I Dream of Long-Term Travel
Six weeks?
Three months?
One year?
I dream of doing a year of travel.
Long-term travel. It might not be for everybody, but there’s something about it that draws some people in. I am inspired by the people who have done this. Those who were able to design their life in such a way that they could wander around the world for an extended period of time – not just two weeks, two months, but one or two years or even more.
Based on the experiences of these people that I’ve read about and watched, there’s just something about it that grows on you. That, after traveling for an extended period of time, instead of finally scratching that itch, you end up yearning for more. Why is that?
Take for example Rolf Potts who, at the age of 23, decided to travel around North America for about 8 months, to scratch that travel itch. Well, it didn’t work. So he moved to South Korea to teach English, allowing him to explore a different country and at the same time earn money for his travels. He has traveled around the world since then. He points out that travel – long term travel – is accessible to almost anybody and that having the ability to adjust your time is more important than having a lot of money.
In his book, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel, Rolf Potts writes:
“In reality, long-term travel has nothing to do with demographics – age, ideology, income – and everything to do with personal outlook. Long-term travel isn’t about being a college student; it’s about being a student of daily life. Long-term travel isn’t an act of rebellion against society; it’s an act of common sense within society. Long-term travel doesn’t require a massive ‘bundle of cash’; it requires only that we walk through the world in a more deliberate way.”
” … Vagabonding is an attitude – a friendly interest in people, places, and things that makes a person an explorer in the truest, most vivid sense of the word.”
Then there are these guys: Scott Wilson, Justin Lukach and Andre Dupuis, who at some point late in their 20s decided to just drop everything and travel for a year. They figured, if they’re not going to do this now, they’re never going to do it ever. So they did just that. They traveled for a year and went back to their normal lives. But it turns out all that traveling just made them crave it more. They ended up traveling around the world for two more years.
They documented this into what is now the travel show called departures, a show which I believe is one of the best travel documentaries out there. Not only because of its stunning cinematography and good chemistry, but also because you get to see – over the course of three seasons – the subtle change that happens to each of them. A change in outlook, demeanor, and attitude. It’s fascinating to see how travel changed them. And how they kept coming back for more.
Now, Laura Dekker. She is the youngest person to ever sail around the world, by herself. Maidentrip is a film documenting her inspirational story: A two-year voyage starting when she was 14 years old and ended when she was 16. It chronicles her struggles and triumphs. But most importantly, captures her spirit of determination and shows what living life on your own terms can bring you. I know it might sound absurd saying all that about a 16 year old. But wow, I am amazed.
It’s kind of a mystery to me. There are so many examples like this. People from different walks of life who are drawn to this act of exploring places for an extended period of time. What draws them in? I guess there are different reasons. Or is there a common thread? A universal reason why long-term travel grows on them, tugging them, pulling them so?
A quote by T.S. Eliot comes to mind:
“We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”
Is it just in our nature to explore? Is it about the rediscovery of the self?
I don’t know. Since I’ve yet to travel for longer than a month.
In any case, I think I just have to go.
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