On travel
Canceled cabs, dysfunctional pay terminals, train delays, missed flights. If you think about it, traveling is just a series of problems we voluntarily sign up for. We literally take a vacation from work to get into a completely different type of stress in our free time, in exchange for seeing a little bit of the world and making some memories. Isn't that crazy? And it's so frickin’ worth it. I love it.
Traveling looks so good on social media. People don't really collect stamps in their passport anymore. They collect check-ins on their timeline, stories with cool photos and happy music, post pictures of all the drinks and ice creams, and whatever photogenic hip cra... brunch they sit down for. It's hilarious how some people watching that still believe that this even remotely resembles the reality of being on the road.
You struggle, sweat, ache, and sacrifice your comfort because you want what it gives you. You want to see the world, experience life first hand, get out of your comfort zone, learn something new, make new connections, become a better human. I am not saying that all travel has to happen in discomfort, but I also won't say that going on an all-inclusive resort vacation fully equals traveling in the sense of what I'm writing about.
And I know that not everybody has the urge to travel. Not everybody has to be as passionate about it as I am (even though I highly recommend at least giving it a chance - it's pretty awesome and also pretty addictive). But I do think that if you have any passion that brings you immense joy, you should follow it to the fullest. Whatever that might be, it will surely come with certain sacrifices in order to get you the results and experience you wish for. All passionate travelers I know have jumped through hoops to get where they wanted to go. They gave up having other things to save up money for the trip, booked the most insane flight connections and dates because those were the budget-friendly options, compromised on luggage, accommodation, and comfort to make their dream destination a little more reachable. They have likely learned to optimize every aspect of the journey to be able to reach their goal, because in their minds, no matter what the sacrifice was, it was worth it in the end. Why don't we always approach things with the same verve if they spark a fire in our souls?
“One life. Just one. Why aren’t we running like we are on fire towards our wildest dreams?”
P.S.: When I was writing these words, I was 7000 km above the ground. My body was aching from being on the road since 7 am, catching an early train and a not so early flight (and being far from done for the day). Yet, I couldn't wipe the grin off my face. I was happy. I was thankful. I was blissful. This should not be reserved for vacation days only.. This is the feeling I want to fixate for life. I hope you all will do the same. What a wonderful (a wanderful?) world to live in would that be.
