How I Survive Danger During Travel: Raw Truth

Intro

A lot of the time, I get asked how I survive active conflict zones and situations that are quite frankly dangerous. Well, I figured that for the first time in my life, I would finally answer this question, and honestly. I think the answer might actually surprise you.

Soccer...

My Story

Growing up, I was an avid soccer lover, or as most of the world likes to call it, “football”. It was an ingrained part of my childhood, and I even went semi-professional as a youth. However, it was never actually to do with how good I was at the game; it was to do with my vision. See, growing up, I had a very old-school father who used to take me to watch football games all over England. As much as I loved going to these games, there was always one rule: you were not allowed to watch the ball. Most people at these games love to see when the Centre Forward scores, or the right back makes a wicked slide tackle, but I was never allowed to. If I were, well, I am not going to share what happened. See, while I haven’t seen my father in 13 years now, he taught me the most valuable lesson that sticks with me today: when you look away from the ball, you will see the answers before the question. 

My brain plans for every scenario: my greatest blessing and curse.

So you are probably thinking, “how does this have anything to do with traveling to Konrad?”, and I get that, but let me start with an example. Back in January, I visited Myanmar and had to end up driving through the back country of Shan State illegally. As we visited the last checkpoint, I was sat down by the Junta commander, and a few other guards. You see, most people focus on the ball, or in this instance, the Junta officer with his rifle, but the answers lie deeper. For better or worse, my brain scans quickly. I pick up on the smaller things, something to commonly relate to, read the body language about how serious he is, check if his rifle has the safety on, check his shoes, etc. Because when you watch the surroundings, you gain leverage. If his body language is open, the Junta commander is more inclined to negotiate. In this circumstance, I found common ground: cigarettes. But once again, had I decided to focus on the ball, I wouldn’t have seen the surroundings, which led to answers. 

I want you to think about the closest person in your life. How do you see them? Kind, loving, or perhaps angry? Do you view the surface, or do you view their complexities? See, the human species is complex; we have billions of “lines of code” ready to surface at any moment, and yet we resort to simplistic values. It’s part of survival. So when someone asks me, “How do you survive a civil war?”, it is seeing what is going to happen before it is going to happens. You get beneath the surface and find the code. 

I have become much too comfortable around guns in Africa.

I’ll be honest, my fight or flight was engaged almost 24/7 as a kid. So even today, when I do anything, my brain is scanning and working on different theories constantly. Always seeking escape routes on the off chance that something does go south. I am rarely ever fully present. Yeah, it sucks, but it is how I was raised. I know how to diffuse a situation with a Somali pirate better than I know how to talk to a girl. I know how to read which child someone is better than I know how to sit still and have a coffee. I have this thing called C-PTSD, which basically means I am a “Chronically panicked through sarcastic disaster”. Yeah… 

At the same time, I also believe that it’s both a blessing and a curse. It helps me play the role of the chameleon better than most; I can fit in with people from around the world. I know when to talk, and I know when to shut up, frankly. Because when I sit in class in college, I can’t focus on what the teacher says, I constantly am reading the room, figuring out what people’s triggers are, figuring out what people like, taking all of that information in. Because if you change the rules, then you never even have to play the game. 

So, if I can leave you with one thing, it is this: never watch the ball. When you take in the surroundings, you can predict where the ball is going to go, or better yet, control it. Whether that is in business, travel, or every aspect of life. 

So yeah, this wasn't a post to lay out all the messiness and ask for sympathy, I thought I would share more or less who I am and how I operate in complex environments. I see so many "polished" travel bloggers online that make everything look perfect, when in reality, nothing is perfect. Anyways, hope you enjoyed.