I must be traveling on now...

It should not be denied. . . that being footloose has always exhilarated us. It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations, with absolute freedom.

--Wallace Stegner

I won't deny that, for me, much of the allure of traveling lies solely in the act of traveling. Of moving with no fixed plans, of shifting off the map, the grind, the formula and waking up each day solely to live and explore and truly experience. That life becomes about the roses instead of just hoping you stop briefly enough to smell them.

And that's always been enough to make me get up and go, I didn't need any other reason. So I distinctly remember my friend Michael asking me a couple years ago why I wanted to go traveling.

Because I love traveling.



Right, but don't you want to like get something specific out of it? Like something you want to learn?

Huh, I never really thought about it.

Well, now I can say I understand what he meant. While traveling for the love of traveling is a reason, and I don't think you ever have to apologize for living how you want, this trip has more of a purpose than ones in the past.

I'm applying to medical school for next fall. So besides the fact that this is probably the last time I can do this sort of thing before I sign my life away, I want to learn what I can about healthcare around the world. I want to get some first-hand exposure. I want to see how other countries approach healthcare. I want to see the challenges facing third world countries so I can better tailor my education. And I want to see the faces of patients so that when I'm buried in the library studying immunology at 2am, I'll remember why I'm doing it.

So that's why I want to go on this trip. Well, that and the chance to get dreadlocks.