As our grandiose trip is coming to an end, I’ve been spending a lot of time reflecting on life in general, lessons learned, lifestyles experienced and the importance of happiness. I would be lying to you if I said that I was able to resolve all the questions I had going in however I did learn some extremely important lessons along the way. I found Africa teaching me the importance of life and happiness, health and family, and gratitude and friendship. The Middle East threw me a curve ball and taught me more about language, politics, world views, religion, and hospitality than I ever thought possible. India taught me the importance of tradition, family, culture, and acceptance and SE Asia has brought in the ideas of innovation, appreciation of life, relaxation, meditation and health and well-being.

I thought I’d walk away from my experience traveling the world knowing more, conquering more, accepting more, and having answers to everything in life but instead I come back with more questions than before I left. Why are groups of starving people still donning smiles and waving to me as I pass them in my big governmental SUV? Why do people in poverty not work longer hours so that they may begin saving money to help their family out of this impoverished state of living? Why do some people support wars against countries that challenge their beliefs, when they can easily accept me and my differing values? Why do cities and countries not work towards more developed and less harsh systems for technology, transport, building, energy, etc? Why do so many people die each year from diseases like malaria when it costs close to nothing to get tested and cured? Why, why why???

That’s when it hit me like a heavy weight. It’s a mindset that people all over the world have adjusted to. Why be angry and hungry when you can be happy and hungry. Why kill yourself working when you could enjoy the time you have with your family instead? Why change what already works. Why buck the cycle of life. I have punished myself ever since graduating from university because I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t know what would make me happy and while my heart lead me one way, my mind would refuse to let it run. The one thing I’ve realized is that Americans in general are so focused on materialistic goods that we can never be truly satisfied because we won’t allow ourselves to create a healthier mindset. Societal norms tell us that we must have a certain salary, accommodated by a posh office, a fancy car, a beautiful house with a white picket fence and high-end designer goods. Yes, I agree, it’s healthy to have giant ambition but at what cost? It’s ironic actually. In Africa, I told a young local guy where I was from, and he said: “America! Where you can be anything you want to be and dreams really do come true.” Yes this is true to an extent but at what cost? People will never have enough material goods, because as we acquire more, the standard of what is acceptable rises to even greater heights, making us strive for something that will never satisfy our basic human instincts.

I’ve recently realized that I’ve been looking in all of the wrong places to find some of the answers to my personal questions. Diverse people around the world have taught me that all it really takes is a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and family and friends to make me happy. Everything beyond that will compliment the basics, not overrule them. Because at the end of the day, it’s all about mindset.

As you all know, we’ve been traveling now for over 5 months now. There are days where I feel like leaving it all behind and getting back to a comfortable routine and my productive day to day life. After several “insane” moments along the journey, I’ve taken time to think about the things I’ve done to stay sane along our travels. The following are things that every long term traveler should consider (they have definitely helped me along the way):

1. Take time apart from your travel buddy. Whether it’s just for a few hours or several days, it is a necessity.
2. Reward yourself when you feel the world is getting the best of you. Stay at a place with a hot shower or take yourself out to a nice dinner. Trust me, it’s worth the money once in a while.
3. Take care of yourself. If you feel you need to a good rest after sleepless nights on the trains and buses, then make a point to not set your alarm. Even take a sleeping aid if you can’t get good rest on your own.
4. Stay connected to things that interest you physically, mentally and emotionally. Always have a hobby that you can turn to even if it seems completely bogus at times.
5. Learn. Learn. Learn. There are so many cultural experiences available to anyone who’s interested. Learning about different countries and their customs provide a whole new appreciation for things that may have not have made sense before.
6. Talk with other travelers and locals. It’s extremely easy to make friends, get travel tips and find local hidden gems. Even better, it keeps you entertained from someone other than your travel mate.
7. Be adventuresome. I know it’s easy to fall into a routine and it’s often uncomfortable to break old habits. However it’s definitely worth breaking outside the norm and do something new, like white water rafting or shooting an AK-47. These are the experiences you’ll never regret. They are the memories that fill your trip with excitement.
8. Create “you” time. Whether it’s reading a book, watching the sunset, or journaling, be sure you have time to relax for you and you only.
9. Learn to accept everything for what it is. It may not be logical or reasonable to you, but it works for other people. All you can do is embrace it and smile through gritted teeth.
10. Have fun. The minute you’re no longer enjoying your travels you need to change it up or head home. It’s that simple.

