My first post was about looking for “more.” I had no definition for more, but I thought that an Around the World ticket might help find one.
So I biked in Holland, stayed with a New Zealand couple that I met at a bazaar in Chiang Mai, ate an ant, commuted by tuk tuk, partied with a British boy band, jumped off a cliff, climbed a few mountains, hugged a sea lion, shark cage dived (twice), surfed above my limits, hitchhiked, couch surfed, kayaked through bat caves, bartered for art (and most everything else), danced for jewelry, got food poisoning, shared a bedroom with a giant lizard, was robbed by a monkey, bathed an elephant, cheered on a soccer team, got bed bugs, canoed close to the Arctic Circle, received healing from a medicine man, and met some genuinely kind and quality people in beautiful places along the way.
Does that count as more?
Surely, I have increased the number of stories in my story bank. I definitely have some unforgettable memories and hopefully, some long-term friends. I also got to see so much of the world that I’ve always wanted to visit.
Yet all of these and other experiences made me hesitant and nervous to return. I especially didn’t want to return to some bad habits and states of mind that I left behind. In late July I even extended my trip by two weeks. But how do you POSSIBLY sustain an experience like this?
(The short answer is you can’t.)
Around the time I extended my trip, I watched a Netflix documentary about a guy who traveled the world on his motorbike relying on the kindness of others for food, lodging, etc. With a little bit of digging, I found his website and a contact form. So I sent him a note with my burning questions: How do you keep this going? How do you return?
I really didn’t expect him to respond. But—you guessed it—the next day I had a very lengthy email at the top of my inbox.
He explained his journey, asked me some more questions, but then told me something that left a mark.
“A wise man once told me,” he began. All pieces of advice seem to start with this line. “It is not about freedom FROM but freedom IN.”
This trip was a lot about freedom. Freedom to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, wherever I wanted. For the majority of the trip, I was alone. I didn’t even have to coordinate meal times with anyone else. I was able to completely leave behind everything, including plans and expectations. That’s a lot of freedom.
But, freedom is not something you need to circumnavigate the world for. (Although if you’re thinking about it, I HIGHLY recommend it). If you don’t like your job, find another one. If you want to try out a new city, move. If you’ve always wanted to travel, plan a trip. Especially if you have no dependents and a support network to allow it, you have the freedom to explore...more.
So if there is something—big or small—that you've been wanting to do, what's actually holding you back?
Now I’m about to jump on my very last flight, which brings me back to Boston. I am super excited to see everyone back home. I signed up for a 44-mile bike ride in two weeks. I think I may take the bus to the Cape for a day. I suppose I’ll have to find a job soon.
Oh, and about the blog. I have at least a few more posts to come (you can unsubscribe now if you want out). After all, I still have to figure out this “freedom IN” thing.
Enjoy the journey,
Paige
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