A happy retirement to this dear friend. Thailand/Malaysia marks the last trip I'll be able to take on my current passport. It's technically got two years left before expiring, but its beat up binding and lack of blank pages put me at risk of not being let in some countries.
It's kind of sad. I've had this passport since 2009, and that's the perfect window for it to tell the story of my most important journeys.
They're all here:
🇮🇹 🇦🇷 - My student visas to Argentina and Italy that left me with a lifelong desire to be a global citizen
🇿🇦 - My entry to South Africa that forever changed my perspective on helping others.
🇪🇺 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇧🇪 - The first trip I took with Deanna internationally around Europe.
🇵🇭 🇵🇭 - A pair of stamps from the Philippines- from the time I took her to meet my grandma in '14 and my grandma's memorial service last year.
🇹🇿 🇹🇭 - My first visits to Plant With Purpose's field programs this year.
Sometimes it seems like the world is in pretty poor shape, but each of these journeys remind me of all the good that's out there in people around the world. It's a good worth fighting for.
There's a miserable stat of more than half of Congress not owning a passport. But that's also a clear area for improvement. If you're gonna change the world, you've gotta make an effort to go and meet the world.
Of course, travel is a privilege. But it's one opportunity I don't think should be squandered by those who have it.
Hopefully my next passport arrives quickly. There are more stories to be lived and big shoes to fill.