Things I wish someone told me about traveling

Someone very special in my life has just started her first adventure in traveling and working in another country. I have been giving her some support as she’s finding the transition challenging. This got me thinking, I’ve travelled since I turned 20 and if someone could have told me these things when I first started traveling, it may have been easier.

1.Traveling is not the same as a Holiday and takes A LOT OF COURAGE: Traveling, that involves moving to another country and getting somewhere to live and working in a part time job while you get money together so you can travel and explore the country you are in, will make you a more braver and courageous person, that no holiday can prepare you for! Nobody can prepare you for traveling. Moving to another country will test you, stretch you, demand more of you, have you laughing and have you crying. Have you scared and have you excited! It’s a rollercoaster of emotions so enjoy the ride. Don’t be fooled by the idea that it will all be fun. Instead embrace the challenging situations and see the humor in them!

2. You will be UN-COMFORTABLE: The new jobs you take will challenge you and force you out of your comfort zone. You will be so uncomfortable because nothing is familiar. Give yourself time to adapt. Once you adapt to this new place you are living at now, you won’t feel as uncomfortable. You will most likely cry and become over-whelmed. You have moved country. The people are different, there’s a culture difference. Give yourself some time to adapt and get used to your new surroundings. Don’t forget the reason why you wanted to travel to begin with. If it’s because you wanted to spend time in the sun and on the beach, then go do that as much as you can!

3. Every Challenge will become a funny memory and story to tell when you go home: The tiny house that you have to share with way too many people will become a great humorous story eventually! The freak out that you are having because of the ridiculous job you got yourself, will all make great stories to tell someday! Hopefully, you will be laughing sooner rather than later! You are creating experiences here that are real life and teach you more about yourself than any teacher or school has been able to give you!

4. Nothing is permanent:The terrible job you took because you were so desperate to get money together isn’t permanent. You can leave. You can get a better job. You can move from job to job. You are obligated to no-one. These challenges will make you so much stronger as a person and will you give you a gift so precious: The capacity to adapt quickly to anything.

5. There are Kind People everywhere: No matter where you go in the world, there will be kind people and there will be un-kind people. You are traveling. You get to meet different people everyday and you are the one who’s in a different country so people will be very interested in you! Take advantage of that! Surround yourself with the people who are kind and interested in you and discard the rest! Everywhere in the world there is assholes. You may be in a country where there’s a larger population than where you come from so there may be more ASSHOLES! Go to the places that are fun for you and find your people. If you like water sports join the local water sport club. Whatever interests you, go find your people!

6. Stay present and enjoy the NOW: If you put all your energy on what’s not working and what’s wrong, your thoughts will destroy you. Instead if you keep asking ‘how does it get any better than this?’ and ‘what would it take for this to be easier?’ you will change your energy and suddenly the world around you will become more fun and hopeful. You choose to do this, so stay present and where you are right now and making that experience fun & enjoyable. If you are constantly thinking, that it will all be good in a few months when you are going to be somewhere else, you will never have any fun. Every thing is an experience. You can choose to embrace these experiences or resist them. The more you resist: the more it persists! Traveling requires a total attitude change. It requires a ‘I will make this happen and I will make this work’ attitude. Don’t give up. Don’t quit on you. You have the power and capacity to change anything and if you take this attitude, You can make everything work for you.

And finally these experience you are having will shape you as a person. They teach you things about yourself that you may never learn had you stayed in the comfort of your hometown. It’s easy to stay comfortable and keep doing the things we are used to. You are different though. You are asking for more. More excitement, more joy, more from this world. Embrace that as you travel and with everyone you meet. This is just one experience you are having and nothing is permanent. You will return home again and nothing will have changed there. You, on the other hand, my dear friend will have transformed as a person and have a total different way of looking at the world.

Just don’t ever give up. Do not QUIT! You can make everything work once you Do Not Ever Give Up On You.