20 December 2013

Living Abroad \\ Travel Young, Travel Old, Travel Often

Raleigh Beach, Thailand
Lyon
Lyon

“We are what we repeatedly do,” Aristotle once said. While I don’t want to sound all gloom-and-doom, and I believe your life can turn around at any moment, there is an important lesson here: life is a result of intentional habits. So I decided to do the things that were most important to me first, not last. - Jeff Goins


This article was circulating around a while back and it really hit home for me. You hear comments about it so often and the hardest part of travelling or living abroad is letting go of all the reasons not to. The older I get, the harder it is to take that leap: quit my job, leave my friends, spend my savings globetrotting. That's not to say it wasn't hard to do when I was younger though either. It's not easy to pick up your whole life and move to another country, especially one where you don't know anyone. Hell, it's not even easy to move across your own country. It is worth it though.

Lyon
Lyon
Fete de Lumieres, Lyon
Traveling will change you like little else can. (JG)

I wholeheartedly believe this. I've seen it in myself and I've seen it in others. Travel most definitely changes you. I believe it changes you in the best way possible. If you're struggling to take the plunge, stop. Travel will never be the wrong answer, especially if you're young.

There has never been an instance where I truly regretted having travelled. Sure, there have been times when I've thought, "It'd sure be nice to have a downpayment for a house" or "It'd sure be nice to be further along in my career". Yes, those things would be nice at this point in my life, but would I even want them if I hadn't had the experiences I did? I don't think I would. I think I'd still be yearning to live abroad.


Sevilla
Lisboa
Roma
Go now. That's the best advice I can give you. Go before you're too entrenched in whatever life you're comfortably creating for yourself at home. Go before you decide you're too old. Go before you regret not having gone.

It's never too late to go travelling, but it will eventually feel that way. & you will eventually put other priorities first too many times. I firmly believe that it will only get harder the more you establish yourself. Maybe not financially, but in every other way. The longer you stay in one place the harder it is to leave.

So get out of here already. The only thing standing in your way are your excuses.

You can thank me later.


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