rolf_potts

That's an awesome story -- thanks for sharing!

Independent travel is feasible for most anyone in the developed world. As much as economics it's about mindset -- about living more simply and letting the savings pay off in free time. It also helps to travel in less expensive parts of the world. There are parts of Asia and South America and the Middle East where you can travel full-time for much less than it costs to live day to day live in an American city.

The first step is to decide you're going to do it. Stop making excuses, start saving money, start looping at maps and making plans. Even if you don't physically leave your home for another couple of years, vagabonding starts the moment you start altering your lifestyle in such a way (simplifying, saving money) that makes the freedom to travel possible. I went through the same process -- I didn't even have a passport till I was 25, so there, plenty of time for you.

I have medical insurance, and it applies to most international settings, especially catastrophic care and evacuation.

But, interestingly enough, the easiest option for medical care overseas is just to pay locally, since it's usually dirt cheap. Seriously, few places in the world are as insanely expensive when it comes to health care. That's why people fly overseas for medical treatment, since they can get surgery AND a recovery vacation for much less than the price of the surgery in the US.

When I had giardia in India the doctor and medicine cost me $1.35. I got an all-day checkup (treadmill cardio, ultrasound, body fluids -- everything you could possibly check) at a first rate hospital in Bangkok for less than $300. A couple years ago I got sick in Paris and avoided the doctor for a week because I was in this American mindset of avoiding the doctor at all costs. When I finally gave in and visited the French doctor, the consultation and medicine together cost me $60.

So the best answer is to take out catastrophic insurance, but may out of pocket for 95% of your medical expenses, since they're so cheap overseas.

Glad you enjoyed my book -- thanks for gifting it to others!

I agree that a smile can get you a long way in a place where you might not speak the language. As does general good will, and a willingness to speak even a half-dozen phrases of the local language. People like it when you try.

As for your main question, people have always thought Americans were funny bumblefucks. I mean, like, before America was even a country Europeans would travel to the US and look down their noses, or poke fun at the Americans visiting their shores. This last decade has seen an unpopular American war(s), but then so did the Vietnam era. Dealing, as an American, with people who don't care for Americans has always been an aspect of travel as an American. It's actually a good chance to be patient and articulate and represent your country well. And don't worry, the people who are most derisive of Americans on the road are Brits and Kiwis and Aussies and Canadians and other Americans. The Cubans and Syrians and Swedes and Koreasn and Malawians and Laotians -- i.e. the people who live in the places you go -- are usually happy to see you.

So now to my question: The last decade+ has seen a lot of changes in the political climate, especially the view of Americans. Have you noticed a tangible change in the way Americans are viewed overseas in the last decade? Are we still kinda of funny bumblefucks, or are we now seen as more dangerous?