In the wake of recent terror attacks in Paris and an article in an Al Qaeda magazine that provided instructions for making a bomb that is undetectable by current airport security technology, the U.S. State Department issued the following travel warning for Americans traveling abroad: “Recent terrorist attacks...serve as a reminder that U.S. citizens need...

Aren’t you afraid? In a word: No. It’s a question people ask us in lots of quiet ways. Aren’t you afraid of the political climates in less than first world places? No, but we’re aware of them. Of course they colour our travels. We make choices to go some places, and not others, based on...

What would you do if you were not afraid? That is the question I asked myself a few years ago when my husband and children wanted to ride their bicycles from Alaska to Argentina. And when I got really honest with myself, I had to admit that, if I wasn’t afraid, I would go with...

“You’re so brave,” a friend said. “How do you overcome fear?” We, as humans, have this tendency to build up the unknown into some kind of great big monster out to slay us. We look ahead into the vast expanse of indefinite spread out before us and see it as something too big, too immense...

“I was driving down the road the other day and saw some cyclists ahead. I braked and waited until I could get by safely, but I’m concerned about them – the other motorists who won’t do that.” “I saw a cyclist riding through my town last week, so I invited him over to my house...

Fear. It’s a powerful thing. In some ways, fear is a good thing – it keeps us safe and prevents us from doing things that might harm us. It’s fear that keeps us from venturing into dangerous places and from doing things that we’re not prepared for. A healthy dose of fear is a wonderful...

“I was driving down the road the other day and saw some cyclists ahead. I braked and waited until I could get by safely, but I’m concerned about them – the other motorists who won’t do that.” “I saw a cyclist riding through my town last week, so I invited him over to my house...

Most dreams die because the dreamers can’t take the requisite and always terrifying step into the unknown. The best laid plans and sincerest intentions are no protection against the stomach-lurching sensation when you let go of the lifeline. Cila Warnke is currently writing a book – THE BOOK , as she refers to it. Here’s...

You want to live your dream. It’s there inside, bursting to be set free, but you’re afraid. Fear of the unknown, or of the reactions of others, or of future career implications… There are many fears that hold us back and prevent us from living the life of our dreams. Every single one of us...

"What gives value to travel is fear. It is the fact that, at a certain moment, when we are so far from our own country…we are seized by a vague fear, and an instinctive desire to go back to the protection of old habits. This is the most obvious benefit of travel. At that moment...

Brave New Traveler, one of the sites in the Matador Network, recently posted an essay on fear, specifically, on how fear can hold us back from our travels. In the piece, " Fear and Loathing: How Risk of Injury Can Inhibit Travel Plans ," the author writes that after she was badly injured in a...