The other night, I had a conversation with a local guy who had a number of
decisions ahead of him, which included whether he should quit his job or go travel the world.
I told him to travel. Hands down. No excuses. Just go. Don’t worry about money as long as you
have a rough plan and some money to get you through a couple weeks of food then you can
always find ways to see the world. The results are worth the costs. And he sighed.
In December I turn 30 and having looked back at the decisions I made to set sail from the
safe shores (17yr), to see the world many told me not to do it as it’s a massive risk.
Most people I know who waited to travel the world never did, remember you are never too
old to make the decision and just go. You dont have to go far, the main thing is to go somewhere
you haven't been before.
Unfortunately for many i hear Too many excuses, and their dreams had fizzled out, people like
to talk and don’t take the action, Be careful of the yeah-but. The yeah-but will kill your dreams.
For myself it’s hard to come to terms sometimes that I’m hitting 30, When you get older, life seems
to just sort of happen to you.
In most cases Youth is a time of total empowerment. You get to do what you want, when you want
as much as you want without little consequences. But as you get older "mature" and gain new
responsibilities, we have to be somewhat intentional with the decisions so we don’t lose sight of
what’s important.
For most of my youth I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I got "older" the one thing that set
me apart was that I wasn't scared of failure as i wanted better things for my family/friends/myself
and the ability to see the world on my own terms.
So if you read this and you still have a reasonable amount of control over your circumstances,
you should do what really matters. Because life won’t always be just about you, no longer has
limitations been a setback or an excuse for not seeing the world, the only limitations are the ones
we imprison ourselves with by the things we tell ourselves which are not necessarily always true.
During early adulthood, our worldview is still being formed. Having grew up in a colorful part of
Ireland and spending a considerable amount of time living in Germany, I got to see and experience
many different view points and having been outside the country for some time 7+years I get a real
perspective for the beautiful island that I grew up on.
It’s important to embrace our heritage from an open perspective — to give ourselves the opportunities
to grow. A good way to do that is to travel. Traveling will have an effect and change you like little else can.
It will put you in situations and places that will force you to care for issues that are bigger than yourself.
You will make choices that will define you. The disciplines you gain will stay with you for the rest of your life (hopefully). Traveling helped me encounter compassion like nothing else.
Your heart will break, and you will learn at lot about yourself.
You will begin to understand that we are all the same people regardless of skin color,
religion or background, the world is both a big and small place and there is a very high
chance regardless of what part of the world you’re in that you bump into someone that
you know or that is connected to you somehow.
You will have a new-found respect for the men, women and children, who grind and hustle
each day just to eat and provide for their family’s with very little to no money, over half the
world live like this were each day is a daily fight to survive.
- and still you hear people complaining about foreigners taking peoples jobs when its the exact
sample people getting state benefits too lazy to get up and work hard, its only until you walk
through the streets of a slum in a 3rd world country that you truly appreciate humanity on a
level many will never experience or to be sitting asked if your hungry and if you wanted share a
bowl of rice with them, when you know they have nothing. Very humbling.
Buy experiences, not things.
You will feel more connected to your fellow human beings in a deep and lasting
meaningful way without fear you once may felt before making the decision to
leave the comfort zone of "home".
You will learn to care, and you might even find a way to speak up for the people you
encounter who need a voice.
Getting cultured to me is as important as getting educated. Living in one city all your
life or the same culture of people does not mean you are cultured.
Get to know the world and the people that fill it. There’s nothing quite like walking
through a bustling foreign country at night or trekking through a desert or rain-forest.
The sights, the smells, the stories, and most importantly the local people.
I could describe the city of Hong Kong and its contrast of High rise building and local
food traders, but you really have to see it for yourself to experience it.
You can read all the books in the world about the Islands of Thailand or White sands
of the Whitsundays, but being there is a different story.
The world is a stunning place, full of outstanding people and moments that will take
your breath away. You've got to be there to See it and Feel it.
Do this while you still can. Do not squander the time, with excuses.
You may never have the possibility again.
Invest in the next chapter of your life.
A famous person once said "As you sow, so shall you reap".
Because remember you won’t always be young, maybe in heart and spirit,
though at some point life won’t always be just about you anymore.
So travel. Experience as much of the world as you can for all it’s worth.
Become a person of diverse cultures, epic adventures, and full of compassion.