‘I appreciate everyone’s circumstances are different, but my point is, if you want something to happen, you need to make it a reality. Happiness is not something that can be pursued, it must ensue.’
This amazing guest post is written by Diane Nicholson from The Lake District in the North West of England. I met Di at a hostel in Ljubljana, Slovenia where we shared a boozy night out on the town, followed by a ride to get late-night pizza with our bartender, Mihael. I was bouncing around Europe at the time, and she had just begun her romp around the world. Her story is proof of the power of long-term travel, and its ability to create meaning in life.
Check her out on Instagram @di_wander
Why did I decide to take a career break?
There is no rule book for traveling. No one person has to experience it how anyone else believes they should. I say this because I heard A LOT of opinions on this subject matter while traveling. If we can pass on any inspiration or wisdom in our interactions, then great. But my feeling is that we should refrain from projecting our own ideals onto others. . . something else I was on the receiving end of a lot as a single, female traveler who didn’t fit the stereotypical age bracket for such caper.
Solivagant (n.) – Someone who wanders alone
Much like how we choose to see the world, our reasons for traveling vary greatly. Every reaction we have is a learning experience, and once in a while, a significant experience will shift your perspective.
Perspective
The year before I decided to take a career break to travel, I experienced a couple of significant life events. Firstly, I lost my Dad to Cancer. He was 61. The experience of this and everything that comes with watching someone you love deteriorate and pass away puts things into a vastly different perspective. I realised I had become a diluted version of myself over the years which led me to break off a 7-year relationship with my then partner 11 months later. We sold our property, and I bought my own place. At this point, living on my own for the first time, I began to process everything, and while I regressed to a younger, more recalcitrant version of myself temporarily (you don’t need the specifics), I understood I’d always wanted more out of life (excuse the cliché at this stage – I’ll explain).
My Dad had retired 5 months before he was diagnosed with cancer and died 9 months later. Yes, focusing on a pension and saving money is somewhat sensible, but what good is it if you can’t enjoy or see the rewards of your hard work? What if you keep waiting for opportunities? As beautiful as this life is, it is also cruel and in my opinion, it is unwise to plan too far ahead.
Zenosyne (n.) – The sense that time keeps going faster
There is a societal expectation on everyone to follow a certain path in life, and success is often measured by materialistic achievements. People rarely ask you whether you are happy. I owned a property, I had a successful career that I enjoyed, and I was having fun in my personal life. But I had lost regard for any purpose I had in life. I was somewhat numb for a time, but soon realised I had to make the change, and I had to change the way I approached life.
Travel was a by-product of my change in thinking. I had traveled before; I’d lived in New Zealand for 9 months when I was 18, I’d climbed Kilimanjaro, hiked to Annapurna Base Camp, and had countless visits to Europe among my previous adventures overseas. I loved traveling, and I loved the outdoors. These were things I wanted to experience more of. . . So, I did. The hard part was returning home and trying to maintain this momentum, but that’s another story.
‘Beware of looking for goals: look for a way of life.’
Hunter S. Thompson
I wanted a sense of freedom.
So I chose not to plan too much. I wanted to do as I pleased when I wanted to, to be guided by my experiences without the restrictions of an itinerary.
Insouciant – (adj.) Free from worry, concern or anxiety
The only real element of my trip that was planned was a 10-week overland truck trip from Cape Town to Nairobi with the company Dragoman.
I used this as my starting point, then I found the cheapest flight to Europe on a certain date and booked it. I thus began my trip in Riga, Latvia. From there I worked my way back through Europe for two months before flying to South Africa from Bordeaux. I only made firm plans a few days ahead of time to allow flexibility as and when I wanted it.
While I was in Africa I researched destinations and flights and ended up on a flight to Bangkok. I traveled through Thailand, Cambodia, New Zealand, Malaysia, The Philippines, and Indonesia before returning home.
The flexibility allowed me to change plans and act on opportunities as they presented themselves, such as doing my open water PADI certificate, or meeting friends (whether old or new). It also caused a few issues and calamity, as I wasn’t as prepared as I could have been. However, I handled it because I had to and new options were presented as a result. I personally enjoyed the spontaneity.
‘You boys going to get somewhere, or just going?’. ‘We didn’t understand his question, and it was a damned good question.’ On the Road, Jack Kerouac
What about the life admin?
For me, the whole process just worked for me once I’d made my mind up I was going. I negotiated a career break with my place of work (I worked as an Interventions Manager in a Category B prison), and when someone at work overheard my plans they offered to rent my apartment off me. I had a job to go back to, and my mortgage was covered. But I was going regardless, that was a certainty.
I appreciate everyone’s circumstances are different, but my point is, if you want something to happen, you need to make it a reality. Happiness is not something that can be pursued, it must ensue.
‘’You create your thoughts, your thoughts create your intentions, your intentions create your reality.’ Wayne Dyer.
Final musings . . .
TOP TIP:
This may seem glaringly obvious. MONEY. Options to access money: travel card, credit card, bank cards, spare American dollars, PayPal, Western Union. HAVE THEM ALL. (If you sense there is an anecdote or two in here somewhere you are correct).
I have many an anecdote from my travels and a hell of a lot of great memories and new friends. An infinite number of doors were opened for me the day I decided to break away from the safe routine in favour of risky fulfillment.
‘With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.’ Max Ehrmann