Earlier this year, I was honored to be selected as one of the speakers at TEDxFargo in Fargo, ND. I'm used to speaking before a few dozen or even 100 people. This time, I got on stage in front of a sold-out crowd of 2,700 at the Fargo Civic Center.

I don't care if public speaking is your thing or not, a crowd that size can be terrifying. But when it came time to take the stage, I was more excited than nervous.
 

A person standing on a stage in front of a crowd 

The topic of my talk was much the same as what we preach here at Thrifty Traveler: life is short, travel now. The sad truth is that Americans do not take enough vacation – much to their own detriment. It's why I've always been passionate about starting to travel at a young age and learning how to overcome the potentially high costs of travel.
 

A man standing on a stage 

The common theme I touch on time and time again is that there is no such thing as a once in a lifetime trip. If you make travel a priority and follow our travel model, it can be done on the cheap. There are so many ways to cut expenses in life and reallocate them to your top priorities.

If you take away one thing from my talk let it be this: travel early and travel often. The world is too diverse, large, and beautiful for you not to see as much of it as possible.

Learning about and understanding other cultures is essential to tearing down the many unnecessary walls we've built up as a society. My travels have taught me two important things: the world is a lot smaller than you think and we're more alike than we are different. Unlocking a world of travel can truly change the world.
 

a man standing on stage in front of an audience
 


 

 

Bottom Line

The TEDxFargo team ran one heck of a show and I know everyone in attendance had a blast. Make sure to watch some of the many other impressive speakers at TEDxFargo. Hopefully, I'll see some of you in Fargo next year on July 25, 2019.