You have to be somewhere...

I was recently told that I was an adrenaline junkie, and I get more than a few comments about my personal safety in the places I travel too, or in my choice of career, but to be quite honest, there's really nothing to it.  Sure, I might be a tad more adventurous than some, but I am not reckless.  Being prepared and adaptable is all that's required.  I've read Robert Young Pelton's "The World's Most Dangerous Places", the CIA's "go to" guide for agents abroad, but you won't find Tanzania or Romania in there.  I'm not exactly going to war zones.  The book provides some very good input on how to best keep oneself out of trouble, or to reduce the risk, but to be perfectly honest, the knowledge gained applies anywhere, for you can get yourself into just as much trouble in Winnipeg as you can in Mombasa.

I'll admit that I was nervous when I first dropped into Baku, Azerbaijan.    I had spent time in Norway and France, so it wasn't my first time out of North America, but I was definitely uncomfortable heading to this historic ancient city on the Caspian Sea.  I didn't need to be.  Fear of the unknown is not a very practical fear, and the more I experience, the more I realize that the unknown is where things start getting interesting.  You quickly realize that people are living their lives much like anywhere else, getting to and from work, putting food on the table, providing for their families, and while you may stand out from the locals, you realize that you are a source of curiosity rather than a target of aggression.  Smile and wave and be friendly and you'll get far more warm, genuine smiles in return than you'd ever get in North America.  You realize people are just trying to live their own lives, that not everyone is out to mug you, swindle you, rob you, kidnap you, bomb you...or whatever irrational fear the media has lead us to carry with us as excess baggage we'd all do well to discard.

Fearing things that might happen is a stressful byproduct of being human.  Considering how much time one wastes worrying, and how infrequently those worries actually come to fruition, I believe you are much better off relaxing, enjoying yourself, and to just deal with shit when and if it happens.  While such an attitude could develop into a feeling of invincibility and see one take undue risk, a little common sense and forethought can still allow for some good relaxed, worry-free adventures. 

As a pilot who spends a great deal of my career preparing for the things that could go wrong, training for engine failures and bad weather and any imaginable sort of malfunction, if I spent any time worrying about all those things I'd never get off the ground.  You fly, you relax, you enjoy, you follow the procedures set out, and you know, from experience and training, that if and when something does go wrong, you are as prepared as you could possibly be.   Statistically flying is far safer than driving to work.  When you travel; don't flash money, avoid mobs, avoid dark alleys, avoid stumbling home drunk in the wee hours.  I've broken all those rules, but here I am!  The annoying stuff that you worry about while travelling, missing a connection or losing baggage, just adds to the adventure.  Imagine if nothing ever went wrong?  First off, life would be pretty boring, but more than that, how would you ever learn, about yourself and how you cope?  The more you are faced with, the more you are tested and challenged, the more troublesome situations you shenagle yourself out of, the more confidence and forbearing you take with for the next situation.  Zombie apocalypse?  Bring it on!  Death and taxes, gonna happen anyway.  Does anyone really think they're going to live forever?  Face the facts and enjoy the ride.