Brooklyn: The Movie

Brooklyn is a love letter to culture shock. Whenever you move, there's going to be at least one moment where you ask yourself, "Why did I ever come here? Life was good at home, why did you have to spit on that and move to this godforsaken place?" Well maybe not those exact thoughts but something along those lines. "Brooklyn" allows you to have those thoughts without feeling guilty in an lovely 1950's throwback.

Ellis is young Irish girl who doesn't seem to be living up to here potential. She's smart and beautiful but she's working in a dead-end job with no significant other to share her life with (Sounds familiar?). So her sister arranges for her to move to 'New York' and see what opportunities await in the New World. But she isn't moving to New York, she's moving to Brooklyn.

Ellis goes through all the motions most of us travelers go through. Excitement, dismay and eventually  happiness. Moving to a new place is hard. Especially, when you have no safety net and are boarding with a bunch of peculiar characters. But like most of us, Ellis finds a way to survive and even flourish. 

That could have been the end of the movie. But why this film is interesting is because it also shows you reverse culture shock. A little bit of when you go back home and realize you may in fact never really be able to go home. Or maybe you can but you have somewhere better to be.

Watch this movie when you are homesick. Or on the road going through the tough of it. It helps to remember these things happen. Its part of the journey, but where you are going is worth it.

Hitch The World: The Chronicles of Patrick Joseph Falterman II

A friend of mine posted a comic strip by Things in Squares on my Facebook page which had a lot of insightful things to say about travel. It was the story of Patrick Joseph Falterman. Basically, there was this dude, living in Texas and he wanted to see the Amazon. So, he did.

It may not seem like a lot, but taking that leap can be a pretty horrifying experience. Luckily, this gentleman's journey was epic. On his site, hitchtheworld.com, you can find archives of his travels. Reading through them, he articulates things that I've felt, but have never been able to put into words. He perfectly expresses the need to get away and writes about all the hits and misses that come with that need. Something, which I find incredibly difficult to explain to people, especially if they've never felt it. For some, travel isn't just a thing you do because you have vacation time. For some, its a thing that lives inside, that can make you miserable if you don't listen to it, but can also bring you more joy than you ever expected.

I never got a chance to meet Patrick but I'd like to think that if we met on the road, we'd hang out for a couple of weeks. Reading about his trips, reminded me that while this may not be 'normal' there are other people out there doing the same thing. Some in way more extreme circumstances. Not everyone may be a nomad, but everyone should have the zest for life this guy did. 

Please check out Patricks website, hitchtheworld.com. There's loads of great travel stories and advice that would be a shame to go to waste.

Humans Of New York: Divorce to Backpacking

Her previous husband had been a wealthy heir. So she was used to a high lifestyle. But before the pregnancy, she seemed to emphatically enjoy my company. She exuded positivity. We'd go on vacation and she'd say things like: 'Isn't it wonderful here? The air is so nice.' She changed when she got pregnant, but I thought: 'Maybe it's just hormones.' I tried to do the right thing so we got engaged. She needed a very big ring. She'd taken some gemologist courses, so she dragged me around for weeks while she looked for the perfect stone. Then she turned her attention to me. She sent me to a custom tailor. She made me get a $12,000 watch. She was so concerned with appearances. She told everyone that her father was a top executive when I knew he was a middle manager. In retrospect, you can see the patterns, but in the moment you're just like; 'Fuck, hopefully things will go back to normal tomorrow.'

My wife was never happy, and everything had to be adjusted to that situation. In her mind, everyone was always against her. She had a constant sense of victimhood. I saw her journal one day, and without going into detail, I will say it seems that she had a very abusive childhood. But that translated into a non-stop, throbbing anxiety. She'd pick fights with shopkeepers. She went through three different dentists. She made one of them refund her invisible braces because she could see them. Her friendships would last an average of four months before she manufactured a reason to break them off. And she'd always try to get me on her side during these feuds. If I tried to talk reason to her, she'd claim that I was against her too. One day my mother's friend was walking behind my wife on the street, and overheard her talking about getting a divorce. I'd seen up close how vindictive she could be, so I decided to get a lawyer too. We'd signed a prenup, so my lawyer told me that I'd have very little leverage. And I knew my wife would chisel anything she could from me. So my lawyer told me: 'This is going to be extremely tough, and many of my clients can't handle it. But the law allows you to remain in your apartment during the proceeding. If you stay in the house with her, our one bargaining chip will be her desire to get you out of the house.'

I told her I wasn't going to leave the home during the divorce. She tried to scream but I stood my ground. I slept on the couch. She locked herself in the bedroom. Things were so tense that I'd piss in a cup to keep from going to the bathroom. My lawyer told me to record everything. So I kept my iPhone on 'record' while it was in my pocket. One morning I was eating breakfast with my son, and she walks in the kitchen and says to my son: 'Dylan, let's play a game. Let's see if Daddy has a recording device.' Then she came and started going through my pockets. I tried to push her hand away, and she said; 'Dylan come help Mommy search Daddy.' I kept trying to push her hand away, and she started screaming: 'Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! Put down the scissors! Somebody call the police!' Our nanny ran in the room, sees me holding my wife's arm, and ran to get help. My wife reported domestic violence and filed a restraining order. My hand is shaking just talking about it.

