#WeTravel - Jim

Jim, United States

"I was on a bus in Afghanistan, and everyone got off to take a leak in the desert. I remember suddenly realising that all the men wore robes and squatted to pee. I was wearing jeans, and I didn’t know whether I should squat in which case I would fall over, or to just buck up. Everyone was staring at me. 

I definitely learnt something culturally new with that experience, although I’m sure I’ve had other moments of clarity that are more dignified…   

My advice to young people would be to travel and to really take with a grain of salt the advice you get from people who haven’t travelled much who want to tell you that every place in the world is dangerous. The world isn’t necessarily nearly as dangerous as people make it out to be, and if you believe them you won’t go anywhere interesting."