The Sacrifices I Made to Become a World Traveler
Exploring planet Earth is one of the most fulfilling adventures a person can pursue in this lifetime. Wide-eyed and excited, we tend to forget what surrenders we must perform to undertake this journey. There is always a balance with everything we do — some pros and cons. If you are willing to relinquish and be resourceful, globe-trekking is within your reach too. Here is a list of the sacrifices I’ve made to follow this life-changing path:
Friends: I had to leave my friends behind. No… not ghost or unfriend. Simply depart from the same location as them. No one had the same type of time and energy to come on a worldwide journey with me. It’s difficult to line up finances, schedules and aspirations to match with another person. I found that I had to go it alone if I ever wanted to make it happen. I couldn’t wait any longer for counting on someone to take the plunge with me.
“You’re not asking too much, you’re just asking the wrong person.”
It seemed none of my fellows were ready to take this leap of faith with me. Even if they were, there was always some kind of hurdle that caused our plan to come to a halt. Eventually I decided to do it solo and make friends along the way. This was a difficult reality but it helped me flourish. I’ve met lots of like-minded comrades while on the road. Others who were willing to take that leap like myself. My type of folks.
Family: Sometimes when I set out on an adventure, I won’t see my family for six months or more. We tend to go in different directions. Each of us have our own responsibilities and goals. This is the second year in a row I’ve spent Christmas and New Years Holidays away from my family. I’ve gotten used to it. It doesn’t really bother me all that much. Perhaps it’s a little sad, but I don’t mind. I feel very fulfilled while traveling. I love being with my family, I’ve spent much of my life and time with them. I like to change it up and see what else the world has to offer. I remedy this bittersweet sacrifice with occasional voice and video calls to stay connected.
Jobs: Any kind of stable, location-based job is thrown out the window. I once worked at a wind tunnel for indoor skydiving. One can’t really travel the world while working at such a business. Also as for all my video marketing clients in Chicago — I’m pretty much forgotten to them. I haven’t made films for them in years now. I’m sure they’ve realized that I’ve taken a change of course. I’ve had to sacrifice all those jobs. It’s very possible to keep working while traveling, I personally work on the computer and generate money that way. I’ve met people who work in the service industry, on farms or through work-aways while moving from place to place. Nonetheless if you have a job that is based in only one location, you’ll likely have to put in your two weeks if you want to set sail.
Comfort: I sleep in a different bed nearly every month, sometimes every week. The strangers around me are constantly changing. The people I do meet always continue elsewhere on their journeys within days or weeks. I have to constantly keep my eyes on the horizon and make a plan as to what to do next. Theres no chillin’ at an apartment for a year. The only possession I’ve carried with me that brings me a sense of peace and comfort is a pillow that I’ve had for a couple years. It’s small enough to roll up and strap to my backpack. Without this pillow, I feel I would be struggling a tad bit more. No pillow left behind.
Routine: Everything and everywhere is always changing. The environment is continually different. Around the time things become comfortable, I feel bored and then change it up. Finding the grocery store, learning words in a foreign language, variance in the foods I eat, looking at a different map all the time. Routine takes time and dedication to develop. By the time it’s ingrained, I’m likely on my way to a new place. It can be really challenging to have systems in place this way.
Safety: The element of the unknown. The unfamiliarity of an area, its people, the rules and laws, the differences in danger, crime or risk are unique to every place. The more I travel the better I understand the distinct types of threat that change from place to place. Luckily I have a very accurate danger radar thats served me well for 28 years. Every time we leave our front door some kind of risk is presented — even in our home town. Nonetheless we get accustomed to these situations were familiar with. Therefore we must recalibrate time and time again when traveling from place to place.
Diet: I’m not a strict vegan but I prefer to avoid eating meat and dairy. However once I began traveling I realized that in some moments I had to bend this regime. I recently found myself eating yogurt, cheese and on two occasions had to drink cows milk. The thought of it actually makes me uncomfortable considering I hadn’t drank cows milk for five years. I could always find fruits and vegetables where I was traveling, but they were often different than the ones I was used to. We all have to eat, sometimes we must sacrifice the specific foods we’re used to consuming and replace them with something different. It’s either that or to starve.
Car: I sold my BMW when I left the USA. I felt that the money could be useful to put towards my adventure. I wouldn’t use the vehicle for a long time. I didn’t have any intention to be driving. Airplanes, busses, trains, taxis, bikes and by foot would be my mode of transportation for the indefinite future. The car was left behind.
Electronics: We all accumulate all kinds of technical devices in our lives — especially when home-making. TVs, speakers and clocks for example. We live in a digital world after all. Unfortunately a lot of these gadgets are heavy and distract our attention from the present world around us. Most of my electronics were related to video and photo making. Drones, cameras, hard drives and more. I make the life-changing decision to sell these and be free of their burden. It’s not very efficient to have them while traveling as far and light as possible.
Video Games: I haven’t brought any video games with me. I really loved playing Legend of Zelda on the Switch Lite while I was living in the USA. However when I left for my global adventure it just felt like it would weigh me down and perhaps get in the way of me seeing the world and connecting with people. I left the gaming behind. I miss exploring that virtual world, but it’s not as fulfilling as venturing the real one.
Money: Where did all my money go? It seems to just be flying away. Yes, traveling can be expensive but it’s really just as costly as you make it. It can be pricey or cheap. Nonetheless it is somewhat harder to make money while traveling. Therefor the act of travel does seem to cause a quicker loss of money than staying put in one place.
If you’re resourceful and wise, you’ll find that traveling the world is actually cheaper than living in a big city. I wrote about that in my article here — https://gunnlukari.medium.com/traveling-the-world-is-cheaper-than-living-in-the-usa-f9260ad64258
Love: Letting go of love can be heartbreaking. It may even be the greatest sacrifice of all. Sometimes we must part from romantic connections or more-than-friendship encounters to continue on our mission. We may find love on or before our adventure and then have to set it free. If not forever then perhaps for some time. We wonder, will it ever return? Will I ever again hold that person in my arms, look into their eyes, interlock my fingers with theirs? This sacrifice can be one of the hardest — distinctly for the romantics out there. We never want to let go of love, considering how puzzling it can be to find. To kiss, to touch, to watch the sunset, and then let it go… that is to be truly free.
Making these sacrifices are all worth it. Every one of them. They may have brought me unforeseen challenges, yet there is no great success without adversity. I now welcome these obstacles with readiness. Knowing that there will always be something unexpected on the horizon. Whether it’s getting kicked out of a London hotel for falling asleep in the lobby, attempting to buy new shoes while using French language in Paris, or video-calling a doctor across the world and communicating with him over spotty wifi. All of these trials made me more capable, brave, self-sufficient and grateful for what I have and what I’ve sacrificed. It’s these hardships that give me stories to tell, reasons to be proud of myself and make me a better human. I wish that you explore how these sacrifices can help you bloom as well. 🌷
