Travel is something that forever changes your perspective on life. Almost two years ago now, I was fired as a charter school history teacher. When this happened, I had my first existential crisis. Everything that I had worked for as a student had seemingly been for nothing. Arriving an hour early before school each morning and slaving most of my time away grading papers and doing lesson plans had now seemed like a ginormous waste of time. I felt underappreciated, misunderstood, and wronged. 

After hearing the news I was fired, I found myself that evening sitting in my brand new Honda CR-V at a Del Taco drive thru in one of the worst mindsets I had ever been throughout my entire life. Tears were rushing down my face. What am I going to do now? Should I find a new teaching job? What else CAN I do? It was right then that I made a spur of the moment decision that changed my life. I decided I was going to buy a one-way ticket to Perú, sell 99% of my material possessions and never look back. 

Since this time, my life has taken a huge turnaround. Not only did I visit Perú, but soon found myself living on 5 different continents, constantly learning from my surroundings and the countless wonderful people that live on this planet. Now that my first trip around the world is nearly over, I want to share what this experience has taught me.

Here are 11 things world travel has taught me:

1. Love Conquers All Boundaries

I've made friends with Christians, Muslims, Jews, Shamans, Hindus, Atheists, Agnostics, and Buddhists. None of this would have been possible if we didn't agree on one thing: love. We may disagree on our definition of "God," we may value one prophet over another, we may not even believe in religion. However, loving and respecting others is the key to developing genuine relationships with others, and learning from others. 

We may have a different background, different experiences, different beliefs, and even a different lifestyle. But if we love one another and focus on building each other up (instead of our perceived differences), there is little that humanity can accomplish as a species. It doesn't matter what you believe or the religion you practice if you have love in your heart for all life on this Earth. 

2. You Create Your Reality

Not too long ago, I saw myself confused as to how other people around me were living out wonderful lives while I was stuck at home without any money. In fact, I hated money (more on this later). However, one thing that I have learned is that you have two options: either risk it all to live the life you want to live, or spend your life only dreaming of success and that wonderful life that you can never have. 

The things you choose to believe turn into how you make decisions. The decisions you make create your life. Thinking back, I realized that the only reason I was a teacher in the first place was because I spent my entire childhood passionate about history, and wanted to find a way to make a living with it. The only answer I had at the time was to become a teacher. 

How wrong I was. 

You can do anything you want to do. You can be whomever you want to be. It starts with realizing that there are an infinite amount of different lives that can live, and that you can choose them. You don't have to be broke living paycheck-to-paycheck like I was as a teacher. You can do whatever you want to do. Choose it, and live it. 

3. We're All Connected

I used to view myself as isolated from the world, feeling different to those around me. I was so wrong. Anywhere in the world, you will discover that humanity tends to have the same concerns for the future, the same needs, and similar values. We all need to eat, drink water, and provide for ourselves. Sadly, we've reached a point in our society where we focus more on our perceived differences rather than realizing that we are all important, and that we are all connected. Whether you are a bird, a plant, a human, or a dog. You have a soul which speaks its own truth. We all share the same connection to what people refer to as "God." God is in all of us, and we are all connected to God.  

4. Evil is Real

Perhaps you've read the Cherokee legend which describes the two wolves that live wolves that live inside of us. A wise man speaks to his grandson and describes the fight that goes on within all of us, asserting that they are two "wolves." One is good, and one is evil. The good wolf represents all of the positive things in this world: love, humility, kindness, joy, empathy, truthfulness and so on. The evil wolf represents the worst of humanity: ego, anger, guilt, deceit, and so on. The grandson asks his grandfather "which one wins?" He responds by saying "the one you feed."

Not too long ago, I was trapped in the belief that there is no such thing as good and evil since they are, after all, human constructs. Again, I was wrong. Some people choose to feed their good wolf, some people choose to feed their bad wolf. There is no honor in feeding your ego, treating others poorly, deceiving others, and living purely based on self-interest. I trusted others that I didn't know too much during my travels, and it led to me almost being kidnapped, murdered, and scammed. However, just as evil is real, so is good. 

5. Humans Are Humans

Everywhere you visit in the world, you will hear horror stories about the place across the border. "Don't go to South America," the USA citizens told me. "Don't go to Colombia," the Peruvians told me. "Don't go to Mexico," the Colombians told me. "Don't trust the Arabs," the Europeans (and Americans) told me. "Don't go into the Palestinian West Bank," the Israelis told me. "Don't go to Egypt," the Palestinians told me (btw, free Palestine!). Blah blah blah, to infinity, and so on. "Don't trust anybody but us."

