Traveling the world because of an unimaginable disease

Kate Boardman, 36, from a small town in Massachusetts, suffers from aphantasia, which makes her unable to see images – some call it “temporary blindness” – when her eyes are closed. About 3% of the world’s population suffers from the condition, and Kate only realised she was one of them last year.

“I didn’t realize other people could see images in their minds, like when they lie in bed counting sheep,” she said. Partly because of this condition, Kate decided to travel the world, taking photos and filming what she saw to watch as a movie.

In fact, Kate developed a passion for travel early on after her first trip abroad, to Mexico at age 14. At age 15, she participated in an exchange program in Germany and lived with a foreign family for a year. From there, she realized she had a passion for learning about new cultures and experiencing new lives.

In 2009, the economic downturn left Kate unable to find a satisfactory job. She said she felt "the life drained out of her" so she quit and planned to go to Thailand to teach English for a year. From the original one-year plan, Kate has spent 12 years continuously traveling abroad, living in many countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Australia.

Because she can't imagine places, Kate constantly has to upgrade her memory because all her devices are full of pictures and videos. She estimates there are at least 3,000 videos on her phone. Kate says that despite her aphantasia, she feels confident traveling alone. Kate's memory is good, allowing her to remember directions even when she can't imagine them.

Kate said she went to the Galapagos to swim with hammerhead sharks, climbed an active volcano in Guatemala, rode a motorbike in Vietnam, and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Her favorite country is Iran, which constantly surprises her with its history, architecture, and cuisine. Vietnam is also Kate's favorite country, where she stayed for more than two years, impressed by the culture, the bustling pace of life in the city, and the peacefulness of the countryside.

After a long time traveling abroad, Kate realized that life in America was not for her. Here, people live according to a predetermined trajectory, from high school, finding a job, going to college, getting married, having children, buying a house and working at the same job for 30 years. Kate understands that as she gets older, balance and stability are essential to life. But Kate will never stop dreaming of traveling because it helps her realize that there are many ways to live in the world.