Stupid Cool: Adding Countries (Valletta, July 30th, 2013)

On July 30th, I was in Valletta, Malta. What was remarkable, to me, about this was, despite having been to 29 countries this year, this was only the third country I have been to this year which I have not been to before.

I am in the small realm of super travelers.

View in Valletta

People who work on cruise ships for more than three years often have at least fifty countries under their belt. I am sure I have at least 70 countries, but I am not entirely sure beyond that. I hate to admit this, but after nearly fifteen years of business travel, I cannot remember every country I have been to any more than you can remember every coffee shop you have been to.

Nonetheless, country count is a competitive event for super travelers. We compare airport horror stories, frequent flyer miles, weird food adventures, road stories. This is our world.

So on July 30th, when I got to bump my number (or my vague notion of what my number is), it was exciting.

My country count, which includes countries on all continents except Antarctica, only has one landlocked country (Switzerland), and does not include countries where I have not set foot though I have cleared immigration. (I have been aboard the ship in Kenya, Belgium and Kuwait, but since I did not go ashore in any of the three, though technically having cleared immigration, I do not include these in my number.)

My friends, many of whom have higher numbers than mine, come from every corner of the globe.

St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta

Perhaps the most indelible mark this travel has made on me is the true belief that people in general seek a better life for themselves as their primary goal and not the eradication or elimination of others’ cultures or beliefs as a primary objective, though both might experience collateral damage. A recent professor of mine produced a documentary which I would call all out fear mongering, implying Chinese economic imperialism is a calculated assault against America. I have spent a little time in China, and a lot of time not in America. I think there are very few people in this world who are outright against America. If America suffers collateral damage in people’s personal pursuit of a better life, well, few will subvert their personal goals for America’s prosperity, Americans included. OK, divergence into global cultural and economic imperial assessment being cast aside, stupid cool continuing…

Though American, I have spent around 15-20% of my adult life outside the US. My passport is thick with extra pages. This year I have slept in country about 60 days and out of country about 150. The place where I currently pay rent, I have slept at about 50 nights, thought I have paid rent for a whopping 260.

I live out of a suitcase, a carry-on and a “personal item,” as the airlines would call it. My living quarters are less than 100 square feet and to be honest, are more than I need. And nothing pleases me more than to add a country to my list or embark on a 16 hour flight somewhere (well, depending on seat assignment).

So July 30th, 2013, was Malta, a new country and that was cool.