Since most people’s iPhone’s aren’t unlocked and AT&T charges an obscene amount for international data roaming, I’m going to assume that the majority of users aren’t going to be able to use any applications that need to access the Internet. Therefore, I’ve divided my list of iPhone apps in to two categories: Offline and Online.

Offline (no Internet required):

• GoodReader – An offline html/doc/pdf reader and my #1 app. I have 3-4 different websites backed up on my iPhone, along with countless Lonely Planet pdf files. It’s because of this app that I don’t travel with a guidebook.
• Currencies – My personal favorite currency convertor (except that it doesn’t include Syrian pounds and Lao Kip)
• Babelingo – A travel phrase book with 300+ phrases in 11 languages (but still no Arabic…).
• MotionX GPS – An offline GPS application. When I know I have an upcoming bus or train ride, I often store the destinations as gps waypoints so I can monitor how much longer I have on the journey.
• gUnit – The most comprehensive Unit Convertor for the iPhone
• Your favorite time-wasting game: My current favorites are Catan, Spades Classic, Adikus’ Backgammon and Lux DLX

Online:

• Kayak – The easiest way to check flight prices on your iPhone
• Flight Status – Great interface for monitoring/tracking flights
• Skype – Great for a quick and cheap call home when you find free wifi
• Tweetie 2 – My personal favorite iPhone Twitter client (the latest version supports geotagging tweets)

Turkey is a country full of glamour, diversity, history and appeal yet it’s friendly neighbor Syria is completely overlooked. Syria is a country full of mystery, culture, hospitality and charm, but it’s completely misunderstood by most of the Western world (or at least by Americans). The two countries have many similarities like their food, culture, and historical ruins, but they provide completely different experiences. In comparing the two, it’s very clear that Syria offers more bang for your buck, but even better, it’s less touristy and everyone is much more hospitable. Here are a few reasons that I would recommend you consider Syria for your next trip to the region:

• Many people in Syria speak at least some English and if they do not, they are extremely helpful in finding someone who does.
• Syria, in my opinion, has one of the most friendly, inviting and EXTREMELY hospitable cultures in the world. They are great at teaching foreigners about their culture and traditions.
• Syria is very inexpensive, but still provides the same quality of food, accommodations, sites as many other countries in the region.
• Syria accepts student cards (ISIC) giving students very low entrance prices ($0.20-0.30) on touristy sites. Even as a non-student, the entrance fees are very low ($3-4 USD).
• It is illegal to beg in Syria, so the only “hassle” you’ll get on the street is people wanting you to stop, have a tea and chat with them about your trip.
• Contrary to popular belief, the Syrian people are very good at differentiating people from their government. They are highly accepting of Americans as individuals despite that they are less than impressed with our government.

Syria is an intriguing country that does not get enough recognition for its amazing culture, people, and traditions. On this trip, we’ve traveled through 10 countries, and Syria is one of my top two. While I recommend Syria so strongly, if you have more than a few weeks, I would recommend you visit one of its neighbors (Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey) as well. However if you only have enough time to visit one country in the region, I would definitely recommend Syria be the country. It is a hidden gem amongst its Middle Eastern counterparts. I can guarantee that anyone who goes will be pleasantly surprised at how welcoming, friendly, and magical the country is.

Whoever says traveling as we are for 8 months is like a long vacation is severly mistaken. While it has been the best learning experience I’ve ever had and we have had a wonderful time along the way, it is by no means a relaxing vacation. Up until this point, Chris and I have lived off only $29USD per person per day including food, transport, acomodations, and activities etc. We’ve been eaten alive by mosquitos, crammed 40 people into a 14 person bus, slept in places that wouldn’t even be considered adequate housing the States, been haggled and harassed because we’re white, and eaten food that could make your gag reflexes react in an instant.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a sweet satisfaction in saving money and it’s even better when we recognize that we’re getting the local experience by submerging ourselves in the foreign cultures. I have learned more this trip than I have in traveling to Europe and Asia combined because we are doing almost everything at a local level. And to my surprise, the cheaper the accomodations we stay at, the more interesting and outgoing people we meet. If we hadn’t lived the cheap life, we would never have learned the language. We would have never have cooked the food. We would never have seen the hardships. We would never have learned the rituals and cultural traditions. Our trip would be a long, posh, series of uneventful experiences and people.

Traveling on the cheap has come with it’s own obstacles, but I can’t recommend it enough. It allows us to only begin to see the world from a lifestyle that more than 90% of the population lives… in poverty.