Halfway done, what I’ve learned.
I’m reaching my halfway point, about 3 months into my journey, which is crazy to me. It both feels like yesterday that I left and I also feel like I’ve been gone for ages. I feel like I’ve already grown so much and my perspective on the world, much like every trip I take, has changed. It’s a beautiful feeling to know that you’ve grown and been able to see so much. Every time I see a beautiful view or meet an amazing person, I count myself incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to do this. Here are a few things that I’ve learned so far on my trip:
You are going to fall in love
I don’t mean you’re going to fall in love with a person necessarily, but you are going to fall in love with someone’s personality or qualities, or the place you visit or the sunset you’ve just seen. I’ve fallen in love with friends, in love with places I’ve been and views I have reached. I’ve fallen in love with qualities I find in people I want to surround myself with and people who I count as now close friends. I’ve redefined falling in love while traveling, and I think you can do it everyday if you so choose.
You don’t need to save up thousands to travel
As a reminder to all of you, you sometimes only need a little bit to travel with. I do understand commitments, so I’m not saying screw them, but know that traveling doesn’t always have to be as expensive as you think. For my trip, I did have to save up a few thousands, but for two to three week trips, often times it’s the flights that cost the most money and time, and once you’re there, you aren’t so poorly off if you go to budget destinations. Might I suggest SE Asia?
Sometimes, you’re going to have to spend more than you planned.
I know I just wrote how you can travel with only a little money, but sometimes you need to budget when to spend money and contingency for when you need a break. Weeks on end of hostels and sleeping in a room with 12-18 people have me wanting to sleep in a room by myself and get some alone time once and awhile. You can accomplish both of these by taking a hotel room for a couple nights. One thing I’ve also learned as a 27-year-old traveler is that I have to spend a few more dollars on a hostel per night to have the average age be closer to my own. It’s quite a difference, and as someone that is almost 10 years older than a lot of of the Thailand travelers, it’s worth the extra dollars to feel like you’re not ancient.
It’s okay to have bad days
I was sick for 2 weeks in Bali and then a week in Vietnam and it was brutal. It’s some of the worst cold/flu’s I’ve ever experienced and that’s saying a lot. Those two weeks in Bali were especially hard, because it was most of my time there that I was so ill. It’s depressing when you’re sick for that long, but also missing out on so much. I got really down on myself for those weeks and the week after. It’s hard to be by yourself and sick like that, in beds that aren’t yours, often times surrounded by 10-15 other people and finding it difficult to get better. See my post on getting sick. Those days were tough and I really questioned what I was doing with my time here and whether it was worth it. I thankfully had a really great experience in northern Thailand where I met some amazing people that changed my mind and I came back from the lows to feel happy again. Those bad days do turn around, just make sure to give yourself what you need whether that’s a change of location, change of people or just good food and enough rest.
Working from a laptop may not be what you want to do
I really wanted to travel the world and work from my laptop for the months that I was away, I realized partway in that I wasn’t passionate about it and it wasn’t making me happy. It’s okay to change your mind and change your direction no matter where you are. Which brings me to my next point.
It’s okay to change your mind.
I set off on this trip knowing how much time I was going to spend here there and everywhere. I had it planned out to the day and I knew where I was going to be and where I wasn’t. I planned out a week ahead of time and I booked everything. Fast forward to 3 months in, I’ve changed my mind about almost everything. I book my excursions day by day. Sometimes I don’t book something until the day of, and that’s okay. After my first week in Hanoi and I changed everything because I found a really amazing group of people, I realized that going with the flow and making decisions based on great people was okay too. I haven’t followed the path I thought I was going to do, I spent 30 days in Vietnam, 2 weeks back home for a family emergency, 2 weeks in Bali, 2 weeks in Northern Thailand and now I’m finally making my way to Laos. I’ve changed my whole plan, but that’s TOTALLY FINE. It’s your trip, therefore you decide exactly how you want to spend it. You make decisions based on what makes you happy. Don’t like where you are? Leave. Love the people you’re with and they’re going somewhere you hadn’t planned on going? Go with them. Do what makes you happy.
I’ve learned the type of people I want to surround myself with.
Through travel, you meet all kinds of people. Good, bad, well-intentioned, well-traveled, open-minded, kind, ambitious. You meet all kind and I can promise you, it’s the best part. It’s reminded me what great people are like. And it’s reminded me who I want to spend more time with.
And most of all I feel incredibly lucky. I cannot believe that this is my life and I get to see the things I get to see and meet the people I get to meet. Every sunset and every viewpoint makes me smile and every time I meet a new person I love to be around I count myself incredibly lucky this is my life. I am full of gratitude.
Is anyone else going through long term travel and learning new things about themselves and travel in general? Let me know.
As always.
Love, E