The open road is undoubtedly one of the most comforting sights ever constructed by mankind. I have road-tripped across across the world, on three different continents and through dozens of nations, and I can truthfully say that nowhere do I feel more content than I do on these journeys. While I love every aspect of the road trip, the thing that excites me the most is the promise of meeting new people, learning their secrets, and taking time to reconsider my priorities at home.

When you cross another (border) stateline, each stop at a park or gas station becomes an opportunity to gather perspective. What makes the people of Abu Dhabi so undyingly loyal to their Prince, and what makes the Cypriot people so fiercely protective of their roots? Why do the Japanese to fall to their knees and pray to the effigy kept on a shelf above the futon, and what drives all the people of Great Britain out to see their airshows every year? I have had amazing opportunities throughout my short life that enabled me to find the answer to many questions I could have never found the answer to in a classroom. What is the point of a brain if not to stretch it, and what better way to do so?

I have seen deserts of sand, others of brush, and others of salt that reflected the sky. I’ve seen forests that kissed plains, forests kissed concrete cities, and forests that kissed little but the sky. I’ve seen mountains untold and castles unnumbered, and had the joy of greeting each one by name. I’ve seen the importance of the rice paddy, unmentioned by man but apparent in their number, and the significance of the shrine and temple. There is no land on earth that is not worth seeing, and no culture not worth the rest stop.

The United States plays hosts to many of the prettiest landscapes I have ever seen, but even more than the picture-esque planes I am intrigued by the people who inhabit them. My deep love for culture and society herself drives me from place to place, absorbing as much as humanly possible. I can distance myself from any stressors that are pressing down on me, not to be mistaken with me running away from them. In reality I am refreshing my mind finding inspiration in the people I meet along the way, each showing me new and creative ways to deal with my problems at home. Sometimes when you get out in the world and you realize how small and meaningless your stress is, you find it much easier to tackle when you turn to face it again.

Honestly there is no one place on earth where I will find myself perfectly content, because as soon as I make the mistake of settling down I am itching to go again. My perfect environment, the place I love most, is an amalgamation of everyone else’s.