How to Stop Being Scared of the World

Looking back, I realize how important independence is for having an open mind to travel the world. When I talk about my travels to others, I come across many people who ask – “Weren’t you scared to go alone?” “Isn’t that a dangerous place to travel?” “Is it safe to go there?” Maybe if I was talking about Iraq or Syria, not Spain or Malta.

After watching the show Bubble Wrap Kids on the Slice network, it concerns me that times have now changed. Parents are now more than ever, afraid to let their children out of their sight, take public transportation, let alone fly internationally and this is raising a generation of anxiety-ridden, scared children who can’t stay home alone at the age of 12, go down to their basements by themselves or be in public on their own. This worries me as these children may grow up being scared of travelling the world.

Although during the early years, I travelled with family or stayed with family while abroad, those initial travel memories during my childhood helped shape my experiences in years to come. When I was 5, my mom and I visited the UK to see her family and when I was 10, I went to India for several weeks, a good age to go as I can remember most of the trip. Travelling at a young age is an excellent tool for experiential education as I was able to see another part of the world first-hand and understand early on that although things may operate differently in another part of the world, there are many similarities that connect us together.

Growing up, my parents were strict and never let me out of their sight. I was a bubble-wrapped kid in an Indian household. Yup, that makes me double bubbled. Looking back now, I have no idea how or why, but there came a turning point in my teens when they started to ease off a bit and let me be independent in their own little way. At the age of 14, I funded a two month trip to London to visit family again. This time, I paid for my own ticket (had a summer job working at a blueberry farm) and went by myself, no parents to hold my hand going through the airport or through customs. When I was 16, I travelled alone to Toronto and New York for a two month stay with relatives. I loved flying and being up in the air then, just as much as I do now.

By the time I turned 18, I moved away from my parents and everything familiar to the big city of Vancouver to go to University, living with 30 girls and sharing two bathrooms. Dorm life, meeting new people, making (and being responsible for) my own decisions was one of the biggest and most positive changes in my life. Although I was still financially dependent on my parents then, not living at home and being on my own, broadened my mind and made me open to new possibilities. These are all characteristics needed for independent world travel.

South Asian youth tend to live with their parents until they are married and many don’t experience independence until much later in life. Even things such as buying groceries or making dinner when you’re 25 is something that mom and dad take care of. So when these kids are put in situations such as dorm life or meeting new people or travelling, some take advantage of it and embrace it, while others can’t wait to go back to their familiar surroundings and their assumptions about the world.

This worries me. I think it’s time to pop the bubble wrap and learn how not to be scared of the world. Go on. Experience it for yourself.

Photo Credit: Nattu.