Two years ago, I decided to go on my first solo trip. It was a quick two-week getaway to Colombia. Those brief two weeks sparked a fire in me. As soon as I got back to the states, I bought my first big boy travel backpack and booked a flight to Peru to meet up with some of the friends I had made in Colombia.
Two years removed from that first backpacking trip, I’ve learned a lot of things, a lot of things about travel but more importantly, about myself. My life has changed drastically since then, with friends coming and going and countless memories made and countless memories missed. A lot of life lessons have taken place, from those sketchy Colombian bathroom stalls to the posh cafe in London where I currently sit. It’s hard to sum up those two years but if I could narrow it down to the important stuff…
Friendship Is Only A Beer Away
Let’s start this off with a good, solid ~ the partying traveler ~ type lesson before we move on to the cheesier life lessons. Sound good? Perfect.
One time, I was traveling solo in Bangkok and sat myself at the hostel bar. I started talking to the Dutch man next to me, about our work, passions, dreams, and experience. As an American, we inevitably got to the depressing topic of American politics. After a brief pause, he said “oh well, there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Actually… there is. We can sit here, share a beer, and be friends.”
That random Dutch guy whose name I no longer remember inadvertently put to words what ~ the partying traveler ~ has always been about. It’s never been about getting drunk in dope places, although I’ll admit that it’s a pretty cool perk. But for me, it’s always been about the social aspect of traveling and the unforgettable friendships you make, no matter how briefly they last.
If you can leave a lasting impact on someone during your short time together, you have done your part towards making the world a better place. All too often, we hear the stereotypes about people from different countries. When we travel and meet people from all over the world, we can debunk negative stereotypes and reinforce positive stereotypes of our country. I can show the world that not all Americans are loud and ignorant and that all Filipinos love karaoke more than life itself.
Your Attitude Defines Everything
If you live life with a positive attitude, things will be pretty positive right back. A lot of the terrible things that happen along the way won’t seem as terrible. A lot of the good things that happen along the way become that much better. When traveling long-term, you really have to learn how to roll with the punches. Not everything is going to work out exactly as planned. If you stress over something that you cannot change, that’s just a double negative whammy.
I’ve always been a pretty chill person that goes with the flow. Basically, if you want to travel long-term, you’re going to have to go with the flow. I’ll admit that at first, I was a stickler for everything and always wanted to make sure I did everything I wanted to do and never strayed from my original plans. Looking back, I wonder if I actually even had any fun while traveling. Sure, it was great to see and do as much as possible but at the end of a busy day, you realize that you didn’t really give yourself time to truly take it all in and be in the moment.
It’s fine to want to do and see as much as possible. Just be okay with it when things don’t work out as planned. Not everywhere is going to be as magical as you imagined it to be. Not everything is going to run as smoothly as you’d like. Like I said, just go with the flow and keep your attitude positive no matter what happens. Once you look back on a trip, even the worst days will make you smile or laugh.
Your Comfort Zone.. Get Rid Of It Right Away
As soon as I hopped off the plane in Cartagena, I ordered an Uber. Little did I know that Uber was illegal and the drivers brave enough to do it anyway had to improvise. My car came, a random person hopped out of the backseat, started hugging me and yelling at me in Spanish before putting my luggage in the car.
What the f*ck just happened? The driver explained to me that since there were police and security around, they had to make it seem like they were picking up a good friend and not a paying customer. Comfort zones. Get rid of them. A week later, I was waltzing through Medellin’s most dangerous neighborhood all by myself. I ended up befriending a few locals and joining a pickup soccer match before sharing a drink with them before having to leave. Comfort zones. Get rid of them. Two weeks later, my fat ass made it to Machu Picchu after 5 days of trekking and being completely unprepared. Comfort zones. You get the point.
Do More Of What You Love And You Will Find Your People
This is perhaps one of the biggest life lessons I’ve ever learned. I love my friends that I have made through every stage of my life but the fact is, a lot of those friendships come as a result of convenience and proximity. Take high school for example, once I went to college, 99% of my high school friends pretty much disappeared from my life. The same thing happened with college, to a lesser degree. In college, you do have the freedom to choose your interests and your passions, so the friends you make are more in line with what you love to do.
