No Regrets…

OK, so – you’ve thought about maybe hitting the road. Perhaps you’ve dreamed of beautiful sunsets from a deserted island, or watching monkeys swinging from trees. Maybe you’ve walked your local fields many times, and are ready for the challenge of something more intense – a hike on a Nicuraguan volcano perhaps or climbing a glacier. BUT, what if you leave and you can’t get back on the career ladder? Maybe you should save your money for a house? What if the man of your dreams is just around the corner and if you go away you might miss him? What if you boyfriend dumps you, or your friends forget you if you’re not there to have dinner? What if you get kidnapped by randy orangutans and no-one ever hears from you again?

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I know and recognise fears like these. Reasons not to do something that float around your head fighting with the thoughts of the things you do really want to do. Maybe you know this already, but they are IRRATIONAL fears and not based on reality (apart from the one about the orangutans, which is very possible, especially in London!).  Irrational fears are strong. They usually win the fight with the more positive thoughts you have about making a change in your life.

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I’m making it a part of my mission to persuade people that they can do the things they desire. This could include adventures or anything you have dreamed of doing. I am yet to meet one person who regrets going against the fears and just giving it a go.

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These are my top 5 reasons I will never regret taking a year to travel the world:

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I met incredible, inspiring people wherever I went on my travels. Some were fellow travellers. Others were from the countries I visited. All gave me a different perspective on life. I learnt that it’s possible to be happy with very little, and that a lot of what we worry about back home, really isn’t as important as you might think. It might be unrealistic to keep in touch with everyone , but they will always stay in my memories.  The people you meet are arguably the best part of traveling – all with a different story, it’s impossible not to be moved by some of the encounters.

Maybe the man of your dreams is more likely to be where you are living your dreams rather than sitting at home dreaming of living?

‘Junk’ could be anything in your life. For me, it was a lot of things: emotional junk, social junk, material junk. Probably the most important thing was closing the door on some issues I was having in my career as well as a relationship. I don’t think it’s possible to regret going away for a person. For many years, I thought this would be true. I put off going away, because I was scared of losing someone. But the truth is that, if another person doesn’t like that you want to follow your dream, then you should really question their reasons for this. In my experience, friends miss you like crazy and you miss them, but they don’t forget you – they just feel excited to hear your stories when you get back. These are real friends and anyone else just isn’t worth having in your life.

Travelling has given me a genuinely fresh start, without needing material things or destructive relationships. The bad is cleared out and has been replaced by beautiful things and a fresh perspective on the world. You will never regret living a dream just because someone else doesn’t want you to do it.

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Looking at my C.V., people probably wouldn’t realise that I’m quite a career driven person. It eats me up a lot of the time. It was scary to take a year out and go away. How will people view this on my C.V.?! I don’t know yet, but I do know that if someone didn’t like that I’d travelled, then they probably would be the right employer for me.

Travelling helps me grow as a person. It’s impossible not to when you see what the world is like outside your homely bubble. Fending for yourself in unknown territory, negotiating a deal with a stranger and willing yourself to have the stamina to persist through a stormy hike, are just a few examples of character building experiences received through getting out of your comfort zone.  I met doctors, lawyers, teachers and people from all walks of life. So whatever you do, there will be a way to achieve some part of your dream.

And I totally agree with what The Nomadic Lifestyle says – it will all still be there when and if you go back. You can just pick it up and start again.

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I know it sounds cheesy, and you probably will meet some people who go too far with this notion. However, it’s impossible not to ‘find yourself’ at least a little on a round the world trip. If travelling independently, there is no one to tell you what to do that day. There isn’t any social expectations, because you can recreate who you are every day if you want to. You’re different to everyone in the country you’re in probably anyway, so there is no pressure to fit in. You can find your own unique characteristics – positive and negative. I discovered a real love of nature that was missing in my life in London. Now, I can work out where to live to include this more in my life and be happier everyday . I realised also that I probably am a bit too independent at times, always walking alone or finding my own way to a bus. I like doing things alone, but maybe I need to let people in a little bit more sometimes.

Learning more about yourself is a sure start towards greater happiness in your life.

My eyes are saturated with natural beauty that I never thought possible. Islands made of volcanoes, salt lakes, mountains and deserts just to name a few. It’s awe inspiring to see these places in real life and not just on the television. Watching people perform traditional ceremonies as well as the beautiful clothes, markets and food has really changed my mind. I realise there are so many other ways to live out there. Seeing these things is one of the privileges of living in the beautiful planet we are in and if you want to go and see it for yourself, you will never regret giving that gift to your eyes and your soul.

It all got a bit deep there, so I think I’ll end this post by saying… well, you’ll just have a right laugh as well innit. Nothing’s a better feeling than laughter eh?

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Thanks for reading.

If you’ve ever dreamed of just taking off on a round the world trip – is there anything you are worried you will regret? What is stopping you going?

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I wrote this post as part of a course called ‘Blogging 101′ which is run by WordPress and I hope will help me improve and gain some knowledge about blogging in general. Any feedback is greatly appreciated from anyone about any part of my blog.