I have always had a massive case of wanderlust but I didn’t realise just how badly until I finally bit the bullet and went inter-railing around Europe last year. Since then I have moved to a foreign city but have no intention on staying in one place for long. I want to see and experience as much of this world as possible, not just because there are beautiful things to see and fun things to do, but because I know that the world has so much to offer and can enrich my life in so many different ways.
So today I am going to share with you some of the things I have learnt from my travels that have only fuelled my curiosity and desire to live a life of adventure.
YOU NEED NOTHING TO HAVE EVERYTHING
This is probably the most important thing I have learnt. I used to be a sucker for retail therapy. Stuck in a mundane nine to five job I would find myself buying a new dress I’d never wear or a new book I’d never read purely because I was bored. Having a material object gave me a short rush of adrenaline until I was back at work taking shitty phone calls from shitty people.
All I was doing was filling my house with stuff I realistically didn’t need. It’s not that I am bad with money; if I want something enough I can easily save for it, I just think I was wasting my money on the wrong things. Memories are so much more meaningful than material objects and I know I would much rather spend my money on a trip somewhere than spend hundreds of pounds on a designer handbag I will probably hate in six months time.
Everyone thinks it costs a fortune to travel and that may be true in some cases, but what else can you buy that will actually make you richer? The amount of people I see who buy lunch and, like, a gazillion coffees every day, which all adds up very quickly, have no idea that if they stopped doing that they could be lying on a sunny beach somewhere in a matter of months.
One thing I remember being taught in my Sociology class at school is a concept called deferred gratification: this is when you resist the temptation for an immediate reward and instead wait for a greater reward in the long run. This theory can be applied to pretty much any context, and in this case, I have perfected the art of giving up smaller more everyday luxuries (aka, living like a hobo) in order to be able to have the greater reward of having the money to travel.
Now, once you actually get to the travel part, you then have to come to terms with giving up many material objects you have already accumulated. Packing is the hardest part. I had to fit my whole life into one backpack and at the time it seemed impossible. This is when I realised I was going to have to make more life changes by giving up luxury items such as beauty products (they way a fucking ton) and my GHD’s.
I left my hometown with about four items of clothing, one pair of shoes and a modest amount of makeup, but once I was on the road I quickly forgot why it even mattered to me to begin with. If I’m going to break my back I can think of better ways to do it than carrying around a shit ton of moisturiser in my bag!
Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a round the world ticket, and that’s all you need!
CONFIDENCE IS SEXY
Leaving home without all my usual beauty products was rather disconcerting at first and one of my biggest challenges was learning to love my natural beauty (my pasty white skin). I initially thought that no one would even want to speak to me when I had been wearing the same clothes for the past six weeks, but what I realised is that everyone is wearing the same clothes they have been in for the past six weeks.
The air is just rife with potent pheromones, so of course you are going to make friends! Plus they don’t know what you usually look like so they don’t give a fuck. However, if I turned up to work with no makeup on and stinking of sweat I would be asked if I was ill/hungover or upset or possibly if I’ve just done the walk of shame. But it is fascinating and flattering to see how a complete stranger can see you in such a non-judgemental light, either that or they are extremely polite, but they are much more likely to judge you on the places you’ve visited and the stories you have to tell.
Not having to maintain my appearance for two months was extremely liberating as I could just focus on being myself and enjoy the experience. I found this to be one of best things I learnt. Once you realise that people like you not just for your looks, your confidence only becomes greater and confidence is one of the most important things a girl should wear!
ALWAYS LOOK UP
Not having access to a phone helps with this one. One thing I love to do when I get to a new city is just walk and walk and walk. Getting lost in a city is one of my favourite things to do as you get to know every inch of it in a unique way, and it also means you don’t have to spend a penny doing it if you don’t want to.
Seeing a city doesn’t require paying for a tour guide or specific tourist sites; rather, seeing the city in a non-commercial way and living like a local is far more inspiring. So just start walking, and look up! Europe has some of the most beautiful architecture I’ve ever seen and even after living in Barcelona for several months now I still just walk and find myself taking pictures of random buildings because they fascinate me. So much time and care has been put into the designs of the simplest buildings and I feel very lucky to live in such a majestic city.
So, no matter where you are, always look up. You might just find something unexpected.
THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN 9-5.
Having experienced so many cultures in the past few months I have realised that there is so much going on all the time and I’ve only seen a fraction of it. I just want to experience it all. Every city has its own time schedule and customs, and adjusting to the Barca way of life has confirmed for me that I don’t want to have to schedule my life around work all the time.
I want to work to live, not live to work. I know there are those of you who will tell me that’s just unrealistic, but why does it have to be? So many people work to their own schedule doing what they love and I intend to be one of those people one day. I don’t want my job to tie me down and restrict me to a lifetime of nine to five commitments and nothing more, I want my job to compliment the life I want to lead.
If someone wants to get ice cream at 1am, I want to do that. I want to dance all night. I want to walk along the beach and see the sunrise, I want someone to tell me to grab my passport and get on a plane/train/boat with me at the drop of a hat. To me that is living; a continuous, spontaneous adventure!
LIFE BEGINS OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE
Travelling has made me realise I’m tougher than I thought. I always used to hold back, thinking “what if” and worrying what other people thought of my decisions and that may have led me to miss some opportunities in the past because I felt it wasn’t the right time or it was just too complicated, but things are only as complicated as you make them.
When I found out I would either be travelling alone or not at all, I freaked out. I was fucking terrified and was thinking of backing out, but doing it was the best decision I ever made. I have always been good at trusting my instincts but this really put that to the test and was a big challenge for me. Yes, bad things have happened along the way, but I have also learnt not to stress over things that can’t be changed and to always make the best of bad situations (I will be writing a piece about the time I got stranded in Hungary soon!).
Travelling taught me to trust everyone but no one at the same time, to be careful but carefree and to indulge in everything but expect nothing.
This article may just sound like one big fucking cliché to some people who think I’ve gone off to “find myself”, but actually I don’t want to find myself, I’m rather happy being lost. Next stop: MIAMI. So stayed tuned for my next article which will no doubt include much alcohol and debauchery. SPRING BREAK BABY!