When I bought my first car, I felt a familiar wave of guilt for splurging on myself, and there was only one thing to blame: capitalism.
As a person who grew up in this world, I completely understand why it is so hard for people to splurge on themselves. The idea of being responsible and saving for your future has been pounded into our heads since we were young. Sure the occasional vacation to that all inclusive resort for a week makes sense, but does it really?
What are you actually benefiting by flying halfway across the world or country to stay in one place, looking at the same beach, eating the same food, and taking part in the same activities with the same people, for 7 days straight?
I mean hey, maybe I’m biased, but when I get on a plane I want to be thrown so deeply into the unknown that even the locals start to think I’m one of them. I started doing things alone when I was 18 and realized I’d be wasting my whole life away waiting for people to join me.
It started out as taking the train an hour away to an event I wanted to experience. Then it was driving 3 hours away to camp out by a beach that was named to have the most epic sunrises on the east coast, to eventually moving across the world alone when I was 24, throwing myself into a culture and country so foreign that if I wanted to make anything of myself I should probably start learning the language.
In this article I want to express to you the different ways in which saying yes to that dream trip can in fact change your life. From gaining confidence, to understanding how your brain works when it comes to making decisions, it would be rather silly of you to keep choosing to “stay safe” when there is a whole world out there for you to explore.
How That Dream Trip Will Change Your Life
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1. Giving Yourself Permission
As simple as this sounds, this is a huge first step.
Saying yes to your desires is an infinite accomplishment to a person who has been bound to safety and sticking to what they know all of their lives. Once you can gain enough strength and courage to ‘just do it’ you’ve actually achieved more than a lot of people, and you probably have heaps of secret admirers laying low in your community.
As I mentioned before, I get that it’s hard to do something fun when we’ve been taught that we need to be responsible. We need to be “successful”, make a good salary, buy the house, have the family, and be ready for our retirement. However, let’s be honest with ourselves, how much energy are we really going to have at the age of 65 to go out and chase our dreams?
The time is now, and you’ve already got a head start.
2. Spontaneity / Going With The Flow
Travelling is all about doing what you feel, when you feel like doing it.
Of course there are many different types of travelers, (we can talk about that later) some like the day to day, minute to minute itinerary knowing exactly what time lunch will be, when they will arrive to that national park, and how long the hike will take, and then there’s you.
You can be the traveler who wakes up without a plan on a Wednesday morning and end up on the highest mountain peak, with the most epic views, sharing stories with a group of strangers you met on the way up, while sipping on a local beer you were offered by a new friend. Or maybe you would end up freestyling song lyrics to the musical enchantments of the talented souls who were also staying at your hostel, and decided to have a jam session at sunset where the waters crashing upon the perfectly white sand were so blue, they reminded you to look up and appreciate the beauty that the sky offers us on a daily basis.
No matter what type of traveler you choose to be, it’s entirely up to you, and you get the create the reality you live in every day, no matter the circumstances.
image source unsplash.com
image source unsplash.com
3. The Expansion Of Confidence
I don’t know about you, but I didn’t grow up with the most confidence. High school was tough. I got bullied, I didn’t know where I fit in, or if I fit in anywhere at all, and was definitely more of a follow the crowd versus a trendsetter.
Needless to say this affected my confidence in all areas of life. I didn’t know what I liked, or didn’t like, was too shy to talk to people because I always felt like I wasn’t interesting enough, smart enough, pretty enough, etc.
Traveling changed all of that.
By traveling solo, I had no choice but to introduce myself to new people on a daily basis. If I didn’t I’d be completely alone and make no friends. I soon realized that people weren’t concerned with what I looked like and all the knowledge I had to offer as much as they were in the exact same boat of just looking to meet people who enjoyed the same things they did. I was able to make new friends rather easily, by sharing stories of my own experiences, and listening to theirs, and laughing as we realized we’d made the same mistakes.
I learned how to communicate with people who don’t speak the same language and actually understand each other (to an extent). Confidence is such a vast topic as it can translate to the way you make decisions to the way you show up everyday.
Regardless of which area of confidence you are looking to strengthen, travel can help you achieve that.
4. Interpersonal Skills
Who would have thought that going on an expedition around the world would give you skills you could add to your resume/CV?!
Turns out that outstanding interpersonal skills are highly sought after in the professional world, and you don’t even need to be a professional to possess them. As I mentioned above, in the confidence category, traveling allows you to soar out of your comfort zone when it comes to meeting new people.
You suddenly become a socialite, when you’re generally an introvert. This usually happens when you’re tired of spending so much time by yourself and would like to start going on adventures with other people. This is where your interpersonal skills come into play. If we were to literally define the term, interpersonal skills are the behaviors and tactics you rely on to communicate effectively with others.
This has everything to do with gaining confidence while at the same time just using your personality to make friends or connections in any situation. To put this into a professional perspective, let’s say your job is to maintain relationships with valuable clients. You would need to know how to hold a (relevant) conversation with this client, and make this person feel comfortable and respected by you and the organization you represent. If you’ve spent some time on your own in the world, you will see just how naturally these traits come to you.
image source pexels.com
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5. Problem Solving Isn’t A Problem Anymore
Kind of cliche, isn’t it?
