Tell us your full name, age, hometown and passion.
Turner Wright, 26, born in Dallas, Texas but consider Austin, Texas my home. My passion is living in other countries
What dream are you currently living out?
I just returned from two years living and working in Japan and a few months volunteering at under-funded government schools in Thailand; soon I will be headed for New Zealand, and in 2010, an Antarctica marathon.
Where were you before you decided that it was possible to pursue your dream?
Well, it took me some time to realize that I would enjoy living this kind of life all the time. I would say after I had spent about eight months in Japan and started noticing that people in different cultures weren’t separated from us (Americans) by some mysterious or supernatural veil… just people living their lives, going to work, wanting better for their children, eating delicious foods, and going through the day as best they can.
Did you have an epiphany or a change in mindset when you realized that it was possible? When/what happened?
Three epiphanies in one I should say. In February 2007, I was attending the snow festival in Sapporo, Japan, when a local approached me. I had gotten into the habit of ignoring Japanese who poked my shoulder in the middle of the night, as they tended to be sauced or just seeking a free English lesson from the strange foreigner. However, as I was still on a high from Sapporo chocolate and some beautiful sculptures, I pursued the conversation with a 50-something weathered man and his teenage son. We ended up talking through most of the night, at the conclusion of which, he invited me to stay at his home. He barely knew me, yet he was willing to let me be a part of his home, his life, even if only for one night. I made a decision to keep a more open mind about whom I met on the road from then on. The result of which led me to fellow wanderers and the works of Rolf Potts, epitomizing the kind of life I wanted.
When you committed yourself to walking that path, what changed for you?
Not much, since I was already on the path when I made the intention to keep doing so (i.e. already living in Japan).
What mental barriers and fears did you have to overcome?
I struggle with it everyday; I hear about friends from home getting engaged, married, having children, finding comfort with stable jobs and income. Even knowing I prefer my path, it gets frustrating to see the other side of the grass.
What kind of feedback or advice were you given and how did you perceive it?
I talk with other travelers in hostels, whisper hurried philosophies of life with locals, and read a lot of travel philosophy books. You could say I’m open-minded; I don’t see an end to this kind of life, but, then again, I didn’t see a beginning to it years ago. I suppose time will tell.
How has your perspective on life changed?
In every way possible; our parents are of the generation that firmly believed “go to the right school, get into the right college, get the right job, work the 9-5 as hard as you can, and success will come to you.” What measure of success? Giving up the best years of your life to form the foundation of something you may not enjoy later on – assuming you do now?
I’m not concerned with establishing a 401K. I’m not going to be trapped in a cubicle where people go to suffocate. Fight Club and Office Space are eye-openers, if you can see past the superficial.
Things are easier now. Once you know you can live in one country, it becomes that much easier to do so in another, even your home.
What have you learned about life from your journey?
Life is short, and yet it isn’t. I’ve met plenty of people in their 40s and 50s living the same kind of vagabond lifestyle I’ve chosen: married couples touring the globe, even families teaching their children about other cultures. I guess the most dominant, pervading thought would be that although you’re guaranteed to have a different and altogether uniquely influential travel experience going alone, it means more – to me, at least – with someone by your side: friend, family, lover.
How do you perceive society?
Depends on the society. I do have a more “outsider” view of everything now; I’m a citizen of every nation, and no nation. I don’t really like Americans in general; I don’t like the fact that most of our citizens are ignorant, overweight, and unyielding in their opinions.
Once I had returned and started seeing things like a deported Japanese, so to speak, it gave me a unique perspective. I think there’s an unspoken rule in local governments to make residents pliable and easily manipulated, and they do so using every means possible. Sometimes you just have to ignore depressing facts and cling to the hope “that people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil…”
What would be your advice to other people who want to live out their dreams?
With respect to being a traveler, one thing I can say is not to “just do it” – have a plan, and it really isn’t as difficult as it seems. Anyone with two thousand dollars and dress clothes can teach English in Asia for a year. The most difficult part of leaving is believing you are “too busy” or certain parts of your life are just immutable – nothing is.
What is most important to you in life?
Family, friends, and good health – in that order.
What are you most proud of in your life?
The fact that I didn’t cave in to a complacent life.
What is your next dream?
As far as travel is concerned, I’m making arrangements to settle in New Zealand and work on a Buddhist monastery for several months. After that, I should be slated for Antarctica in 2010.
To see some of Turners travel photos, click on the link below:
