The thought of work and routine brings shudders to many who
identify themselves as savvy travelers.
Being a traveler means living by no one’s timeline, and free to explore
the world as one pleases.
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| One way to beat LA traffic-with a map of all the Starbucks |
Unless you’re a trust fund baby, there comes a time when
finances begins to down trend and budgeting leftover savings is futile. When this moment turns into fruition, two
scenarios come to mind. (1) conform to
the fringes of society and (2) go back home to earn money.
With scenario (1), chronic homelessness, compromised hygiene
and food insecurity may result.
With scenario (2), the quirky traveler may find herself
trapped in a mundane job that consumes her sanity, all for the sake of paying
bills.
In my case, traveling brought me many joys, but also a
samsara of painful awakenings and dreadful “adult” responsibilities upon returning home.
Eventually backpacking the world became exhausting as I
could no longer tolerate sharing the same bathroom with fellow filthy
travellers in various hostels. I could
no longer tolerate carrying 35 pounds of strategically packed bags while
transitioning from airports to busses to taxis. I could no longer tolerate
having to toss toilet paper into waste bins due to third world plumbing.
In my late 20’s I decided to pursue higher education. It was
a hard decision because I had to momentarily relinquish any dream of long-term
traveling. I know I had to plan a career
in order to find a tolerable way of spending 8 hours of my daily life for the
sake of W2’s
While balancing my studies and multiple jobs I managed to
traverse 4 continents. The culmination
of it all was when I completed my internship AKA preparing myself for a “real”
job.
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| Ahh the joys of being home! |
I now work 40 hours a week with hours forever lost in LA
traffic. I have completed four full
months of the beginning of my “dreadful” career. Any plans for travelling now hangs on the
mercy of my supervisors.
Do I resent the life I have now and wish that I could have
carried on with my gypsy ways? Absolutely not.
Although I cherish my travelling experiences, I don’t miss
them. I have learned that the only thing
that is real is the present moment. But
of course I still daydream of going to exotic places. These days I maintain my
traveling spirit with spontaneous camping trips and photo safaris.
People warned to stay away full-time work as long as I could, and I did just that.
People warned to stay away full-time work as long as I could, and I did just that.
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