Exactly a year ago, I was sitting on my bed in Sardinia, my 2 new brilliant backpacks ready, a huge smile and tears on my eyes, I wrote the day before the departure post.
Three hundred and sixty-five days have passed and I am now sitting on a bed in Siargao, a beautiful island in the Philippines, trying to summarize the most incredible year of my life. Not an easy task!
After 2 months at home in October and November (mainly to feed me to death and overcome a bad personal moment), in December, I resumed my long -term trip, starting where I started when I decided to change my life forever: Bangkok.
A few weeks after my arrival, I also got my first (and probably last) tattoo.
I was waiting for this moment all my life, not because I particularly like tattoos, but I always declared that when the time had come and that I knew exactly who I was and what I wanted to do with my life, I would have made it mark in my skin forever.
The tattoo is quite simple: a small snake / dragon on my neck saying “free spirit”.
My “free of mind” nature will constantly remind me of why I decided to let my life live in my own terms.
During these two months of the house, I had a lot of time in my hands to think about my experiences, to overcome what I want from this unconventional lifestyle as “free spirit”, and I stayed lots of answers but also with the double of the questions I had when I started the process.
I also had more time to talk to people who follow my adventures, and because of their words, I think I owe them an explanation of what I really learned from all this.
So many people want to live my lifestyle, so many friends living a life of regrets, doubts, fears and emptiness. People who think that by doing what I have done, they can finally get rid of all their problems.
But is it true? Traveling, living a life out of the box is the answer to all the problems and doubts of all these people?
Honestly, I don’t have an answer to that. Everyone must follow their own path and decide for themselves what it is best for them, but I thought that writing my own discoveries could be useful for those who are now where I was 1 year ago.
I firmly believe that There is no “travel lessons”. Traveling is part of life and once done correctly, it is nothing more than a amplifier.
Lessons become pure life lessonsWith the only difference that during travel, the process is accelerated: in a few months, you could get more “answers” and experiences that change their life than an average person will get in years.
It is obviously not the same thing for everyone, and what you may remove it completely different, because we all have different ways to approach life. As someone said one day:
“It is not suitable that every man travels; It makes a sage better, and a fool’s worse. ”
Travel, happiness, achievements, like life itself, are nothing more than a simple reflection of our state of mind.
If we travel with a negative state of mind, trying to escape our daily problems, we will probably end up with nothing: No experiences, no great people, not at all lessons. And the problem we want to escape will always be haunting in every corner of the globe.
On the other hand, if we are enthusiastic, positive, with an open mind, the experience will be completely different. In the end, everything is in our mind. And guess who is the driver of your mind?
You are the boss!
You can decide what to do with your life and how to feel it at any time. It seems very stimulating and it’s actually!
Speaking of the appropriate state of mind, let’s say that during these months, I polished my pink glasses once again!
Has it helped? A rhetorical question as usual. Of course, it did, a lot of time. At first, it was a very hard and painful fight, but I like the challenges and I never met anyone who learned something interesting when life was gently on a calm ocean.
2013 was my year
I have no doubt about it. I left my old life for the trip of my life and I ended up finding much more than I expected. Now, I felt that it was time to slow down, sit down and think about what I gained in terms of life lessons of the most incredible year of my life.
1 | Traveling does not concern the destination, that’s all about the trip:
The moments I think I am more alive are when I go from one destination to another. Seeing the world pass, the landscapes, the wind on my face during a boat trip. It makes me connect to “it”, to the true sense of travel, to the world and to the beauty and diversity that surrounds me. It’s the best time to think about my life, my travel experiences and my feelings.
Also, The trip is not only supposed to be traveling through countries. For me, it is mainly a perceptive journey through my fears, my emotions, my passions.
It’s not always easy during this year. People just see the good side of my adventure, the impressive images I post, the fairy tale. But traveling is also stressful, hard and challenges you in many ways. I don’t complain of course, like The difficult times are those who have really transformed me into the person I am today.
2 | Traveling mainly concerns the people you meet rather than the places you visit:
No matter how wonderful a place is, my dearest memories, my experiences that change life came from the interaction with other people.
Incredible travelers of all ages and local populations will teach you more than you think. Listening to them is fascinating. I realized how different we are but however so similar in our basic needs and stories. Each of us wants exactly the same thing in life: happiness, acceptance and love.
There were suffering, tears and laughter during this meeting, and it doesn’t matter if our paths crossed for a while, a few days or months. It is the emotional link between human beings who will remain with me forever.
No matter how poor they seem poor, rich, young, old, stupid or intelligent. Just listen to their stories, ask questions like a 4 year old child. Everyone has a path, a story to tell, a beautiful smile to offer, an emotional moment to share. Open your mind and prepare to receive it.
During this year I have met so many special people who will be with me forever. It was a crazy walk so far, and even if I will probably no longer see most of them, they will always have a special place in my memories, and each of them has helped to make this trip brightly unforgettable.
3 | You must abandon the past to be able to arrive where you must be:
This is one of The most difficult to learn. And it is deeply linked to my previous lesson on the people you meet on the road. I was very lucky to meet these people, but when you share a significant part of the trip with them, you inevitably get attached, and sometimes letting go is damn difficult.
I thought that over time, farewells would become a little easier to digest. But no, they don’t. Each of them is difficult and painful. What becomes “easier” is the way I face them. I am now aware that each person has entered my life for a reason. Some of them will stay in my memories for a very long time and I am more able to let go and enjoy the moment without any expectations.
They shared part of their lives, emotions, problems and joys with me, also enriching my life. So letting go gets easier because I know they will always be part of me.
Being able to let go is necessary to continue and live the world with the best state of mind. If you are stuck in your past, you cannot kiss the future as you should. And what is the point of traveling if you don’t live the present?
Are you worth a long-term travel?
A year has passed in a flash, it seems that yesterday, that I kiss the unknown and the reality of the trip struck me very hard. When I fantasized about this, everything was perfect and smooth. The reality is completely different and I will no longer recommend traveling in the long term to everyone.
If you are ready to ride in bumpy, real and metaphorical streets, then go ahead. Otherwise, I suggest you take your 3 weeks of vacation per year and use them judiciously, to discover as many new places as possible.
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Traveling in the long term is great, incredible and I would do it again. But it’s not for everyone, and it’s not an endless vacation.
To close this celebration post, I want to thank all the people I met on the roadI will remember this year as the most astonishing of my life so far, and it is mainly because of you all guys! Thank you for sharing part of your life with me!
