I am not a tourist. I am a traveler.

Most people who know me know that I am a traveler. I acknowledge I am a fortunate human, especially for the opportunities I've had in my life to see the world, its peoples, and its wonders. At my core, I am wanderer. The comforts of a settled life or career/financial success, etc...may be ideals for most people, but for me, drains my passions and cuts off my life.

My travels are not for fun, per se, in the tourist sense. Rather, my travels are mentally fulfilling, physically challenging, and spiritually enlightening.

I do not vacation to simply take a picture of an old/new structure or lie on a white beach. I travel in order to learn about the livelihoods of our world's amazingly diverse cultures and natural environments. I look for the commonalities that help me understand myself by understanding others. I search for happiness by examining the roots of happiness in others. I dig under the political crap and technological barriers that bombard my life in order to connect with the basic, universal human needs that tie all of us together, despite our worldly issues. I return to the source of our existence - nature - to discover beauty in simplicity. I reassess the desires of my modern life, the drivers of my rat race. I fulfill my curiosity to see a glimpse of the trillions of molecular formations outside of my personal bubble. I break my own a priori assumptions and cynicism about humanity. I free my mind from my own limits.

Well, I'm excited to proclaim that my next stop is India - one of the oldest civilizations, both in the religious and paleontological sense. I'm not just intrigued by the taboos of Bollywood or the diversity within the Indian people, its traditions, and cuisines. I really know little about India, and this obscurity that India tries to wall themselves within will certainly be a challenge I look forward to climbing over in the summer months.