However, once you graduate college and are able to experience true freedom with what you want to do, that’s when you truly discover who you are and who you want to be friends with. In short, I’ve discovered my true loves for traveling, photography, storytelling, and all things creative. By doing more of what I love, I’ve stumbled into more and more people that love doing the same thing. People that I can truly say understand me and accept me, as opposed to those acquaintances that have been formed out of convenience.
Stability is Just a State of Mind
For as long as I can remember, my parents have preached a stable life to me. My long-term girlfriend and I also just split up, and stability was definitely a factor. For me, stability was the ever-changing road. For her, it was settling down. For my parents, it’s having a job that gives you health insurance. Or at least, that’s what they keep telling me.
Whenever I am at home, my feet get restless and my mind begins to daydream of more exciting destinations. Stability does not necessarily mean staying in one place. If you are constantly traveling, then maybe the road is where you will find your consistency. I didn’t grow up in one place. My family and I moved every few years, from the Philippines to New York, then to New Hampshire, then to Missouri before I went off to college and then started traveling. I guess growing up that way, I never considered staying in one place for a long period of time.
Of course, things change as you grow up and different things start to matter in different ways, but why rush or force things?
Material Things Are Pretty Overrated
To each their own, obviously. I’m not saying that my way is the only right way but for me, I’ve learned that I’ve come to value experiences significantly more than the material things I’ve owned. Part of that is because of how frustrating it is to sift through the hundreds of clothes I’ve bought that I’ve never even worn. Especially when packing your life into a 60 liter backpack.
I got into entrepreneurship at a very young age and struck gold with social media when I was 19. At the time, I was restricted to college and couldn’t exactly waltz off wherever I wanted in the world. I spent a lot of my money on stupid stuff to show off to people who didn’t really care at all.
In short, I’ve been happier living off $20 a day while backpacking than I ever was when I could buy anything I wanted. Everyone’s priorities are different but I do think everyone needs to try to discover what will give them long-lasting happiness as opposed to just quick bursts of retail therapy.
Be A Good Person, People Will Be Good To You Back
The kindness of strangers goes about as far as the kindness that you’re willing to show. Kindness is the universal human language and I’ve found this to be true from Cuba to Thailand to Norway.
When traveling, you find yourself constantly in unfamiliar territory. The languages, the environments, and the cultures may be difficult to adapt to at first. However, the people will always be there to lend a helping hand to the traveler who needs it. I’m not saying that you should take advantage of the kindness of people. Trust me, it is a lot easier than you think to tell whether someone has a good heart or not. Treat people with kindness and you will get kindness in return. This has been one of the truths that I’ve found to be universal.
It is one of my most hopeful realizations. For every bad thing that we constantly hear about, there are thousands of good things happening across the world silently. For every one person that’s been a dick to you on your travels, there are hundreds more that will selflessly help you for nothing in return.
Everyone Has Their Own Time Frame and Life Path. Don’t Rush Yours.
Perhaps one of my most recent but most significant realizations has been that you shouldn’t feel forced into going down a path that you don’t feel is right. Sure, there are plenty of factors that affect this decision and it isn’t always as black and white as “do it” and “don’t do it.” However, if you force yourself into doing what you think you are supposed to do, you might not end up happy.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, why put yourself into a box? In most cases, you can always choose eventually, once you have a better idea of what you truly want to do. Sometimes, if you force yourself to do something that you aren’t even sure you want to do, you might not be able to get the time or opportunities back that you sacrificed.
This one is more of a life lesson but hey, I learned it while I was backpacking so it counts.
It’s Going To Be Okay
Like I said earlier, you really learn how to roll with the punches while traveling long-term. Oftentimes, things don’t work out the way you want them to. I’ve learned this more from meeting people than through traveling but meeting people is perhaps the most important part of traveling. Meeting people from across the world who have walked different paths of life and have experienced things you might never experience is the true reward of traveling. Those are the conversations that will change your worldview, more than any world wonder or hidden beach will.
