I struggle to define myself. Am I a vagabond? An unemployed 20-something with no future? Will the job come my way? When?
The last 13 months of my life have been spent studying for my Masters Degree in Media Studies and wandering to find a direction to life. The economic situation hasn’t been helpful to most of us.
After handing in my dissertation, like many of my peers I had no real clue as to what to do with my life. I did what anyone with an insatiable travel bug would do and took off to anywhere i got invited to stay for free. With limited cash in the pocket i can contribute only towards grocery and cheap fare travel. An exotic destination wasn’t really a budget i could manage right now.
These destinations have been quickly turning into a mundane daily rhythm that is full of obstacles, frustrations and existential questions. At the end of my free imposing stay with friends, the travel-bug and existential questions were still there. I have no choice but to keep travelling wherever goodwill people are ready to have me.Life lessons are the most important thing we can bring back with us from our travels.
Some people made me feel like I needed to define a goal for myself, so that all this travelling and wandering would lead to something concrete. In trying to quell their concerns, I realized that I really didn’t have an answer about my goals.
And then some give their five cent by telling me how part time jobs should be my look out for now. Learn to fry chips, serve a burger and wipe tables. I have nothing against the people who do these jobs and I have this as a last option.
Three stops, several undeveloped thoughts about the future and one minor brain freeze later, I’ve learned that what I was doing all of this time was defining myself as a human being; in finding my niche as an individual and I was learning how I wanted to live. Too much pressure from Dad to get a job is making the mind a confused paradise. I know he wants me to get a job and settle in but the rush he is in is an uncomfortable pace for me.
Now, as I try to establish a normal routine, I hold onto lessons from the road. They are my support system, reminding me of whom I am and where I have been.
Here are 4 of the most important life lessons I learned while travelling.
When the path ahead of us is unclear, it’s easy to question what we are doing with our lives. Society teaches us that we should go to school and get on a career path.
But some of us want some time off in between school and careers. Yes, we all want great jobs where we feel good about the work we do, but some of us want to postpone, and in some cases escape, the 9-5 lifestyle.
For those of us destined to walk down this path, it’s inevitable that others will ask questions:
§ “So what exactly are you doing on this trip?”
§ “What do you expect to do when you get back?”
§ “Don’t you have a five year plan?”
These are all questions that you do not need to have an answer to – remember that it’s OK to just travel for the sake of travel. And to make plans as long as you can fall back on them. There is a wise saying “Only Fools rush in” don’t be in a haste but plan well.
There is plenty of time in life to follow schedules and make five year plans, but travelling is about taking a breather from high intensity, stressful society and relearning how to focus on the present. This teaches you to deal with life on a day to day basis.
2. Embrace the ordinary
Being open to possibility is the only thing that allows us to move forward. Often we find that the reality of travel is very different from our dreams. Yet without those illusions about the travelling lifestyle, we may never have had the courage to hit the road in the first place.
Talk to anyone who has studied, travelled or worked abroad and they will tell you about the difference between glamorous expectations and normal everyday routines.
Travelling is about breaking out of our own personal boundaries.
When we travel for extended periods of time we see that not everything is as exotic first thought. Television ads in a foreign country may seem weird as long as we hear them in that foreign language, but as soon as we get a sense of the language, the ads seem as absurd as anything at home.
Long-term travel is not about constantly seeking the extraordinary, but coming to terms with the ordinary itself. It’s about learning to appreciate the simpler moments that everyday life offers.
3. Push your comfort levels
Travelling is about breaking out of our own personal boundaries. No matter the length of time, be it one week or a whole year, just being in a new place forces us to push ourselves.
We are obliged to memorize a string of strange sounding words just to order a simple coffee, master new public transportation systems, learn how to use unfamiliar toilets and ask for directions by way of body language, pictures and the common language of laughter.
In new places we want to be able to handle the situation, and so we force ourselves to learn.
While on the Vagabond mode living with different people also allows you to pick habits which can be beneficial for one and get along with people you may never again meet in your lifetime. Also being open to the advice you get along the way is something one must pick with a humble heart. It’s useful for the long run of life.
4. Stay flexible
If travel teaches us anything at all, it’s that an itinerary can change at the drop of a hat. Buses break down, hurricanes roll in and travellers get sick.
Being a good traveller means always having a backup plan or being ready to think of one. My difficulty with the five year plan was because I am always ready to do something different. And i am not a routine person i like to go with the flow, i like being spontaneous.
In our travels we can never predict the future and the same holds true for our “regular” lives back at home. Staying flexible allows us to achieve what we truly believe in even if that means sailing off course. It allows us to push our boundaries and move beyond what we, and others, think is possible.
5. Pray
Its very important to stay in touch with the Almighty and know his will. And pray is a powerful tool which allows us to stay in level with the God. And while on the road and living life off the suit case his love always gives us strength. As we travel he takes care as we meet strangers who go out of their way to show you directions, some will share some of their change as well, help you with your heavy luggage and strike a friendly conversation. Always meditate and pray it always HELPS!
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