I met two people early on in my travels who changed the way I thought about what travel could be. I honestly don’t remember their names at this point, as I forgot to write them down, but that’s how it happens sometimes.

After backpacking for only a matter of weeks, I found myself in Hanoi, Vietnam, drinking cheap beer with some fellow travelers (no, seriously, it was $0.14 each on draft). As I spoke with this guy, whom I guess we’ll call Hanoi Ryan, we discussed why we had found ourselves there, and his response was absurd to me. When asked why he was traveling, Ryan told me that his grandfather had recently passed away, but not before telling him, on his deathbed, that he felt he had wasted his life. He told him that he’d better do something with his, not making the same mistake he made. Immediately after, Ryan quit his job (he was in his mid-to-late 20s, I think), bought a one-way ticket to Vietnam, and was going to just travel and figure it out. He had no experience beforehand, had never traveled solo, and didn’t know what to pack. He didn’t even know why he chose to backpack, but decided that if everybody wants to see the world, it must be worth it, so why not? 

This was a common theme among backpackers that I’ve met, with a large percentage running away from some, probably negative, situation or relationship. It can be something that people use to try to escape things from, or therapeutic for a person looking to change their situation. However, that doesn’t mean that travel necessarily has to be saved for after some event, or used as some kind of lifeline, as my second example will try to demonstrate. 

Almost immediately after meeting Ryan, I met a Swedish solo-traveler who gave me a different perspective on her travels. When asked why she was traveling (this was an early common icebreaker for me, I guess), she responded, in the most Swedish accent possible, with something like “I wanted to go travel, so here I am, I wanted to go so I went”. I’ve gotten a lot of responses similar to this, with people explaining how they’ve always wanted to see something, so they just booked a ticket. Her statement made me excited to travel solo, because it just makes so much sense. It seems dumb, but the fact that she just felt she wanted to do something, planned and saved for it, and then did it was just so perfect. She was confident enough in herself to just go somewhere, because why couldn’t she? There were no group chat texts, no hassle, and no stress. She believed in her ability to problem-solve, make friends, and do everything alone, so this was a pretty easy decision. She seemed surprised that I asked, because why wouldn’t everyone feel this way (it also could’ve just been her accent, but I’m going with this). 

The thing is, though, is that it really is kind of easy. People don’t really do it, but they could. I understand that this is coming from a place of privilege, as I don’t have to support a family, take care of a loved one, or be worried about my ability to leave my home country (for now?). Therefore, this example is a little exclusionary as it relates to the freedom of travel, but it can translate into an appreciation for change. If we were to advocate for people in the earlier stages of their lives to save up, or find creative alternatives for travel or any range of meaningful experiences, imagine the increase in people taking control of their lives, not rushing to the finish line. As many, many people said to me both on the trip and after, “once you’re on the work/life treadmill, it’s really hard to get off”. As someone who is now on the treadmill, I would agree. 

People are always so terrified to do something like move on from a job they hate, leave a relationship they can’t stand, or do something else that is well within their control. Life’s way too short not to change a bad situation, no matter how small it is. If you want to go do something, then go do it. There are limitations to this, as you need to plan, save, and make preparations, but that’s part of the process. I met many people traveling who had made great sacrifices to travel, such as selling off their possessions, working multiple jobs, and budgeting travel in a relatively extreme way. This is not a plea to go live out of a backpack and eat ramen, but an example of how once you break the mental trap of what you’re supposed to do, it’s not that hard. Everyone talks about how the scariest part is booking it, but once you’re halfway across the globe alone, it’s only easier from there. It’s true, genuinely. Once you’re there, the hardest part is over, so enjoy it.