When you are staying at home for extended periods of time, it’s kind of easy to imagine that everyone else is following the same path as you. All your friends have jobs, families, routines and so on. But to think they all are following similar paths is just not true, and that becomes even more apparent when sharing life stories with people from all over the world.
Every person you meet has walked a different path to get to where they are when you met them. The one thing that every person has in common? Is that they have made it that far and that they are okay. Those people have lost their jobs, lost their loved ones, suffered through life-altering tragedies. And they are still here.
Mental health has been a topic that has been coming up a lot in my life lately and I feel like more than ever, I should at least address it. There have been many times in my life where I feel like I cannot express myself properly because I will be met with “dude, you travel for a living, how bad can life be?” Even the slightest hint that I’m having a bad day will be met with “oh, boo hoo.”
Mental illness is something that can affect everyone and I have definitely not been immune to it. The past few months have been a huge struggle for me and continue to be a struggle. But one thing I’ve realized while traveling is that people from all walks of life have their struggles and their dark times. And all of the people that I’ve met have helped me realize that I will be okay. A lot of them have survived and struggled through times more difficult than I’ve had to face. It is wrong to compare one’s struggles with another person’s but it is an optimistic reminder to see that people will be okay no matter what difficult circumstances life has dealt them.
I’m Nowhere Near Done Yet
There is so much more to see. There are so many more people to meet. There are so many life-changing experiences that are just waiting for me to answer their call. I feel like Moana, who knows how far I’ll go? Stay tuned.
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Eli, this is such a brilliant post!! I took away so much from this. You are so right – material possessions are so overrated. Travel is just the best – the things you see, the people you meet. Nothing beats it! 🙂
This was such an amazing read. I’ve always felt that travel was a great way to broaden your horizons, but you really put into words thoughts that I’ve had but never have been able to properly get across.
Lovely, these are the brilliant things that you’ve learnt. I only learnt one thing. On your path of life you will meet many, but don’t get attached because it hurts and makes u vulnerable.
This post is full of the wisdom of someone who has really lived through their travels. what wonderful experiences you have gained.
I Loved EVERY SINGLE THING you said in this post! Talk about a lot of wisdom!!! Thank you for your uplifting post!!!
Wow, I have gained knowledge in your experiences. I can relate too, So much love in your post. I agree too that we treat people good, it will come back to us. Every single lines of your blog post marks in my heart. So great!
This is great. And spot on in so many ways. Everyone’s road is their own, and you have found a way to embrace the world.
I completely agree with a lot of this, the most amazing thing I took from travelling was meeting so many different people. This is a great post and I’m so jealous of some of your experiences!
you learned soe true life lessons! i love how inspiring this post is
Travelling teaches you so much about yourself as well as the world around you!
Traveling is more fun. A lot of people you will meet and learn so many things from them. I love exploring too like you do.
These resonate so much! I love your attitude towards travelling. I’ll be 30 next year and it seems like everyone my age is getting married & having kids. I was worried about what people would think before I left for Asia but those worries immediately melted away. Plus, it’s a nice feeling to be confident in your life choices and trust in your own path. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Wow…this was so inspiring to read. I love how much you learned about life over the past two years backpacking! P.S. I love your blog name! -Tonya Morris
Two years backpacking wow! This is beyond impressive. Thanks a lot for the insights.
Travelling the world seems like such an incredible experience. I have barely made it out of Europe there is so much I would love to see. Maybe I could try backpacking one day when my little ones have grown.
Eli, you’re an inspiration brother. I fuckin’ hope we have a beer, or 5, someday!
thanks man, i’ll take you up on that offer any day!
I’m sure you can make alot of friends by sharing experiences together. I would love to do more traveling when our kids are older.
I wish I had gone backpacking before I settled down. It seems like an unparalleled experience.
I never really thought about trying backpacking before, it looks beautiful though. May need to add it to my want to do list.
