The speaker shares their personal story of feeling like a "citizen of nowhere" as a Mexican-American, but finding their calling through travel. They encourage the audience to invest in experiences rather than material possessions and to travel more. The speaker highlights three main reasons why Americans don't travel: work, money, and fear. They debunk common misconceptions about travel, such as the idea that it's expensive or that the world is a scary place. The speaker also shares statistics on the benefits of travel, including increased empathy and self-awareness.
The speaker invites the audience to make a promise to themselves to travel to a place they've always wanted to visit, and to prioritize experiences over material possessions. They emphasize that travel is not just for the young, but for people of all ages, and that it can be a transformative and rewarding experience.
Ultimately, the speaker's message is one of encouragement and empowerment, urging the audience to take control of their lives and prioritize what truly matters to them. By choosing to travel and invest in experiences, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them, and live a more fulfilling life.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The speaker was born in Mexico City in the hot summer of 1975.
2. The speaker's family emigrated to the United States when they were around five years old.
3. The speaker grew up in San Diego and had a happy childhood.
4. Only 35% of Americans have passports.
5. In Oregon, about 40% of the population has a passport, while in Mississippi, it's about 18%.
6. Only 30% of international travel goes outside of the U.S. and Mexico.
7. Less than 10% of the U.S. population will leave the continent in a given year.
8. The average American takes 15 days of vacation per year, down from 21 days in the year 2000.
9. 169 million days of unused vacation are valued at over $52 billion per year.
10. In 1930, the average American had nine outfits, while today they have over 30.
11. The average woman in the UK has 22 unworn items in her closet.
12. Americans spend over $24 billion per year on storage, with over 2.3 billion square feet of storage space in the United States.
13. The speaker's wife and he took a six-month honeymoon in Nepal, India, and Thailand for just over $4,000.
14. With an American passport, you can visit 174 countries without a visa or get a visa at the point of entry.
15. The speaker met his wife in a campground in southern Mexico, in Palenque, Chiapas.