We will never tire of saying that traveling has been the best university of our life: in these years we learned a lot, a lot although there are 7 things that have revolutionized us the most…
WE ONLY HAVE ONE LIFE
This is what we learned on our first trip to Thailand. What a discovery you will say. Well, yes, this has been the best trip we ever made and not because before we believed in reincarnation, if not because on that first backpacking trip we realized that we were not at all happy with our life and that We didn't want to waste a second more of the most valuable thing we had: our timeSince then we try to live the life that we most want and, although our bank accounts are poorer than they would be if we were working in Barcelona, we felt like millionaires.
YOU HAVE TO BE brave
Leaving everything to live a travel life is not easy: the first step costs, we are not going to lie to you. However, it is also true that after that first little - but gigantic - step things are easier than they seem. The world is full of travelers, there are those who take half a sabbatical, those who settle in a place and start a new adventurous life there and those who come and go. Such a life is possible: if we could ... you too!
'Go to the uni. Study Get a license Find a job. Make a career Find a boyfriend. Get married Have children'. They seem to be the commandments of modern society. But no: escape from this spiral is possible, as long as you want and are willing to make changes. Breaking the rules does not make you an anti-extremist, evil and selfish system.
There is NOTHING wrong with following what society dictates, there are many people who are happy doing it and are super respectable (and sometimes it seems even enviable) but if what you are doing does not fill you and you want a change of route ... do it, Be brave and fight for your dream: he who does not risk, does not win!
WE HAVE TO BE REALISTS
Being brave is (more than) good, but you have to be realistic: if you want to live traveling you have to have a plan… You will travel on planet Earth, not in the worlds of Yuppi!
If what you want is a break in your life and travel during a defined season, you may not need more with your savings (or specific jobs). But if you want to live a life of travel it is very likely that the savings are over ... And then what? Turn your strengths into opportunities: Do you like to write? Writes! Maybe, although now it is impossible to believe, someone wants to read and even buy a book of yours! Do you know languages? Teach in exchange for money / accommodation / food. There are travelers who put together online photography courses, others who write travel guides and others who take you on a trip. And if you have not yet found your strong point (keep looking that you also have a gift!) You can get a working holiday visa, for example for New Zealand, and work as, for example, housekeeper or work in exchange for accommodation, as we have Made in Tokyo
What is clear is that nowadays money should not (nor does it have to) be an obstacle to being able to undertake such a trip.
Going on vacation is expensive, traveling is not. Take this phrase with common sense: if your travel idea is sex, drugs & rock and roll then it may be expensive, but if you are willing to travel in a backpacking plan you will be surprised to see that you can live traveling with less money than you need in your own city. There are a thousand ways to reduce costs: traveling on cheap means of transport or hitchhiking, eating in street bars, sleeping in gh or doing housesitting or couchsurfing. There are travelers who spend so little that it seems they do magic!
THE WORLD IS A SAFE PLACE
Bad news: there are bastards everywhere, it is inevitable. Good news: they are the vast minority. People are good and traveling you will notice, especially if you travel alone. When you travel it only seems that the universe conspires to help you: if you have a problem, a stranger will magically appear ready to help you out. Always carry a smile with you, common sense and trust your feelings: sometimes you have to learn to say NO ... even if you don't always distrust ...
Our society is founded on fear. And fear is our belt, our chain. While we are tied we can only see, hear, feel what society wants to 'supply us'. If we manage to break the chain we can discover new worlds, new ways of doing things, new sensations, which are not necessarily better, but it will only be when we can choose what we want.
WE ARE INFINITELY SMALL
The more we travel the more we realize how big the world is and how rare it sometimes turns out: we would need many lives to go through everything and understand each country, custom, religion and person. Traveling sometimes slap you in the face which is super therapeutic. Often the 'Westerners' think we are superior. It is sad to say it but it is like this: it is an internalized and almost unconscious feeling justified only by the fact that we were born in the good part of the world. Well, the 'bad' part will give you many lessons: in Asia we learned a lot although the lesson that has impacted us the most has been to see how happy certain people can be having very little, the biggest lesson has undoubtedly been the be before you have.
TODAY IS THE MOMENT
If you want to do something start today, start now. You may be late but remember that today is before tomorrow! Do you work as an administrator but want to be a graphic designer? Find out and train. Do you want to volunteer in India but nobody wants to go with you? Go alone: lonely travelers never suffer loneliness if they don't want to. Do you want to write a book? Write it down: it's as easy as taking paper and pen and letting your imagination flow. It may never be a bestseller but the satisfaction, once finished, of reading YOUR book is immeasurable!
Above all, choose what makes you happy, what makes you feel good. We often consider happiness as something unattainable when really being happy is much easier than it seems.
