This time around, traveling abroad feels very different from all my trips before.

This time, it feels less about the destination and more about the way I move across the world as I hop from country to country.

I feel in my earlier travels I was often reaching for something. Reaching for epic adventures, expecting to be blown away, and as cliche as it sounds, wanting for a trip abroad to change my life.

Sure, I’m still excited to see the pagodas in Myanmar, play with the elephants in Thailand, and eat some bún riêu in Vietnam, but I notice I am not putting too much hope and emphasis on it.

This time around, it’s not about where I’m going, it’s about how I’m going.

by Jason Lam