[custom_adv] Have you ever wanted to quit your job, sell your stuff, and travel the world with only a backpack? Many people think about it, but how many actually do it? Lake Mary’s JP Salva is one of the few who literally walked the walk. A software developer and consultant for 15 years, JP, now 38, surrendered to his wanderlust more than four years ago. [custom_adv] JP’s travels have taken him to the world’s most remote countries, some that are difficult to reach or are consumed by poverty, and war. [custom_adv] But he has discovered that many of those same nations have immense beauty and a unique sense of pride and rich culture. That is what JP seeks out. He wants to know, show, and share the authentic stories of humanity, not “the stories portrayed in the media,” he says. [custom_adv] “Life started to feel mundane,” says JP. “I was making decent money, which is why I can do this in the first place. But I realized it’s not just about money. It’s about filling an important need.” [custom_adv] That need was to see the world firsthand and never look back. But what possessed a thirty something to take this enormous leap? [custom_adv] When JP visited a Filipino orphanage with his brother JC and parents Marisol and José, who moved the family to Lake Mary from Puerto Rico, the Salva clan was destined to grow by two. The family fell in love with two children at the orphanage. JP, meanwhile, was bit by the travel bug. [custom_adv] After leaving his IT job, JP didn’t start traveling right away. But he eventually left Lake Mary and set out on the adventure of a lifetime, slowly making his way to countries very few visit. He didn’t fly first-class or stay in five-star hotels. Far from it, in fact. [custom_adv] After leaving his IT job, JP didn’t start traveling right away. But he eventually left Lake Mary and set out on the adventure of a lifetime, slowly making his way to countries very few visit. He didn’t fly first-class or stay in five-star hotels. Far from it, in fact. [custom_adv] JP’s travels have taken him to the world’s most remote countries, some that are difficult to reach or are consumed by poverty, and war. But he has discovered that many of those same nations have immense beauty and a unique sense of pride and rich culture. That is what JP seeks out. He wants to know, show, and share the authentic stories of humanity, not “the stories portrayed in the media,” he says. [custom_adv] “While I was going up the Himalayas for two weeks, some of us didn’t make it,” says JP, referring to fellow climbers who were forced to turn back. “It changed me. I felt like I was capable of anything.” [custom_adv] Another one of JP’s favorite journeys landed him at the doorstep of President Barack Obama’s grandmother’s home in Kenya. [custom_adv] “After I found out where she lived, I knocked on her door, and she answered,” JP says. “We talked through a translator. One question I asked her was, ‘Why are you still here? Your grandson is the most powerful person in the world.’ She said, ‘I like it here, I am a simple person. I live a simple life. I have no intentions of moving from here.’ She gave me a cordial hug. She seemed like a strong woman.” [custom_adv] “It takes a lot of courage to do what he did,” his mom says. “It wasn’t something I saw in him growing up, but it became a goal he set out for himself, and I’m excited he got to do it.