This morning I had the privilege of speaking at Walk with the Doc about travel medicine.
We talked about vaccinations, malaria prevention, deep vein thrombosis, food safety, jet lag, travel insurance, and the many practical things that help us return home safely.
After the presentation, the questions began.
People wanted to know about traveling to remote parts of Asia.
What about the Himalayas?
What happens at very high altitude?
How dangerous is altitude sickness?
What should I carry into places where medical care may be days away?
They were thoughtful questions, and as I answered them, I realized they all revolved around the same idea.
Preparation.
Not fear.
Preparation.
There is a tendency to think that the greatest danger in travel lies in the destination. But more often than not, the destination is not the problem. The problem is arriving unprepared.
The mountain is still the mountain.
The jungle remains the jungle.
The desert has always been the desert.
Our responsibility is not to demand that the world become safer for us. It is to become wiser before we enter it.
Altitude sickness is a fascinating example.
The mountain does not care how wealthy you are.
It does not care how physically fit you look.
It does not care how many countries you have visited.
Above a certain elevation, every human body is negotiating with thinner air. Some adapt quickly. Others do not. Some become mildly uncomfortable. Others become gravely ill.
The mountain treats everyone with remarkable fairness.
Respect it, and it often rewards you.
Ignore it, and it can humble you.
I wonder if life works much the same way.
There are emotional high altitudes as well.
Retirement.
Grief.
Success.
Failure.
Marriage.
Parenthood.
Immigration.
Leadership.
None of these places are inherently dangerous, but each demands a different kind of preparation. The habits that served us at one altitude may no longer be enough at the next.
Sometimes we try to rush the ascent.
We want tomorrow’s view without today’s acclimatization.
But life, like the mountains, often insists that we climb slowly.
Pause.
Adjust.
Drink deeply.
Rest.
Listen to our bodies.
Know when to continue and when to descend.
Perhaps wisdom is simply learning to respect the altitude of the season we are in.
When I prepared today’s talk, I told the audience that preparation is the best travel medicine.
As I reflected afterward, I realized the same could be said of life itself.
Preparation cannot eliminate every risk.
I prepared carefully before traveling to Nigeria and still returned home with COVID.
Preparation does not guarantee perfect outcomes.
It simply gives us the best chance to meet uncertainty with resilience instead of regret.
Whether we are boarding a plane, beginning a new career, entering retirement, or walking into an unfamiliar chapter of life, the principle remains unchanged.
Prepare well.
Travel with humility.
Respect what is greater than you.
And remember that the goal is never merely to arrive.
It is to return home—wiser, healthier, kinder, and grateful that there are still mountains left to climb.
Simply O.
Simply O 