Ever dream of traveling the world? Is it possible to visit places less traveled with almost nothing more than a radiant smile? It is! Our guest today—YouTuber Doug Barnard—has attracted a global following of almost 500,000, at age 26. People in places like Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, and Alexandria, Egypt are recognizing him, and often embracing him on the street. Best of all, his popularity is not due to outrageous behavior, but rather his sense of celebration of every person he meets. His energy is contagious.    Doug’s wonderful videos are improving (and wildly expanding) the way we think about the world “out there.” It is not nearly as frightening as the news would have us believe, and he is discovering how very, very much we all have in common.    He is essentially telling us the rest of the story about humanity and giving us a fresh, warm feeling about places that the mass media has given a bad rap.   He gives us reasons to hope, and demonstrates in living color how we need to all get more savvy about believing the narrative we are getting about the world… It is so limited!   In the course of our conversation, Doug reveals a kind of timeless wisdom that we can all use every day to think better of others, assume good intentions, and enjoy dramatically better results in our interactions. And he also gives us some amazing travel tips!    Show Notes: [00:00 - 04:00] Opening segment   [04:00 - 07:00] Most people are good.   [07:00 - 08:15] Places Doug has traveled to. It’s not always comfortable but it’s a great experience.   [08:16 - 15:00] Doug’s story - being laid off and then traveling full time. The experiences you’ll have would have been worth it. 100% of the time you are going to have takeaways that will be a positive for you at the end of the day. Manage the meaning of the bad things that happen to you.   [15:01 - 21:00] Doug’s trip gone wrong. Appreciation for experiences of people in different parts of the world. The secret to happiness is low expectations.    [21:01 - 23:30] Picking places that have a bad reputation.   [23:31 - 27:00] Traveling to places with a stable government. Taking precautions when traveling. No dark papaya.   [27:01 - 31:20] Doug’s surprising experience in Iraq. The kindness and hospitality of people in Iraq.   [31:21 - 36:30] Separating the government from the people.   [36:31 - 42:00] Doug’s trip in Turkey. Travel helps you see things out of the box.   [42:01 - 45:00] Doug’s trip in Sudan. Pause before following your emotions and what you think you know.   [45:01 - 52:00] Making a very complex topic simple should ring alarm bells. Growing edges. Honesty helps you connect with people. Shared struggle in communicating and connecting.   [52:01 - 57:00] The best way to see how things have changed in a place is to go there. Doug’s travels in Colombia. Go someplace that you never thought that you would go to.   [57:01 - 01:00:00] Taking measured risks when traveling. The whole story is never simple.   [01:00:01 - 01:01:29] Closing Segment   Resources Mentioned: Doug Barnard’s Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/dougbarnardtravel