By Caleb Chapman
Texas A&M University senior Zeke Pickering enjoys staring at world maps. He lets his fingers graze over them while dreaming about what adventure may await. Pickering has an ambitious goal to visit all 50 U.S. states, 100 countries and all seven continents.
“I imagine the sights, the sounds, the tastes and the adventures that might be had beneath the tip of my finger,” Pickering, a chemical engineering major, said. “The last few years, I have spent a lot of time planning and plotting my future expeditions.”
So far, Pickering has been able to backpack through Europe, climb the steps of the Great Wall of China, and learn about coffee farming in Columbia. But he still has a lot of pins left to stick on his map.
Pickering is the most recent recipient of the Globetrotter Grant award, which provides up to $2,000 to adventurous Texas A&M students. The grant supplements an independently planned trip to any country outside the U.S. He will use the grant to travel to Turkey, The Caucuses and the Holy Land before beginning the next phase of his life – a full-time career.
“I graduate in May and begin working in June,” Pickering said. “So, I have about a month in which to set out on one more grand adventure.”
The area’s age, history and culture make these destinations intriguing to Pickering.
"These regions lie right at the center of our world – historically and literally,” he said.
He will begin his journey in Istanbul, a place he describes as one of the most important cities in the world. Pickering will then travel by train through the Caucuses and explore ancient castles, flea markets, bathhouses and wineries. His journey will end with a pilgrimage through Jerusalem, where he will connect with his Christian heritage.
But more than that, Pickering sees it as an opportunity to overcome the fear and anxiety that international travel can bring – no matter how often one travels.
“I think it will always carry with it a measure of uneasiness and stress, but it also brings the highest sense of adventure and excitement,” Pickering said. “Travel provides a conduit for the most intense and memorable interactions with fellow humans across the globe.
“So although I am far from undaunted, I travel on.”
You can read more about Pickering’s winning trip proposal here: https://globetrottergrant.org/grant-winners/
About the Globetrotter Grant
The purpose of the Globetrotter Grant is to encourage international understanding through travel. The grant funds are intended to help college students experience landscapes, languages, food and drink, government types and economic and social policies different from those in the U.S. The Globetrotter Grant is designed for an adventurous individual whose plans are not limited only to study abroad, but self-planned trips outside of a study abroad program or through independent travel of their own. Learn more at https://globetrottergrant.org/.
