In the summer of 2005, Patrick traveled through New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, eventually arriving in Istanbul, Turkey where he spent the fall semester at the University of the Bosporus. It was the first time Patrick had ventured outside of North America or Europe. The trip, particularly the time in Southeast Asia, is what inspired Patrick's cycling trip. Patrick visited numerous small villages in Laos with dilapidated schools, or in some cases, no school at all. After returning to the US in January of 2006, Patrick was determined to do something about what he had seen in Laos. He contacted Room to Read, an organization that builds schools throughout Southeast Asia, and learned that he would need to raise $15,500 in order to build a primary school in Laos. Patrick then decided that he would bike through Laos as a means of raising money for the project. By the start of his bike trip, he had raised enough money to build a school in Laos and provide two K-12 scholarships for girls in Cambodia. Patrick began his bike trip in June 2006. After biking 1,200 miles through Laos, Patrick continued his trip with 600 more miles in Cambodia. He then finished by biking 1,000 miles through Burma. The entire trip took around 14 weeks and totaled 2,800 miles. During the ride, Patrick biked anywhere from 30 to 75 miles a day, depending on lodging. Generally, he slept at small guesthouses, the equivalent of hostels/budget hotels in Southeast Asia. However, he was not always able to find a guesthouse; Patrick spent some nights in local villages, monasteries, or camping out. Patrick always ate locally and would carry rice and bananas if there were no restaurants in the area. To see pictures from Patrick's trip, please visit the Photo Gallery.