I used to be speaking to a good friend just lately about life — and the highway it leads us on. I used to be pushing her to journey the world (like I push everybody to journey the world) to beat her latest funk. She was a bit misplaced on what to do recently and was in search of one thing to fill the void.
“Go journey. You would possibly uncover the reply. If not, you’ll have a good time at the very least!”
Whereas speaking to her, I noticed that I didn’t know what I’d do if I ever stopped touring. What’s life with out journey? How else would I exist?
I’ve been transferring for thus lengthy that I can’t image my life another method.
Journey has turn into a life-style for me.
It has turn into my identification.
All the time transferring, all the time on the highway, all the time someplace completely different.
That’s my routine.
It’s comforting.
I’ve so many alternative locations I wish to go to earlier than I turn into “Semi-Nomadic Matt” that I believe I’d be 50 earlier than that really occurred!
There’s simply an excessive amount of on the market.
I don’t actually wish to cease.
Ultimately, I’ll decelerate. It’s inevitable. Nothing final perpetually. Gravity and age ultimately take maintain.
However that concept scares me.
I’ve forgotten what it’s prefer to reside in a single place for greater than 6 months.
Routines are comforting. For all of the unregularity journey brings, there’s a routine to the chaos that I’m simply not prepared to surrender.
All of which makes me surprise — are you able to journey for too lengthy?
When journey turns into a life-style, are you actually higher off?
Most vacationers who take a long-term journey do it as a profession break or take the notorious hole yr. Then it’s again residence and to the true world. (Not absolutely, after all, as a result of most individuals come again from journeys like this with a brand new set of labor/life priorities. However they nonetheless return.)
There’s a starting and an finish.
There are the digital nomads on the market who work from the highway and transfer from place to put slowly.
Then there are the true long-term vacationers like myself who journey ad infinitum.
They’re nomads.
As a lot braveness because it takes to step away from the cubicle and head out on the highway, it takes simply as a lot braveness to step away from the highway and return to a extra routine life-style. Journey ultimately turns into all . It’s all I do know. After about 4-5 months in a single spot, I get anxious and antsy and I want to maneuver once more. I consider all of the locations value seeing and take into consideration how I ought to get there quickly. I formulate plans with buddies and plan holidays to far-off locations.
I’m continually altering the place I’m going and making new plans.
I nonetheless have years on the highway forward of me, and that I’ll be much more entrenched on this life-style of fixed movement.
However ultimately, all of us want a set deal with. We are able to take multi-month journeys to far-flung locations, however everybody wants a spot to name residence. You’ll be able to’t spend your entire life transferring from one place to the following — it’s unrealistic. It turns into a lonely life-style all the time saying goodbye to buddies, by no means being in a single place lengthy sufficient to kind an actual relationship, by no means attending to know a spot. Everybody wants roots sooner or later. Even the lengthy, long-term vacationers I do know ultimately get a house base.
Are you able to journey for too lengthy?
The reply for me? Sure, sure, I believe you may.
When journey turns into a life-style, I believe it’s an indication you could have been on the highway too lengthy. At that time, journey is your life — it’s what you do, and there’s nothing else. You haven’t any residence or fastened location, and friendships are all the time ephemeral as a result of, in about 5 months, you’ll be gone once more. It’s a good way to reside for a brief time period however not a good way to reside perpetually. It’s enjoyable to do for a time frame however you may’t be peter pan perpetually.
Timber solely develop as a result of they’ve roots not as a result of they’re blowing within the wind.
Typically I believe I’ve been on the highway too lengthy. That, after three years, I’ve turn into too outdated a hand at this. However am I prepared to surrender this life-style but? No. Not all. I’m nonetheless younger. I’ve solely had this weblog for a yr. I nonetheless haven’t climbed Kilimanjaro, dived within the South Pacific, or sailed down the Amazon but, after which I notice that I nonetheless have a bit extra to go along with this life I lead proper now.
And so, whereas in the future I’ll quiet down, there are nonetheless miles to go on this journey…and I’m pleased with that.
In the future, I’ll get up and say “Okay, it’s time to go residence.”
At present shouldn’t be that day.