I love these points! So amazing that you went ahead and did this for yourself. You’re living the dream. Such an inspiration to get out there!
You have learned many valuable lessons & had them reinforced over the last couple years. I’ve never been backpacking, but it sounds like a life changing experience. Safe travels!
Such a great article and I really love every single things you’ve said here. I felt that travels will really helps you know more about yourself and that will also help you to broaden your horizon.
I really enjoyed reading this Eli and I learnt so much more than I expected. Way back when I was much younger I dreamt of back-packing around the world and then I let life interfere. Things happen and plans change. I wish you many, many more years of stretching yourself and seeing the world through new eyes and new experiences
great reading! I absolutely agree with all these points. You have touched so many important points here!
Everything about this post is so accurate. Life is a path we travel. Each path is different, and we all learn several lessons along the path.
Your experience is so awesome! I’m so glad you’ve found what makes you really happy 🙂
I love this. I think backpacking, or travelling in general, teaches us way more than any educational system ever could!
This is such an uplifting and informative post! I love it. Your experience is amazing and I’m glad you’ve found something that makes you happy! I really enjoyed this! 🙂
I love this! I spent two years traveling in Asia but now I stopped to spend more time with my family in the Philippines. I terribly miss traveling. I agree that material things are overrated! I’d rather save up for experiences.
Wow, this is such a great read and I can say that you have a nice experience in every travels that you made. For me, it is really important to make friends in every trip that will help you in times of your needs.
I learned very similar things when I soent a few years traveling!! It was so easy and fun to make friends in cities!! Easier than at home lol
You are so right. People will treat you the way you treat them so it pays to be kind. Love the tips here.
I absolutely love this post! I love to travel but its been a while since we took a trip anywhere. After reading this I can not wait for our next trip!
While I don’t travel often, even though I’d really like too, I’ve always felt that travel teaches you a lot about who you are as a person.
This is awesome post. I am not brave enough to have my solo travel, but I will definitely do it one day.
You post is amazing.And I am agree with you, do more for what you love!
Love this post! Thank you for sharing your perspective.
What a fantastic post, it’s amazing what life lessons can be learnt while travelling. Engaging with locals, customs and other travellers can be such a life changer.
What a fantastic post! Traveling really does have a way of opening up your heart and mind to new perspectives.
I love the idea of travelling for a living! I especially love all of your mantras. “Be A Good Person, People Will Be Good To You Back” and “It’s Going To Be Okay” spoke to me the most for sure!
I have never travel solo until today. But after reading your post I might try it
These are so true. Friendship is just a beer away is my favorite from list and it is soooo true!
Your travels are remarkable and exciting. This is the way of life. You are right on target with meeting people in places and making instant connections just simply being in the same space. Good vibes do bring out positivity in people. And it will help with any mental thoughts that may engage you. Keep your mind busy and doing what you love. But you already are, enjoy!
This is amazing! Looks like you have had a great time!
This is everything that I want to do but I don’t know how to start! I love the idea of going somewhere new and just exploring for the sake of exploring and experiencing life as it is. I really want to visit Cuba, and a few places around Europe but am afraid to do it alone since I’ve never traveled solo before. How did you start?
It was so cool that you learn so much on your backpacking. You did a great job. Would you consider writing a backpacker guide book?
I love how well you have written this piece.. full of heart and experience. I can easily relate to some of these lessons and made me miss to do more adventures.
What an awesome experience you’ve had! Sounds like you’ve had some amazing adventures.
“Everyone has their own time path “ I love that! So very true never compare yourself to others! Looks like you’ve been I. Some life changing adventures!!
This is such a heart felt post and it shows your love for travel. I agree with all you share. Travelling is a lifestyle choice and kudos for having backpacked for the last 2 years.
It’s so cool that you’ve learnt these lessons while travelling over the last 2 years! Though I haven’t ever really been “backpacking” I have learnt some similar lessons when I have been travelling solo x
Hey Eli, love this post!! Wicked to read and seem relate to what you have said. 🙂
One can always make a friend over a beer! It sounds like you gained some real-world knowledge along your travels. It was nice to read some that you shared!
