On October 1, 2009 I arrived to my hostel in Buenos Aires. I sat down on my bed and thought I just made the dumbest decision of my life. I cried.
The goal was to immerse myself in a completely foreign place. The only problem was, I had no set plans, very limited Spanish, and zero connections in the country.
Fast-forward 11+ years later and I look back in amazement. That one crazy leap changed the course of my life forever.
I’ve experienced things beyond my wildest dreams, and formed lifelong relationships with people from around the world.
Based on my experience, I believe this is the most important section of the entire course.
The mindset you have going into this incredible life experience is everything.
Your mindset will be molded in two ways; internal and external influences. Let’s dissect them both…
INTERNAL CONFLICT
These are the internal battles that people face before they commit to traveling (or any other big changes in their life).
1. I don’t think I’m brave or outgoing enough.
There are plenty of ways introverts can excel out in the world. If you’re the shy or timid type, ease into solo travel by taking a tour so you can get used to a new destination before breaking away to do your own thing.
You can pick a more comfortable destination (Western Europe vs Western Africa), and stay in hostels to easily meet people.
We will get into this in more details in Module 3, but remember, action kills fear.
2. I’m worried about the cost.
I will cover specific ways to save money and how to make more money while traveling in Module 2, but this is the worst misconception of travel.
FACT: I spend more money when I’m home then when I’m traveling.
3. Is it even safe to travel solo?
This is a perfectly legitimate concern for every traveller, and we can talk about this more in the “How To Stay Safe While Traveling” section.
To give you my experience, I’ve been traveling for 11+ years and have had one “unsafe” experience – a phone stolen from my hand by a kid on a bike.
I’m not going to tell you the generic “anything can happen anywhere,” but with the knowledge you’ll take away from this course, I am confident you will be prepared to safely take on the world.
To ease your mind, look at the crime rates in the locations you would like to travel to and compare them to home.
Look at Chicago vs Tokyo crime rate for example… VAST difference.
If this is a major concern for you, consider this when choosing your destination.
Also, I suggest contacting someone who has been there before or even better, someone who currently lives there for more information (our Private Facebook Group can help with that).
4. I feel guilty about leaving my loved ones behind.
I understand the health and stability of your loved ones is very important. If you or your family is not in a position to leave for a month or a year, by all means, this isn’t the right time for you.
However, if your guilt is simply based on someone “missing” someone – that’s another story.
In the grand scheme of life, even six months apart from your mother, brother, or best friend is a small price to pay for a life changing adventure.
If this is truly your dream – you will make it happen.
The people who truly love you will be supportive in you following your dreams.
In today’s age with FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp and everything else, it has never been easier to stay connected while traveling.
I talk to my mother at least once a week while I’m traveling… sometimes that’s more than I do when I’m home!
5. I’m worried that I’ll be lonely or get homesick.
This happens – I have been lonely on plenty of occasions. This forces you out of your comfort zone, and forces you to learn more about yourself.
When you’ve reached a burnout point, or get tired of the stimulation – take a day off.
When I get lonely or homesick while traveling, I spend the day inside or at a coffee shop. I call home, chat with friends, or binge watch Netflix.
We are all going to have days like that while traveling, it’s an internal battle sometimes.
The key is not to be too hard on yourself. I know I feel guilty sometimes when I’m not fully in the moment while on the road, and when that happens… I just stop and catch my breath.
6. What about my career?
Think about the value you’ll get out of a six-month sabbatical across South East Asia versus that same six-month period at your job.
In which situation do you think you will grow more?
Logistics, planning, decisiveness, self-awareness, interpersonal skills, worldly perspective, language learning, re-charging… the list goes on and on.
If you value your current job – ask if you can “test out” working remotely for a short time before you plan to travel to see how if it would work.
If you don’t value your current job – go travel and learn new skills to make you more valuable if/when you want to return.
Travel changes you. It builds your character. It has made me a much better person. I would much rather hire post-travel Gareth than pre-travel Gareth!
7. What about my relationship?
I won’t tell you that long distance relationships are easy – they are not. I’ve have had plenty that have fallen apart because of travel.
With that said, I allowed that to happen because I had never been in a relationship where it was more important to me than travel.
If she/he’s the one… you will find a way to make it work, and hopefully, even better, you can travel together.
I will say, if you have an expiration date for your travels, as in, you know when you will be back together again – it is much easier to handle.
8. Am I too old to travel solo?
I hiked to Mt. Everest base camp with a 72-year-old man named Bob. He crushed it. So can you.
EXTERNAL CONFLICT
In my experience, people will act one (or a combination) of three ways:
1. SUPPORTIVE
They will be enthusiast and genuinely excitement for your adventures. These are the people you want to surround yourself with.
2. CONCERNED
Sincere concern because they love you and it’s their job to protect you. For this group of people (parents, best friends, partner), it’s just a matter of educating them on the reality. I guarantee if they’ve traveled internationally themselves – they will lean more towards the first category of supporters.
3. JEALOUS
Jealousy or envy is a common external factor here. In most cases, it comes disguised as concern or false support, but try not to be affected by these people.
They may even take it as you critiquing them or their life choices:
“What’s wrong with having a job, house, or children?”
“Are you too good to go to the same bar every weekend?”
Why can’t both be good options?
Remember, the jealousy really has nothing to do with you – it’s about them not chasing a dream.
Your fresh worldview might appear to call their own values into question (or, at least, force them to consider those values in a new light).
They will tend to write you off as irresponsible and self-indulgent.
A lot of people will try to put their fears on you.
This is a personal endeavor for your own life. Your growth. Your personal development. To improve your own life – if you’re doing it for the approval of other people, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.
Ironically, this personal decision you make to travel will inevitably have a positive effect on your neighbors and community through perspective and empathy.
You don’t have time to waste, seeking the approval of your peers – you have a life-changing adventure to plan for!
