I’ve traveled to over 150 countries and my advice is simple: don’t do it

I’ve traveled to 156 countries. I began traveling at 16, after I left home and couldn’t find a job anywhere that paid enough to house me. The few places that would take me in insisted I had to be willing to travel as part of the job.<br><br>I said yes, and my first plane ticket was a ticket to a life of constant movement, one that I’ve only recently begun to question. In the past year, I’ve had to be evacuated from two countries. I knew it was a bad day when my phone alerted me to a missile headed toward my location, but it wasn’t the first missile I’d seen, and it wouldn’t be the last.<br><br>I’m 40 now. I’m tired. I’m done. Last week I thought, if only I had a house. Somewhere I could shut the door, shut out the world, stop moving. If only I had a home.<br><br>I’ve traveled to over 150 countries, and I’ve begun to realize how childish my obsession with travel was, how selfish it has made me. I have no family, no friends, no home. Just a house in another country in civil war right now. I was supposed to be there right now, but I got evicted when the owner decided to move back in.<br><br>I’ve tried to settle down. I’ve taken jobs in one place, thinking it would keep me grounded, but it doesn’t. I always get restless when I stay somewhere for too long.<br><br>I’ve applied for citizenship in 3 countries and been rejected. I’ve applied for a passport from 2 countries and been rejected again. I have no legal right to be anywhere.<br><br>I am tired. I do not recommend this. Be happy at home. Stay where you are. It’s not as boring as you think. It’s better to be bored than scared. There is nothing interesting about the constant, low-grade stress of wondering whether you’re about to miss your flight, be evacuated, shot, blown up, or caught in a natural disaster.<br><br>I do not know what I’m going to do. I probably have no choice but to keep moving. I have nowhere else to go.<br><br>[Edit: pls stop making assumptions about my race/gender/sexual orientation/whoever/whatever else I am. I am a person who has traveled to a lot of countries. I am tired of traveling. That is why I posted this.]