I love the adventure you’re on and always look forward to reading your next blog post! 🙂 You inspire me to travel more!
So many great lessons here and so very true! Such an inspiring post..thank you for sharing!
Sounds like you have had the most amazing adventure. I had my family young so never got the chance to go backpacking
Ahh I wish I was this adventurous! What an exciting life :). I love everything about this post… thank you for sharing!
These are such incredible life lessons. It looks as if your many travels have been good to you.
what a wonderful trip! the picture are simply amazing!! would love to live an adventure like this one day
i agree with kindness. do good things and it comes back to you
Sounds like you always have a great adventure and I agree that every travels gives you a lesson that you will never learn from the school.
I do believe that backpacking gives great life teachings! Keep it up!
We love to travel, but we have never gone backpacking before. Sounds like you had a lot of fun.
Oh wow, it looks like you have had such a great time exploring the world. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Omg love it!!!! It’s crazy what valuable lessons the world can teach us! Sounds like backpacking taught you a lot!
So true, well spoken of. Do you best and what makes you happy. Proly i gotta get myself into backpacking and trips to explore the inner me which I sure havent
Stability is a state of mind. This is so true and definitely the reminder I needed to day! This is an amazing post. It looks like you really are living your best life. x
I loved reading this post. Not only do you write beautifully, but as a fellow traveller I identify with everything you have said. Especially about mental health and travel. <3
What great adventures!!! Your pictures are stunning. I cannot even imagine actually being there in person. Hope 2019 brings you exciting travels.
woa! your adventures are fantastic and the experience is unbelievable. Backpack is so much more than just a trip. It is great to see how much you have changed and evolved!
Looks like you have had the most incredible experience, I would love to go travelling
this is how i would love to explore the world ! making memories, see places and expirience things x regards Pati robins
This was a great read! Really loved your insight into traveling as much as you do, and how cool to meet amazing people from around the world. Can’t wait to see where you go next.
This is an awesome post! I went through a similar journey when I was travelling full time and completely agree with so many of your points. I’m also not done travelling yet!
What great lessons you’ve learned while backpacking! I agree that it’s the people you meet along the way that make life rich. We can connect with most anyone, and it’s really great when that happens in another country. Loved your opening story about your Dutch friend!
Love this! Have you read the NY Times’ 52 places traveler’s yearly round-up?
Great post – looks like you have had some amazing adventures! I remember having my first backpacking adventure and how amazing it was. Definitely life changing – haha! Wishing you many more years of adventures (:
Ashlee | ashleemoyo.com
Travelling teaches such humbling lessons 🙂 I have learnt many similar things through travelling myself x
So true! I feel like having such few possesions is liberating and that I never really needed much of the belongings I sold or left behind. The people who have the least amount in the exterior definately have the most interior & seem more happy than people with lots of financial wealth & material things. I have met friends for life on my travels and have lots of excuses to go so many new places that were never even on my original “list”.
You have lived a very adventurous experience, but also very interesting that I envy you very much, it takes courage, guts and a lot of good will!
It was amazing read. So inspiring. Love the photos. Thanks for sharing this!
Wow, I love this. Traveling Is so rewarding
Looks like so very fun! definitely a trip to remember and share it with everyone! I even envy you a little
Those were a great experience. Seems liek you ahve learned so much in backpacking. Glad to see you found the real happiness in what you are doing.
It’s super interesting to learn what you have learned and discovered from the last couple of years of backpacking – I wish I’d taken the opportunity to go backpacking when I was younger.
Incredible experience! I’ve never been backpacking through a foreign country or city before. So interesting and inspiring!
great read. what an awesome telling of your adventures
Love the story and you are so lucky to get all that chances in life! Keep going!
I applaud you! Not everyone has the will power to take off and do what they like. This is life changing. KEEP IT UP!
[…] with each other is priceless. As a solo traveler, you are never truly traveling alone. The backpacking community is one of the most open and welcoming in the world, and surrounding yourself with fellow […]
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