Often
when I meet people and they learn of my nomadic life they express interest and
ask questions like ‘What was it like to live in Turkey?’ or ‘How did you become
a diving instructor?’ The initial interest is usually followed by an expression
of envy and sometimes regret. I often hear, ‘I wish I had done those things.’
Do you hear about other people’s adventures and wish they were your
experiences? Well, they can be.
More people are travelling than ever before. It is pretty straightforward to get from one end of the world to the other these days. It is also easy to travel on a pretty skinny budget. I don’t believe money is usually the reason people do not accomplish their travel dreams. I think, in most cases, people who do not travel as they would like to have chosen other things in their lives over travel.
Priorities
Life
is all about priorities and making decisions. As individuals we each have
different things we value. The main difference between those who achieve their
travel goals and those who envy them is that the travellers have chosen to
prioritise travel.
Personally I prioritise shark experiences. When I visited South Africa it was to dive with Great Whites. When I moved to Australia I wanted to see the Whale Sharks at Ningaloo Reef. I had done it within three months in the country. I have a friend who plans her travels around potential penguin encounters. As I said, we all have different priorities.
Personally I prioritise shark experiences. When I visited South Africa it was to dive with Great Whites. When I moved to Australia I wanted to see the Whale Sharks at Ningaloo Reef. I had done it within three months in the country. I have a friend who plans her travels around potential penguin encounters. As I said, we all have different priorities.
In the shark diving cage, South Africa |
Choices
It
is rare people can afford everything they want in life. Travellers have
probably sacrificed a career move, denied themselves expensive goods and / or
stayed in on Saturday night a few times more than they would have preferred in
order to make their dream a reality. For dedicated explorers the thrill of new
cultures and experiences far outweighs another Saturday night in the pub or
spending money on a new car when your current model is fine. They choose
travel.
Much as I love my family, who are in the UK, I chose to leave to experience more of the world and hopefully fit in a few more shark dives. Travel is something my family has always had a passion for so fortunately they understood. (They struggle to understand the sharks!) Over the years my family has enjoyed visiting me in various locations.
Much as I love my family, who are in the UK, I chose to leave to experience more of the world and hopefully fit in a few more shark dives. Travel is something my family has always had a passion for so fortunately they understood. (They struggle to understand the sharks!) Over the years my family has enjoyed visiting me in various locations.
Courage
Wanting
to do something and making it happen are two very different things of course.
Leaving everything and everyone that is familiar to you is scary. Heading into
the unknown, especially if going alone, can be confronting. Not only are you
going to have to cope without your usual support network you are bound to learn
a lot about yourself. Any traveller will tell you how easy it is to make
friends travelling, but that initial step out of your comfort zone is still a
big one to take.
This
thinking can be applied to various situations in life but I think it is
especially pertinent regarding travel. Work out where you want to go and what
you want to do, and remember, only you have the power to make the choices that
will result in you living your travel dream.
Have
you made choices that impacted on your travel dreams? Please share your
experiences in the comments below.
Tweet