterate; that’s how little I read.

I never knew it could be fun, inspiring, and beneficial.

At some point in Korea, I think I was so starved for some English, I just bought a book the first book that looked interesting and read it.

And with all the free time (and dead time) you get while living in another country, it became an amazing way to fill the void.

Thankfully, I learned so many amazing things, which helped to create my journey.

8. I Fell In Love With Writing

I never voluntarily wrote one single article, blog post, or essay until after I moved to Korea.

Previously, I was a “terrible” writer, struggling in all my English classes and struggling to use proper grammar and spelling.

But I didn’t care. Because of all the things I was seeing, doing, and learning, I wanted to write and have a creative outlet.

I shared a few articles and the response was surprisingly good. So I just kept at it.

Thankfully, it created a new path for me.

If it wasn’t for that, I would have never gone on to write for Esquire, Men’s Health, and GQ.

9. I Reduced My Possessions

When I moved to Korea, I brought two large suitcases and a carry-on bag full of clothes, shoes, and random crap.

By the time I left, I eliminated about 80% of my possessions and started getting rid of clothes every few months.

My experiences also inspired me to create my life rule: “Donate one article of clothing for each one you buy.”

It’s not “hard,” but it ain’t “easy.” The reality is a minimalist lifestyle requires sacrifices — although I wouldn’t call them “sacrifices;” they’re more like strict rules. (This also helps for the “I Wanted A Life Of Freedom.”)

No pets. No plants (except easy ones like money bamboo and cactuses). No maintenance.

Why?

Because I NEVER want to be in position where I CAN’T go somewhere or do something because I have to arrange for someone to water my fucking plants, have someone feed my fish, or get someone to turn off my fucking sprinklers when it rains.

10. I Transformed My Social Circle

I had a lot of internal problems after college. A LOT. (I still do actually, but you probably knew that.)

But when you move and surround yourself with an entirely new array of people, it gives you a tremendous opportunity to choose your social circle wisely.

And while I place ZERO responsibility for my problems on my friends, I couldn’t help but notice my friends reflected the exact way I lived, the way I felt about myself, and the way I saw the world around me.

In other words, I manifested my friends and made it almost impossible to break out.

When I moved to Korea, I met so many kind, generous, thoughtful, and positive people — I knew I wanted to surround myself with them because, as the saying goes, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” And I credit a lot of my self-improvement to their influence and encouragement.

From that moment on, I understood the importance of our social circles and intentionality.

11. I Learned The Transience of Life

Thanks to a few early influential authors like Tim Ferriss and Nate Green, I discovered the world of Roman Stoicism.

It taught me the transience of life and the importance of embracing death.

It was February 2011 when I used my school’s printer to make my Memento Mori chart, and I still have it with me to this day.

The reality isn’t so much that life is short. (I mean, is ~75 years a “short” amount of time?)

It’s that life is fast.

When you see those years speed by, you gain a lot more perspective. Suddenly the things you thought mattered don’t and the things you thought didn’t matter did.

Suddenly, you realize spending one year — let alone one month — doing something you don’t like is just too much. Because when you look back on your life, you’ll notice how quickly everything went and how precious those wasted moments were.

I’m grateful I discovered those powerful lessons.

And I thank my travels for it.