Sunday Inspiration #32
31 Sunday Jan 2016
Posted Inspirations, January 2016, Uncategorized
in31 Sunday Jan 2016
Posted Inspirations, January 2016, Uncategorized
in27 Wednesday Jan 2016
Posted January 2016, Uncategorized
inTags
checklist, Do's and Don'ts, fear, funny, Here I Go Again on My Own, inspire, Inspired traveler, life, list, pre travel jitters, rulebook, rules, solo female traveler, solo traveling, travel, wanderlust, Whitesnake
(The One With the List)
I have started the year 2016 by venturing out on my own. I’m taking my three weeks of vacation from teaching to go to places that have only been in my dreams; I now get to make my dreams a reality. With every new place I travel to I still get, what I call, the “pre-travel jitters.” Most of the time it’s just running a checklist in my mind to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything important and only once, on my way to Thailand, was it, “Holy Shit! What did I just do?” but everything worked out quite great on that one.
There are always those fears that creep in while planning for a new trip: Fear of the unknown, fear of the What-if’s, fear of your coconut oil spilling out all over your backpack. Especially traveling solo as a female, those pesky anxieties seem to float around in my head sometimes. No, it’s not the first time I’ve ventured out on my own and thank God everything has always been okay, but being on the road I’ve met various travelers with horror stories of their own to share. From lost or stolen possessions, to various accidents and health hazards, to being chased down by men with machetes demanding money. (Seriously though, shit’s crazy!) Luckily everyone was alive and well to tell that story.
Going to a new country or into anything new for that matter is always scary in its own way. For me though, the excitement always outweighs the fear. The idea of being able to explore more of this magnificent world drives those fears back more and more. Unexpected things will come up, they always do, however it does help to be prepared as much as you can.
There are some basic rules to keep handy that will set your mind at ease when venturing out as a solo traveler. I have put together a fool-proof list of “Do’s and Don’ts” that have helped me on my journeys that are sure to be helpful for anyone.
My go-to list for solo traveling (in no particular order):
1.) Don’t get too close to wildlife.
2.) Don’t climb dangerous rocks
3.) Never eat with your hands
4.) Stay away from roads that may not lead anywhere.
5.) Don’t stand close to any edges or cliffs
6.) Don’t play with knives
7.) Don’t waste water
24 Sunday Jan 2016
Posted Inspirations, January 2016
in22 Friday Jan 2016
Posted Indonesia, January 2016
inTags
FOMO, Indo Adventures, Indonesia, inspire, Inspired traveler, life, Live in the Present, love, Mt. Bromo, New Years, On New Year's Day, travel, U2, wanderlust
(The One With the FOMO)
It still amazes me sometimes the places I have gone, the path where life has taken me, and the people whom I’ve met along the way. I pen down some of my thoughts, more specifically, on the recent trips that I’ve taken as the year 2015 was coming to an end…
Who would have thought the year’s end would bring me right to this spot. Quite literally this exact spot as I am writing this entry down; I’m looking out the window, sipping on some tea, watching the sun cascade down throughout the thick clouds. I have the scenery of awe as I’m watching black smoke escaping from the volcano to my left and the vast valley of the hills and mountains to my right. As the sun keeps poking out I am in such amazement that life has brought me to witness this beauty. Mt. Bromo in East Java, Indonesia has definitely captured me, unlike my camera that can’t seem do this place justice in pictures (so you’ll just have to take my word for it or come see for yourself).
Besides the breathtaking views I am also reflecting on how much has happened to me this year, as well as what the New Year will bring. I had this thought, I’m sure like a few others, to be ringing in the new year at the best place I could imagine, be part of a big celebration and make the last hours of 2015 the most spectacular as the celebrations continue well into 2016. Isn’t that always the case every year? New Years Eve has a connotation that it should be some big magical night, where you kiss someone you love at the stroke of midnight, eat some grapes (I’ve heard that’s a thing), and dance until the early morning hours. I think maybe it’s because we are programmed to think that the Grande Finale should be just that, something spectacular! Like the end of a firework show or your favorite TV series; something memorable to let go of the old and welcome in the new.
It’s because of this preconceived notion that some people have developed a Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) for New Year’s Eve. Booking months in advance, paying a ridiculous amount of money, trying to round up all of your friends and even after all of this there is still that little fear that maybe you didn’t choose the right party, the right outfit, the right setting for your “perfect night.”
Even thinking about the future and imagining what the new year may have in store I can’t help but wonder about my love life, which is the part I haven’t quite gotten down just yet. I see myself with the same hope for each coming year: “Maybe this year I’ll fall in love?” Then I think, why am I obsessed? Maybe it’s on my mind because I witness it all around me. Everyone seems so happy and coupled up that it makes me feel like I’m missing out on something. I’m having this adventure of a lifetime and according to all the movies I should be onto the “love” part by now, especially after all the eating and praying I’ve been doing. (Damn you RomComs for forever ruining me!) What I’m really missing is my freedom from feeling this way. I’m comfortable being on my own, I enjoy my solitude, but there is always something around me that makes those thoughts of romance creep into my head. I’ve been lucky to have some enchantments and flirtations along the way but it’s fleeting. Each person that has come into my life has offered a lesson to be learned, whether known or unknown and I feel like all those lessons have to be leading up to something right?
It’s not really letting go of the past that is the problem. It is the coming to terms with the letting go of a possible future that will never be. That is the struggle. The mind wants to keep its fantasies; even when they are wrong, unhealthy, dangerous, or even cruel. To let go of the past you must let go of the future and live in the present.
I know I am lucky to be traveling and I love that I am following my dreams without the need of some sort of relationship to validate me. I need to fall in love with the idea of being on my own without having any fears. I have just seen magnificent sunrises, hiked a volcano, hung around some great people and I have only just begun the first leg of my trip! I’m living my life exactly the way I want to. No matter what happens I feel so blessed to be where I am that in the end, I’m not really missing out at all.
Spending New Year’s, whether an extravagant party, a quiet night in, or even some well deserved sleep you can get rid of the fear as long as you are doing something that makes you happy. The FOMO no longer has a hold on you. Make a decision, smile, and even if it doesn’t work out as planned (which nothing ever does) there is no point in looking to the past to see what you could have done differently and definitely no point in over thinking the future. Just live in the present and everything will work out in the end.
Cheers & Happy New Years
17 Sunday Jan 2016
Posted Inspirations, January 2016
inTags
beach, Gili, inspirations, Inspired traveler, life, quote, quotes, travel, wanderlust
Always keep them wanting more.
-a quote my dad has always said 🙂
03 Sunday Jan 2016
Posted Inspirations, January 2016
inTags
climbing volcanoes, go for it, Indonesia, inspirations, inspired, Inspired traveler, life, quotes, travel
Sometimes we have to stop being scared and go for it. Either it’ll work or it won’t. That is life.
~Alex Elle