When you travel around the world, you soon discover that most of what people perceive to be true about other people is, for the most part, completely untrue. There may be bad seeds in every part of the world, but most people in the world don't uphold the negative stereotypes that others may perpetuate. We are all humans, and there are good (and bad) people anywhere in the world. 

6. You Are Not Alone

Michael Jackson was right. When I first decided to travel, I loved the idea of being a nobody in the middle of a foreign country. I thought I could just blend in and that people would leave me alone while I explored my surroundings. After all, who makes friends with random strangers? Yet again, I was wrong. Everywhere I go, I have met genuinely good people who approached me out the blue, and turned into real friends. 

No matter who you are, where you go, what you believe, and so on, you will find people who are just like you. Whether you are an anti-government renegade like myself, or whatever you believe, you will find people who are just like you. Your vibe attracts our tribe. 

7. You are the Only Person that Can Save Yourself

This is a lesson that I learned well after most of my peers. I often looked to others for answers, for financial support, for happiness, for everything. This was one of the most destructive ideas I have ever maintained. The reality is that people may come and go, but you are the only one that you have from birth to death. The hands that you are born with are the same hands that you will see before your last breath.

One of my favorite singers, David Ruffin, said it best: "I've Lost Everything I've Ever Loved." Depending on others and assuming that their assistance will always remain with you is a dying paradigm. If you want to be successful, you have to stop depending on others. If you want to be happy, it starts with being happy by yourself. 

Good relationships, money, and all the pleasures of this world you will one day lose. People die, markets collapse, the world changes. Stop depending on others for answers, financial support, or happiness. Love yourself, treat yourself with respect, and look out for yourself. Don't be a doormat to others.

8. Friendships, Family, and Relationships Are Worth More Than Gold

Even though they may one day leave you, the good relationships you have throughout your life will be the most important asset you will ever generate. Science tells us that our brains actually create dopamine when we there is a mutual love between two or more people. People crave for positive relationships with others. We all need unconditional love more than anything. It is perhaps the best drug in the world, and is completely free of charge.

Friends and family may come and go, but how they made you feel will remain ingrained in your consciousness until you die. You will never forget the moment when you first fell in love with someone, even if they broke your heart into a million pieces. You can have all the money in the world, but it means nothing if there is nobody who would have your back when you are at your most vulnerable point. Don't get me wrong here, it is important to love yourself. However even if people let you down or leave, the positive relationships you create will be your most treasured assets.

9. Money Matters (At Least for Now)

Don't get me wrong here. This is coming from the person who spent most of his life despising the system of money, the "American Dream," capitalism, and the corrupt central banks. I spent most of my life rebelling against the system until one day I realized that the system isn't even real. It is all a construct of humans. A game that we can play. 

We can either choose to play the game, or sit on the sidelines while others succeed. Success is something that anybody can attain, but it starts with focusing your attention on creating success. I may be the biggest flip-flopper and hypocrite, but am proud to announce, again, that I was wrong. Money is the tool in which we can use to attain freedom. Even though things may change in the future. We can either play the cards we've been given or fold without trying. 

I for one realize that I would have never been able to make it this far around the world if I didn't work my ass off on my computer to generate income. Even if fiat currency is just a piece of paper and cryptocurrency are fake little tokens on our computer with no real value. 

10. The Universe Always Provides

I've been flat out broke several times during my travels. Common sense might tell you that you should never put yourself in this position. However, clearly, I'm still here. I wouldn't be here if there wasn't a way out of every hardship I've encountered. Of course, we are all destined for death. Until that day comes, you should never give up hope and attempting to thrive. 

Every dead end you reach, turn around and backtrack. Every bad decision you make, own up to it and learn from it. Never lose focus of the fact that you are here, you have food to eat today, you have water to drink, and a bed to sleep on. After all, these are all of the things that you truly need.

11. Material Possessions Mean Nothing

I am homeless. Everything that I own fits into one Swiss Army backpack. There was a point where I was a upcoming club DJ with $5000 in equipment and a brand new car, but it never made me happy. It may be nice to have nice things, but they don't do anything for you in the long-run. We're destined to lose it all when when die.

Unless you can eliminate your desire for things you truly don't need, you will always want more. This is in human nature. Be satisfied with what you have right now, and who you are right now. As one of my favorite songs says: "You may not have a car at all, but remember brothers and sisters you can still stand tall. Just be thankful for what you got."