These last few weeks, we’ve talked about solo travelling, going on a trip by yourself, and the focus has been on women. However, what about solo travelling for men… and… what about travelling as a way of life, a lifestyle choice?
More and more people are doing it: younger people with remote jobs, location independent work, travelling nearly all the time, the so called ‘digital nomads’, and also older people letting go of their worldly possessions looking for new experiences, adventures, some of them travelling the world through Airbnb’s or doing house-sits.
At home with travelling
Some of us are ‘at home’ when travelling.
Of course, there are some some great times, and there can be some hairy moments. I wouldn’t say its glamorous; it is fun! Not knowing where you’re going can be unsettling… and the most exciting thing in the world! Arriving in Vanuatu in the middle of Covid, a panic move with my visa expiring in New Zealand (not completely, I just didn’t want to go back to Hong Kong or Scotland), I had never set foot in the country. It’s the 24th February 2021 and my heart is absolutely thumping as I step off the repatriation flight. It’s a hot cloud-strewn afternoon in Port Vila. What am I doing? Slap bang in the middle of cyclone season. The heat, a tsunami evacuation from quarantine, my first experience of an earthquake, potholes the size of craters, men carrying bush knives…. at times in these first two or three weeks I feel terrified and then… it was invigorating, I didn’t get bored! It is paradise in so many respects…stunning turquoise waters that take your breath away, lively markets full of colour, red gold and green, hapi mamas…
Why a travel lifestyle?
- for fun, to experience something new, often more intensely, meet different people, visit new places
- it offers thrills and an opportunity to stretch yourself, show you what you’re capable of
- to understand more about the world, humanity, yourself
- to cut living costs
- to get off the hamster wheel of responsibility in terms of maintaining a property
- you’ve brought up your family, now it’s your turn for adventure!
Freedom… flexibility…letting go of attachment to stuff…finding security within yourself.
Where to next?