I recently returned from seventeen days of backpacking on the Pacific Crest Trail. I took up backpacking after I got through the divorce. It was my way of regaining some control. After five years of adjusting everything to her, it gave me something to focus on that was only for me. I love to plan the trips. I love to look at the maps, and pick the best trails, and study the elevation profiles so I can choose the campsite with the best view. There is no pressure when I'm backpacking except for the pressure I put on myself. In the city, It seems that I always have a reason for being in a place. I'm in this park right now because my therapy session was half a block away. But when I'm backpacking, the only reason I'm in a place is just to be there. And that's very cathartic.

Human's of New York is one of my favorite Facebook accounts to follow. He's got photo stories down to an art. This one really touched base with me. I love what he says about when you are backpacking, the only reason for being in a place is just to be there. That feeling can be down right therapeutic. Checkout the Humans Of New York website, www.humansofnewyork.com. Better yet, buy the book.

Getting Through Airport Security

Anyone who's been on a few commercial flights knows; Airport Security can be a real pain. I've never had a particularly bad experience with Airport Security but then again I've never tried to do anything to illegal in an airport. But its not very surprising to me that they do very little to keep us safe. Most of the time they just herd passengers along, barking in our face the things that most observant travelers know already.

Still, I don't just blame Airport Security completely for all the problems getting through the line at an airport. Passengers can also be just as antagonistic. They can be pushy, rude and just plain stupid. That same barking may not be necessary if after you hear "Please take your laptops out of your bags and put it in a bucket," you actually take out your laptop and put it in a bucket. In line doing nothing? Try reading the signs! They literally tell you what to do. Extra points if you figure out to do some of those things before you get to the top of the line.

Here are  a few tips I live by going through Airport Security that I think they've worked out pretty well for me;

• Prepare Before - Don't dress in clothes that take forever to take off. Don't put on a bunch of jewelry you are going to have to take off. Most importantly, Don't put a bunch of stuff in your bag that you are going to have to throw out, like water.

• Prepare In Line - If you are traveling with a bunch of stuff you couldn't avoid bringing in line, while you are in line start prepping. Take out that laptop. Take off that coat. Put all your things in your bag so you don't have to empty your pockets. This way when you get to the top of the line, you can just slide on through. 

• Be Nice (Smile Even) - Airport Security may not be nice or even demonstrate basic public decency, but thats no excuse for you being an asshole. Don't anticipate a problem and treat them like if they are already strip searching you. Be kind to them. A smile goes a long way, and they may be genuinely having a bad day and you being polite might just help. I think if I had to watch people leave on awesome vacations day in and day out, I'd probably become a serial killer.

Airport Security is a drag and apparently they don't really do anything to keep us safe. The system should be revised so every passenger isn't treated like a criminal. That being said, bitching about it in line won't help the problem. Please be mindful of the fact that you have to go through security. The faster you make your way through, the faster the rest of us can get to our vacations.

Check out more Adam Ruins Everything on The TruTV YouTube Channel.
Want more comics, click on over to Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal by Zack Weinersmith.

Facts That Will Make You Want To Travel

Not that you needed another reason to pack your bags. But I'd love to jump on a plane right now. Be warned though, watching this video may drop you in a Buzzfeed travel hole and you might not be able to get out of until 5 videos later.

Seriously though, lets get out of here. Like now. *flip the table*

Trip To Asia

I'm leaving for Asia today. It's a massive family trip with everyone; aunts, uncles and cousins. Basically, everyone and their mother. I'm pretty stoked for it, especially since traveling with this much family is going to be an ordeal in itself. Can't wait to see the madness unfurl, even better I get to watch it all go down in Asia.

We are passing though the States then its China, Thailand and finally Bali. I'm ecstatic. I love Barbados but you gotta feed the Travel Bug. I can't even imagine all the new things I'm going to see, eat and experience.

It's weird traveling like this again because a lot of my trips have gotten smaller and smaller. This trip is in the complete opposite direction. This is the most family I've ever traveled with and the travel style is very different from what I've gotten accustomed to. In China, we are going to be bouncing around a few cities. Then in Thailand and Bali it's just my immediate family staying put in hotels. Part of me wishes I was solo; couchsurfing, partying and staying in hostels, but I figure it's good to mix it up.

Anyhow, I'll let you know how it goes. I see a lot of Asia posts in the future, sooner or later (probably later). If you've got any tips for traveling around Asia or dealing with family on massive trips leave them in the comments below, I get the feeling I'll need all the help I can get.