I read this article this past week and wanted to post it. My favorites are #13 and #20. I didn't post the whole article, but just excerpts. Click the link for the full article. I promise to post a real October update soon!!
One of my favorite parts of the article is the paragraph below from the intro.
"When I was younger my dad often said, "The hardest part is just getting out the door." And that may be the most important lesson of all: it's too easy to get complacent at home and if you aren't at least a little uncomfortable, you probably aren't learning anything."
This paragraph reminds me of a good friend that told me wonderful things when I got accepted to the BEDA program and decided to move to Spain this past spring. She said, "When you are on the plane and you crying and sad because of what you left behind, don't look back, look forward because this is the most amazing opportunity." While many people in my life were so excited for me like this friend, there were still some who were not so excited. I understand this because I left my life's passion/calling (being an SLP), job, wonderful friends, family, and life in Los Angeles. But I've always wanted to be here and I think people are right, life gets hard and it's so easy to say no and life gets too complacent which makes you stay home. So this article was a good reminder of that friend and why I will always have wanderlust, but why that isn't such a bad thing. :)
20 Things I Learned From Traveling Around the World
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Travel for long enough and one day you wake up to realize: This is no longer a vacation, it's your life.
Over one year ago I quit my job and decided to travel around the world. This was both a dream 10 years in the making and one of the best decisions I've ever made.
In the last 12 months I learned a lot about long-term travel, what I need to be happy, and how to survive outside of the U.S. Many of these things can't be learned at home or in a book, and while reading about them on the internet can only get you so far, a lot of people have asked me to explain how I've done it.
Well, here's part of the answer.
"There's no substitute for just going there."
-Yvon Chouinard
My trip hasn't been about sightseeing (although I've done that) as much as just being somewhere. The simple challenges of daily routine can be overwhelming: trying to eat, drink and sleep in a place where nothing makes sense, you don't speak the language, and where none of the basic comforts of home are available. It's not easy, but if you want a fast-track to personal development, get on a plane.
When I was younger my dad often said, "The hardest part is just getting out the door." And that may be the most important lesson of all: it's too easy to get complacent at home and if you aren't at least a little uncomfortable, you probably aren't learning anything.
If you've already traveled extensively, you may get a kick out of this. If you haven't, here are some reflections, tips, and advice about long-term travel on my one-year anniversary of life on the road:
#13) Traveling doesn't get 'traveling' out of your system.
If you've got this bug, it's not going away (sorry), but the obvious question is: why are we trying to get traveling out of our system, anyway?
#13) Traveling doesn't get 'traveling' out of your system.
If you've got this bug, it's not going away (sorry), but the obvious question is: why are we trying to get traveling out of our system, anyway?
Rolf Potts did a great job in Vagabonding of justifying not just travel as a lifestyle, but also a lifestyle that makes travel a non-negotiable ingredient. Whether that means saving for a big trip or just taking a few weeks a year the important thing is to make room in your life tokeep traveling.
I was actually told on this trip (if you're reading this) that I needed to stop screwing around and: grow up." I think in our culture that means going back to the "real world" of office jobs, succumbing to general complacency, and trying to enjoy two weeks off a year.
If that's the case you can count me out.
The world is just too big and interesting to not be exploring.
#20) Long-term traveling can teach you more than almost anything else
About yourself, about life, about what you need to be happy. It also really highlights just how different home is from everywhere else, especially when you start to get a large sample size to compare it to.
#20) Long-term traveling can teach you more than almost anything else
About yourself, about life, about what you need to be happy. It also really highlights just how different home is from everywhere else, especially when you start to get a large sample size to compare it to.
For some, this can mean going home with a heightened perspective. For others, it may mean never going home. For everyone though, long-term travel will change your life.
Read more on Clayton's blog, Spartan Traveler, where this post originally appeared.
