People are always asking “why?”.
Why are you traveling? Why backpacking? Why now? Why alone? Why aren’t you afraid? I usually respond with the typically answers of “I just graduated from university”, “I originally planned this trip with a friend”, “I always try to be aware of my surroundings” and so on and so forth. Often times, I feel like responding with just “why not?”. But to spare the chances of being rude or inconsiderate, I always feel obligated to give a further answer which then proceeds to deeper conversation. I have found these questions and conversations much more difficult to carry out when speaking to those from the US, my own home country. I find that many people have a hard time understanding why a 22 year old female would backpack through Europe solo, or how it’s possible. Most of this concern surrounds my safety and well-being as a solo female. Before leaving for this trip, I would often become frustrated when people tried to lecture me on safety, give tips on how I should travel, and what I should and shouldn’t do. This was not due to a lack of wanting to be helped, but more-so due to the lack of relevant and actually helpful suggestions. “Always stay with a buddy” and “don’t walk alone at night” aren’t useful tips to someone who is about to travel ALONE. Don’t get me wrong, this wasn't the response from everyone. I will always remember the people who gave me the encouragement I was looking for- you know who you are! After 7 weeks of traveling, I’ve realized that I am much better at writing my thoughts and feelings, rather than speaking them. And, I’ve finally found the words to answer these questions. This is why I’m traveling: Because life short. At any time and any place, life can be taken from us. No place on earth shelters us from death. No place on earth shelters us from danger, fear, or violence. It doesn’t get anymore simple than that. I travel now, while I am young, energetic, healthy. I travel now, when I have an entire lifetime ahead of me to use the knowledge and lessons I have gained. I travel now to make friendships that can last a lifetime. Because the world has so much to see. There are countries and cities that I have never heard of, and there are many I will never see. But why not try to see as much as I can during my lifetime? There are endless opportunities to explore and to learn- history, culture, language. There is so much more in the world than our own circle and bubble. When you put yourself outside of your comfort zone, you suddenly begin to see just how much you are missing. It is far too easy to get caught up in your everyday routine. Once you see this, you don’t want to stop exploring. After my semester abrod, I can’t stop yearning to explore. Because people are good. Despite what you will see in the news, most people are genuinely good. I have met some of the friendliest, kindest, strangest, craziest, compassionate people during these past 7 weeks. I’ve met a family on the road. People from different cities countries and continents, who I am sure I will reconnect with later in my life. People who would welcome me into their own homes, and who I would welcome into mine. Some of these people I’ve met for a day, even a few hours. In my experience, the ratio of good to bad is about 2000:1. Just because someone is different from you, or has a contrasting viewpoint, does not mean they are bad. As difficult as it may be, watch and listen to these people, as you may learn a lot from them. Find the good, and don’t let that 1 person stop you from moving forward. Because there is an idea that money means happiness and success. An idea that we should get good grades, attend college/university, land a good job, have a large house, and drive the nicest cars in order to be happy. And of course, work ourselves tired until we have enough money saved for retirement. Only then, we will have the freedom to travel. But, how much money is enough? Is the bar being raised higher and higher, thinking it will equate to happiness further down the line? I’ve learned to stop putting my current happiness aside for what I believe will be future happiness. The future is not guaranteed, the present is. Why not take a gap year, defer a semester, take a summer to travel, quit your job? Money does not make people happy or successful, your mindset and experiences do. Because I need a challenge. My challenge for this trip is to learn to be content with being alone and to build my self confidence. To love myself enough to be my own company, and to share myself with complete strangers. To do things I've never done, or maybe never dreamed of doing. Have I ever traveled solo before? No. Is it a bit intimidating? Yes. Is there a lot of unknown? For sure. Therefore, challenge accepted. So this is why I travel. To break the cycle. Break the stereotypes. Break the expectations. To have fear. Have courage. Have memories. Be ambitious. Be adventurous. Be vulnerable. To be me. Although backpacking Europe is a dream...it is inevitable that sh*t is bound to happen. So, it's only right that I document these bumps in the road too. It's not always sunshine and rainbows, but that's part of the journey. So here's a running list of everything unfortunate that has happened over the past 30 days. I can laugh about all of them NOW. In the moment, not so much.
1. Got BOTH my ATM and Credit Card Hacked (s/o to my mom for sending me new ones...you the best) 2. Lost my only (and favorite) sweatshirt...RIP 3. Missed not 1, but 2 buses (goodbye 80 euros) 4. Got the dreaded bed bugs ... wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. talk about itchy and inconvenient I'm sure they'll be more to come...stay tuned! Updated 9/5 5. Shattered my phone...honestly surprised it hadn't happened earlier 6. Got bed bugs...AGAIN. 7. Shattered my Apple Watch....This one hit hard. *these 3 things all happened within a week...ouch* Throughout the past month, I have noticed that I tend to have similar conversations across different countries and different groups of people. I have started to keep track of these topics because...why not.
1. TRUMP - many comparisons with Boris Johnson - no further explanation needed. 2. THE COST OF EDUCATION IN THE U.S. - & conversely the more reasonable cost of education everywhere else - "how does anyone afford to go to college?" - "you have to pay interest?" 3. BREXIT - younger individuals not in favor - believed that it would not have passed if the voting age was lowered to 16 4. THE AMOUNT OF AUSSIES TRAVELING EUROPE - Aussies. Everywhere. - Most traveling for 3-6+ months at a time 5. ENGLISH LANGUAGE - the privilege of knowing English as a first language - can find someone, anywhere, that knows it. 6. AMERICANS NOT USING THE METRIC SYSTEM - I underestimated the difficulty in trying to communicate with people when you don't share the same temperature, distance, weight system - Google conversion is my new best friend - New goal: learn the metric system 7. SENSATIONALISM IN THE NEWS - Many of the solo travelers I have met have shared the concerns of their friends and family...many of which were similar to my own experiences. This typically tends to lead into a conversation about how the world is a good place, people are naturally good. However, the news often portrays a different message. This causes people to fear traveling, forgetting that tragedies can happen anywhere, even in your own backyard. |
|