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to come up with a solution to a problem quickly, but instead you panicked, phoned a friend or two, and picked the best solution? I’m pretty sure we’ve all been there at least once.
Now think of yourself in that situation, except you’re on a small island in Thailand, you have no phone signal, the only people in sight don’t speak the same language as you, and you’re stuck hanging in a tree because you thought climbing for coconuts was a good idea at the time.
That may have been a little extreme, but you catch my drift, right? There’s not always going to be someone to ask for help, which is when you have to start trusting yourself and your own intuition. I’ve gotten myself into many pickles while exploring different parts of the world, and the only choices I’ve had were to make the best of a bad situation, or figure out how to make it better.
This is yet another skill that would look amazing on your resume, but it feels even better than it looks when you get yourself out of a stressful situation to a state of mind that leaves you feeling refreshed and proud.
6. Deepened Value Of Relationships
When you’re traveling, there is no doubt you will meet all types of people. There will be people you’ll never remember while also a handful of people you’ll never forget. Meeting people in the same element as you just hits differently than meeting someone that lives in the same city, state, etc.
I say this because I have many friendships that I value on different levels, friends that I’ve known for over 20 years who I hold near and dear to my heart. However, I’d be lying if I said that I’ve never met someone who I’ve felt an instant soul connection to, I’m talking best friend for life, have we met in a past life?! Type of connections, and I’ve felt this way after knowing them for just five minutes.
Things like that happen when you’re on the go, because you’re meeting people who have the same values as you. Souls that follow the same guidelines of life, that inspire you, that light up the same way you do about sunsets and warm spiced tea in the mornings. This is one of those things that you won’t truly understand until you experience it but with these interactions comes a whole new meaning to quality time. What I mean is, you’ll never take it for granted again.
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image source pexels.com
7. New Life Perspectives
Exploring different pockets of the world will open your eyes, your heart, and your mind to an infinite amount of inspiration, possibilities, and new life goals.
Through the exploration of different cultures you will discover new practices, rituals, and values. Sharing stories with people from all different walks of life will humble you in so many ways. Understanding that what you’re told on TV, and from your parents about different parts of the world are not always true, and that with a little bit of common sense and self awareness, you will find the good where others can only fathom the bad.
Going to different countries (especially under developed ones) will teach you things about simplicity, you will learn how to rely solely on yourself and the land that supports you from beneath the soles of your feet. It all depends how far you’re willing to go.
Sometimes coming back from these types of adventures can be difficult because often we accustom ourselves to this new simple way of living, and then to go back to the way we were used to before which can feel like we’ve let go of the everlasting beautiful lessons we’ve just allowed ourselves to learn.
8. Self Awareness & Reflection
Spending time with yourself, especially in the unknown, allows lots of opportunity for personal growth. For me, one of the biggest tools to growth is becoming aware of who you are and how that reflects onto the world around you.
How do people view you? Why do they view you as such? What types of behaviors contribute to this judgment of you?
It’s so important to understand who you are and asking yourself these simple questions can put a lot into perspective for you. Throughout my journeys, I always learn something new about myself. Where I thrive, and where I lack, and I often use pen and paper to help me through these lessons to understand what happened, why it happened, and what I can do to improve the situation now, or in the future.
There’s something about being in unfamiliar spaces that make the subconscious mind feel so familiar, and I think it’s a journey every human on earth should take advantage of exploring.
image source unsplash.com
image source unsplash.com
9. Creative Cultivation
There have been many situations where I have found myself inspired in areas I’m not usually inspired while on the road. I could go back to the time I spent living in my van, and sporadically felt the need to buy a pack of blank faced journals and paint markers because in every new location I ended up, my mind began pouring out colorful images onto the canvas I never thought to create on.
Travel will do that to you. When you take yourself to new places, you’re also taking your mind and soul with you. When you experience new forms of excitement and freedom, so do the parts of you that don’t get much thought.
Next time you go on a trip, take a second to relax and breathe life into yourself, and see what images, thoughts, or inspirations start whirling around in your mind.
10. You’ll Be A Better Human
Along with all the items I’ve mentioned above, if you tie them all together with a ribbon it’ll equal this, just being a better human. You’ll have experiences that no one else can take from you, your memory bank will be filled with places, people, and flavors that are unique to only you.
You will have lived a life you can be proud of while having so many stories to share. If you decide to return back home, you’ll likely make changes to your everyday life to better align with the new ideas that have inspired you throughout your journeys. You’ll never see being “safe” as a realistic way of living again, and most importantly, you’ll start to appreciate your time a lot more, and not give it away to people so easily.
image source pexels.com
image source pexels.com
Traveling will change you…
It will show you what’s possible if you just say yes. It will kick you when you’re up, and pull you out of the mud when you’re down. It has a way of tossing you in a million directions, yet nowhere all at once, and let me tell you it’s the most uncomfortable comfort you’ll ever experience.
So if you’re still pondering on whether to take that trip, whether to leave it all behind and find out what else life could possibly have to offer you, the answer is yes. Just go, and be sure to share all the magic that you create along the way.