Travel.
It will take everything you think you know and turn it on its head.
It will show you, very clearly, what your faults are. Your prejudices, misconceptions, false assumptions, and annoying quirks. It will show you how you get irrationally angry at small extra fees you didn’t know about beforehand.
It will also show you compassion and the beautiful parts of the world.
That you can be kind even when a street seller is trying to rip you off or you need to wait for hours at an immigration office. It will show you that you can just chuckle quietly when you get whistled at. That no matter what language you speak, you can make yourself understood.
Travel will teach you that everyone, everywhere just wants a little love.
[bctt tweet=”Travel will teach you that everyone, everywhere just wants a little love.”]
That connection, true human connection, is one of the most important things in the world. That not only will it allow you to access the local scene (which can be far superior to the tourist one), but it will also bond you with another individual for life.
It will remind you that “separate” is actually a human myth. Connection is the truth.
You will find people in every culture, country, and economic class who are complete assholes. You will also find people in all of those man-made categories who will go above and beyond to help you, to laugh with you, and who genuinely care about the person you are.
When you travel, you will be invisible and feel so lonely that you think no one in the world would notice if you disappeared.
You will also feel more seen than you ever have before. You will be naked and vulnerable to complete strangers. You will feel like you matter and truly understand the meaning of caring.
You will feel silent, like nothing you say could ever make a difference.
You will speak up in the face of wrongs and be silent during others. You will scream at the top of your lungs, in clubs, on mountains, and at your friends. You will feel heard, and that your voice has never been more powerful or influential.
When you travel, you will notice how broken you are – all the cracks and fissures and ugly parts that you carry will become apparent.
You will also notice how, when the sun comes out after a huge tropical rainstorm, those cracks and fissures are really just valleys in mountains of beauty. They are waterfalls and rivers, they are ravines and rock walls to climb and rappel. They make up the relief lines of the map.
You’ll get sick with amebas and feel like you’re about to die right there on the toilet.
You’ll get sick with love and feel like you could die right there in the moment and be completely content. You’ll never feel so healthy and alive than after climbing to the summit and feeling on top of the world.
You will realize that you’ve been carrying around way too much. You’ll tell yourself, your bag is just too big and heavy, honey. You’ll unpack it a little and notice what you really need in life. You’ll chuck the rest.
You’ll start to talk to yourself.
Berating occasionally – why did you get on the wrong bus, dummy?! Dammit, you just called her cat ballsy instead of furry in Spanish, what is the matter with you? Then softly. Hey, you know what, I think I’d like to stop and buy an empanada today. Maybe I should just quit worrying right now and soak up this city, I’ll call Luciana and head to a café. You’ll know your voice and learn to give yourself what you need.
You’ll make decisions.
Colombia or Venezuela? Go for a hike or rest by the pool? Would I rather go to that vegetarian place or the pensión around the corner? Where should I stay, eat, play? You’ll have no-one to ask and it will be scary at first, but you’ll get the hang of it.
You’ll learn to trust your gut.
Is this taxi safe? Can I walk here at night? Should I give that guy my number? Is it really okay for me to eat street food? No, it’s not okay for you to eat street food.
You’ll learn to trust the universe because you’ll need to. You’ll learn that being independent requires you to ask for favors, to lean on others in big and small ways, and that the walls between you and the world, whether mental or physical, are actually quite flimsy.
You’ll lose yourself.
In the music, culture, and food. You’ll literally get lost in a maze of streets and parks and cars. You’ll want to be born differently, with a different name and in a different place. You’ll want to fit in so badly that you won’t put on sunscreen when going for a hike, because local people don’t have to. That lesson will be a painful one.
You’ll find yourself.
In the music, culture, and food. While roaming the streets and parks and driving in cars. You’ll be proud of exactly how you were born, with your name that translates easily to Spanish and the fact that you don’t need to worry about getting a U.S. visa. You’ll know that you will fit in with the right crowd because there are weird and nutty people wherever you go and you can always make friends with them. You’ll remember to put on sunscreen and your dad will be proud.
Travel and you’ll discover more than caves and llama meat and beautiful sunsets.
You’ll find hearts and minds and souls. Yours will be among them.
You’ll find parts of yourself, and then you’ll set out again.
Love & the road,
