This chapter concludes the 6-part short series on how to be a frequent traveller. We shared all the lessons to learn and preparation before you become a frequent traveller. So why should you travel? Simple: travel is investing in your future self.
Why investing in travels is investing in yourself?
As mentioned above, it is important to mind the cultural gaps while travelling. This is also true for your friends and family. It’s called “difference for perspectives” and “different life goals”. For many people, including in the western world, spending 10,000usd on travels is a total nonsense. Fair enough, we’re talking about 10,000usd after all, that’s a hell of a lot of cash!
Tangible ROI
If you think in terms of tangible return on investment, it certainly is. You will come back to your life with virtually nothing, except a backpack full of random useless/super cool things grabbed along the way, and about 10,000 pictures.
On a parallel universe, what else could have you done, if not travelling? 10,000usd is a decent amount to get a mortgage for a tiny apartment, or maybe enough to by a second-hand sedan from 2012. Or, if you’re a smartass, you would have invested them in stocks or cryptocurrencies and might have been a millionaire just now. And then what?
Real ROI
Now, if you think outside the box, you will soon realize that investing in yourself, it is shaping the future you. Shaping your life the way you want it to be, is probably the best investment you could have possibly made. Not to mention the hundreds of memories you made on the way, the dozens of good friends, and your amazing girlfriend met in South America!
You will have seen things by yourself, thought them through your own perspective. You will have understood. You will have various places to call home. You will more good friends that you would have imagined, you know the one you can rely on, the ones you can save your ass when you’re in trouble! You will feel like you belong to something bigger than your family, your city or your country. You will feel that you belong to the world, that you’re a World Citizen. And it feels just right, it really does.
The World Is Your Oyster
If you chose so, the world will become your playground. You will improve yourself, become a better self, become more “employable” or “bankable” for future employers, learn languages and leave aside of your comfort zone, you will become addicted to it, will do it again, make lifelong friends, fall in love, etc. My girlfriend is from Peru, and I count foreigners among my best friends.
People can say what they want, but you don’t have to listen to them. You will probably meet tons of sour grapes who will discredit your journey and experiences around the world. Well, let them be. Move on. 7 billion people in the world; find new characters to play with.
Enjoy!
Sometimes, once in a while, wherever you are, without you planning anything special on that day, you will think about where you ended up, where you come from, and all that you’ve been through on the way to this very moment.
You will be thinking about the choices you have made, and about how each and every one of them combined, one after another, led you to this very moment, right there. You will just smile, and feel good about it. You will suddenly realize that you are at the right place, with the right person, at the right time, with the right mindset. And it feels just right, it really does.
When that happens, as rare as this is, keep a mental image of these very moments. Cherish them, and think about it on darker times of your life. This will be of a great help. It will make you keep going. In the end, what matters the more are people, no matter what your choices are.
This post is written by Adrien Perazzi with additional contribution by Lisa Tan.
Travelling expensively has changed me, even shaped me in a way. Today, I am very keen to share this experience with people, from all backgrounds: people willing to start travelling, or doing it even more often, wiser or in a more sustainable way. I have received more help, friendships and kindness that I would have expected. For me, this series is a way for me to give back, to help people in return, to inspire beginners.
Frequent Traveller 105: How To Travel on A Budget
