This summer I don’t have a place I call home- 7 weeks in Los Angeles, 4 days in San Francisco, 4 weeks in Dallas, 1 week in Maryland. I am constantly on the move. To be totally honest, I don’t even know where I’ll be when this gets published. Three months of my life in two suitcases and a backpack. I couldn’t be happier spending my summer traveling the world chasing after my dreams.
I’m halfway through this grand adventure and to say traveling teaches you a lot about yourself is an understatement. Here are six of the most important lessons traveling has taught me so far:
1. You have to go with the flow.
Flights get cancelled, trains are missed, meal cards stop working. When you travel nothing is predictable. I used to be adamant about following a plan, but shit appears out of nowhere. Traveling has taught me how to go with the flow. Now, I’m not pressed about waking up by 8:30am to go wander around a city. If a museum is closed it’s no longer the end of the world. Instead it’s an opportunity to go experience something else.
2. Prioritizing is a skill you need to gain.
As much as I wish I could be spending the summer traveling for personal enjoyment, that’s not the case. Instead I’m working my butt off, sometimes putting in 10+ hour days. Work is my number 1 priority with everything else coming second. This means that when I have 4 days in San Francisco but only 1 of them is an actual day off, I have to prioritize the sights I want to see. I like to think I can do it all, and traveling has taught me sometimes I just can’t. I have had to learn to prioritize work over crossing a location off my “to see” list. In the moment it sucks but learning to prioritize has saved me from a lot of stressed. Besides, it’s given me a list of reasons to go back to all these places.
3. Facing your anxiety is equally rewarding as it is terrifying.
Checking my bag and going through security are activities that peak my anxiety hardcore. I hate doing them and have seriously considered turning down travel opportunities as a result. But having to fly multiple times means I have to continually face this anxiety. Each time I head to the airport, the idea of going through security gets easier to manage. Traveling requires me to face my anxieties and learn to cope with them in constructive ways.
4. Pack light.
I have 50 pounds and whatever I can carry in two bags for the summer. I have had to pack for different climates and different activities, and I’ve collected items along the way. Traveling constantly means constantly having to adhere to airline requirements. I have learned to pack light and sacrifice items that were too bulky or not important enough. This has meant getting rid of books, clothes, and toiletries. At times, it can be annoying, but learning to pack light has made me think bigger than the stuff I carry with me. It’s made me consider the amount of crap I have back at my important. It’s had me thinking about packing light in all aspects of my life- to the crap and material things I own to the number of people I surround myself with.
5. Go outside your comfort zone, it’s worth it.
A month ago I would have never gone down down a .25 inch glass slide off the side of a Los Angeles building 70 stories up. When you travel and your given the opportunity to do something incredible or try a new thing, you do it without thinking twice. These opportunities are limited and you’d be crazy not to take them. So you go down this slide. Or you try squid balls. Or you learn to drive on the 405 in Los Angeles during rush hour.
6. Everyone has a story. Listen to it.
I have met people who know me better than those I’ve known for years. 7 weeks later they can finish my sentences and guess what food I want for lunch better than I can. Last month I got to know a girl who couldn’t walk when she was younger and miraculously is now an amazing dancer. On a five minute Uber ride, I learned about a man who spoke no English and who was spending his days driving while his wife worked a temp job in the city. In a world where we are so quick to divide ourselves and tragic events have become the daily norm, it’s important we listen to the story we each carry. We’re all made of the same earth and every person you cross paths with has a story that’s worth listening to.
