It was a little over a year ago that I was sitting, tense in front of my laptop, a statravel.com page open, and a flight from Los Angeles to Bangkok selected on the screen. I was rigid, starring at the window in front of me - "window" in all senses of the word. With my fingers hovering around the "enter" key and my eyes scanning the credit card information one last time, I was paralyzed by the recklessness of what that little "purchase" button would mean for my life. I took a deep breath, finalized the purchase, and then jumped up from the bed like I had been electrocuted. Hands covering my mouth, I let out a "oooooh God" exclamation, then a laugh, and that was it; I had a one way ticket booked to the country of my dreams.
Sometimes it is taking that initial step, out of your comfort bubble, that is the hardest. For myself, I tend to be a little hermit crab - relishing in the comfort of the home shell and when I dare venture out, it's with pinchers ready. However, the act of getting out into the world and traveling a bit has been monumental in my life. Like I have written before, it is the truth bombs, the passionate people, and the life lessons gained through taking on new adventures that make stepping out of my comfort zone, that much more rewarding.
Traveling is not vacationing. It is not a week in the Bahamas or on a cruise where everything is, more or less, taken care of in order to ensure your overall comfort. In traveling, things are not always easy, plans are changed, disregarded, or obliterated by unforeseeable shenanigans, there is a constant element of uncertainty, it is all up to you to make it through, and lastly, there is that pesky "emotional growth thing" that accompanies any difficult path in life. When vacationing, you go to reconnect with yourself - get back to neutral. When traveling, you are on one of the most dangerous South American mountain passes, in a clunker of a top heavy bus, holding a hysterical child, while the mother appears to be praying for the life of her child and your life all in a language you have limited familiarity with. (Not my story, just the story of one traveler friend's confrontation with third world transportation. The next story has to do with landing mini planes in grass fields, missing the landing, and having to dive bomb the "runway" in a second attempt.) The point is that you never freaking know and that's the magic of the whole experience.
Travel. Honestly, it is one of the most incredible things that you can do. This world is filled with little bits of paradise - just look at Google Earth. I don't know who is taking Earth's glamor shots these days, but damn, it looks gooood.
If you can, set off on your own. It's great to go with your closest friends to Vegas for a weekend rage-a-thon, or Europe for a standard European vacation filled with Amsterdam space treats and hostile living, but doing a little bit of traveling on your own can be a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, get close to your thoughts, and challenge yourself to move out of your element a bit. I've found that I've gotten to know myself the most through times where I was on my own in a new place. I highly recommend it.
I'm not a vacation hater. I think Hawaii sounds sweet; I just think that it is important to know the difference. And now is the time to go. A quote that really inspires me comes from Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, owners of 37signals (a web-based apps company for entrepreneurs) and authors of REWORK. They put together a list of "non-rules" for entrepreneurs, one of which is:
"The perfect time never arrives. You’re always too young or old or busy or broke or something else. If you constantly fret about timing things perfectly, they’ll never happen."
I practically chant this to myself when I'm about to take a step that I'm afraid of. Traveling can be uncomfortable - Getting to know yourself...?? - What's that all about?? However, in the process of, as I joke, "discovering your road to self discovery", you might be able to see a little bit of paradise. I'm talking paradise in terms of the place you are in, the people around you, or even, in yourself.
People say that even if you aren't able to scrounge up the dolla dolla billz for a plane ticket to Tahiti or Tibet, you should still take the time to get out and explore your own area. You never know what you'll discover. Everything you do can be treated like an adventure.
Yet, if you are sitting, tense in front of a computer screen, a travel page open, and a flight plan to paradise reflecting in your face, don't hesitate. Don't let your fingers tap dance around that key board any longer, breathe deep and just go for it.
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