5 Powerful Lessons That Long-Term Traveling Will Teach You
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In the not too distant past, I absolutely hated life. I was stuck in a very dark place, for many years.
Now, I am not going to go too deeply into all that, but it wasn’t until I picked up my bags and plucked up the courage to leave everything behind me and travel the world, that an enormous change happened within me.
Traveling has a deeper meaning for me. It isn’t just about leaving for a while and visiting a few places here and there. Not at all. It’s about connecting to the world again.
Our world is an incredible teacher.
Through my years of traveling, I’ve been educated by this world. I got taught lessons about possibilities, respect, love, myself and what real happiness is about.
Precisely because of the effect traveling had on me and the lessons it taught me, is the main reason why I always encourage people so much to go out there and travel. It is also the reason why I am writing this article.
I want to encourage you to grasp what a powerful impact this world can have on us when we fully immerse ourselves in it.
So here is what long-term traveling taught me.
1. New Possibilities in Life
When you travel, you expose yourself to the unknown. Within the unknown, lay new possibilities. My vision of the world was a very narrow one before I started traveling.
Now, I see no limits. When you travel you will learn there are many, many ways to live your life.
There are far more possibilities in life then we ever get taught in school or society. I mean, school never told me that I could be a scuba dive instructor, surf teacher, park ranger or even a blogger…
2. The Beauty and Wonders of The World
We live in an amazing world, and I know, I say this often… but this is because it’s simply so. I just feel so grateful for living on this planet. Before I started traveling, however, this wasn’t the case.
I didn’t see the wonders of this world, like so many people, don’t – even though, they are all around us. But back then, I was blind to them.
When I picked up my bags and left on my journey, I got blown away by the incredible landscapes and sceneries out there. I didn’t even know they existed.
Though pictures and videos can give us some kind of idea about our world, they can never come close to experiencing it through your own eyes. While traveling I started paying more and more attention to my surroundings.
And when you start paying more attention to something, you also start seeing more. Traveling opened my eyes to the beauty and wonders of this world.
It made me appreciate our world at a very profound level.
3. To Connect to my Survival Instincts Again
Our survival instincts are the prime core of our existence. Without them, well… we wouldn’t feel the will to survive – the will to fight.
However, through many decades, those instincts have become less and less important because of our modern society.
And I strongly believe that not having to call upon them that often is a major cause of our unhappiness.
On a regular basis, I venture into the wild and spend multiple days in the mountains. From the moment I leave the comfortable, safe surroundings of modern, every day, normal living, my survival instincts fully switch on. I am driven by an extra force.
All my senses are active, I am more aware, I feel more prepared. Everything in me is functioning at a higher rate.
My body and mind are far more prepared to help me to deal with any situations that may occur. At those moments, I feel 100% alive. Why?
Because every part of me – and who I am – is needed. Nothing is being tempered.
Traveling does the exact same.
Because you venture into the unknown, your survival instincts will kick in. Preparing you to survive the unknown. Stripping you back to your core, basic instincts.
Traveling taught me the importance of staying connected to my prime instincts.
4. Where Real Happiness can be Found
It’s surprising how many people aren’t happy in their life. It’s even kind of scary. I guess that everyone who is unhappy hasn’t traveled long term yet, right? Ha ha… I’m kidding. Or wait… maybe I’m not.
Far too many people still seem to believe that buying a nice looking car, a house, new clothes, or just anything, something shiny and new – will bring them happiness.
And it does lead to a happy feeling, but one that will burn out or fade after a while. What happens then? We start again and search for something new.
Traveling taught me where real happiness can be found. And it isn’t in possessions. These are things separate, distant from us, and they can never lead to a true feeling of happiness.
What does lead to real happiness is something you can absorb within you. Something that becomes part of you, that makes you a better, more complete person.
Experiences and memories.
They live within us, they become part of us and are remembered for years or even a lifetime.
The stories those experiences and memories create, when shared or even thought about by yourself can trigger an everlasting feeling of happiness.
It often happens that I’m sat at my desk working when I suddenly recall some event, some experience from one of my adventures, and I just start smiling.
When you experience something as wonderful as that, you realize – that is true happiness.
5. A Deeper Understanding About Myself
Traveling… will change you.
You’ll be different when you come back from a long journey. Totally new ideas and perspectives about the world, and your place in it will have been witnessed, understood and absorbed.
I’ve mentioned this before, but traveling has a deeper meaning to me.
It healed me, it fixed wounds inside me that I thought couldn’t be fixed. It sent me back to my roots, connected me to my inner self and connected me to this world.
I am so grateful that I took the courage a few years ago, to venture out into the unknown and walk away from everything that was making me unhappy. Traveling is taking a journey within yourself.
Question about this article: Which lessons do you think traveling will teach you? Or what experiences has traveling already taught you?
Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.
Your voice matters!
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