Traveler life

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.

How I Travel the World for a Living

The million dollar question: “How do you make a living traveling the world?” It seems like a foreign idea to most people — like an unattainable dream. Dozens of travel bloggers have written about this subject, but I hope to bring a different perspective because we live in one of the most expensive cities in the world (well, a beach town near the city); we have rent to pay, monthly utility bills, and no plans to sell everything to become permanent nomads.

I did have plans to leave everything behind in my twenties, but as I’ve grown older and planted roots in our beloved beach town, that desire has diminished. I see the value in balance and have found this lifestyle currently makes me happy. Things may change in the future, but for now, I’m learning to be location independent and work for myself, but with a home base.

Instant friends

People always ask the same question of solo travelers – “don’t you get lonely?” The truth is, you are never alone. On the road, you constantly meet people. You get into hostels, and you find instant friends. It’s as though you’ve known each other for years because you are each there for many of the same reasons. Moreover, you each fill a lonely void in the other’s life. And for that day, week, or month, you and your fellow travelers are best friends.

Why we do it

The movie nailed it on the head. Why do we travel? Interviews with all the travelers echoed one theme – “We don’t want to look back and have regrets.” All these travelers felt that there was more to life than just the cubicle, and they could see the trajectory of their lives –- wives, homes, children. There were no surprises. None of them wanted to be 50 and say “I wish…” Many people feel that way, but these travelers took the plunge. It’s hard to motivate yourself to travel, but they did. Why? Because we only live once, and no one wants to look back and say what if.

Turning into a lifelong traveler

Brook, the main character, says at the end of the movie that he took this trip to get travel “out of his system”. Then he’d come back, get a job, and live the life society wanted, but he found that instead of getting it out of his system, he just got more addicted to travel. Now he can’t go back to the way things were. He’s different. He can’t picture life without travel. When you talk to travelers, you hear the same thing: they are now travelers forever.