Ten years ago, I flew to Chile to finish my last semester of university. I had a return flight, so I didn't know then that I wouldn't be flying home at the end of the semester.
I didn't know that I would ditch the ticket and hitchhike north. I didn't foresee that I would stop for four years in Guatemala and work for a charity doing some of the most rewarding, formative work of my life. I didn't know that from there, I'd end up living and traveling across the world.
All I knew then was that I had this ache in my heart to get out and see the world. I followed that inner heart tug and am still following it today.
I’ve done a lot of reflecting during my nomad era. Now I offer you life lessons from my decade of travel.
1. Don’t feel guilty about what you aren’t doing. Enjoy what you are doing.
Growing up, we went on family vacations that were charged with the desire to do and see. My dad rushed us from one museum to the next, from lakeshore to lakeshore, from this mountain to that famously tall tree.
Today, even he — wild man of intrepid discovery that he is — has settled into a slower pace on trips. He now lets the family sleep as he embarks on a 5 a.m. sunrise kayak run.
Living on the road, there is always something to see or do. That can be a problem when you simply want to just be. We are, after all, human beings, not human doings.
One of the best decisions I made was when I skipped out on Machu Picchu. I was having fun just kicking it in Lima with the family I had met on a bus from Chile. Back in those days, we said things like, "just kicking it." And we meant it.
2. There’s a difference between advice and discouragement.
As it is with dreams, there are people who will encourage you to reach for them, and those who will tell you it can't be done or that you should do it a different way — their way.
It's not always easy to know the difference between discouragement and advice.
In my own experience, there were those friends and family who told me that I should get a "normal job," and make as much money as I could. I should wait to reach for my dreams — supporting myself as a writer — until I achieved a position of financial security.
Ten years later, I see that many of my friends who opted to put off their dreams for a later date are still far away from them or have given up on them.
Graciously take all the advice offered to you. But in the end, connect with your inner voice, and follow it. That voice knows what you need.
3. Nothing is impossible
So you missed your plane or train? You were too late to catch the next bus? Someone says that it's impossible to get to such and such a place at this time?
Don 't believe the voices of the doomed! There's always a way! Part of the fun in life is finding that way when it seems impossible.
4. Stop and look around.
My perspective on how one lives “the good life” was incubated in teenage years through a sociological mess of parental advice, teachers, motivational speakers, Empire Records, Blink 182, and Ferris Bueller.
"Life moves pretty fast," Ferris Bueller said. "If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
This is maybe the most important advice I can give on travel and life. It's a lesson we never stop learning. How can I be more present right now? How can I fully appreciate this moment? How can I get out of the compulsive thoughts of the mind and into my surroundings?
5. Life’s a celebration, not a party.
I don't have that many regrets in life. But when I look back at my travels, all of the parties in bars and hostels that seemed so significant at the time have now faded into the background of unimportance.
The real lasting friendships I've made, the important people who have impacted me, the moments that have changed my outlook in indescribably wonderful ways, all happened without a drink in hand.
6. Real fun happens outside our comfort zone.
"Do you want to dance la cueca?" someone asked in Chile. I didn't know how, but off I went to the dance floor where everyone laughed at me. So I laughed, too.
If you laugh too, then everyone laughs with you. Take this lesson off the dance floor, apply it to life, and you have a recipe for a life free from worrying about what everyone else is thinking.
7. Move toward, not away from.
On the road, you meet two types of nomads: those running toward places and those running away from them.
When the latter arrives somewhere new, things are good for a while, but eventually the "I gotta get out of here” feeling returns. And so they run somewhere new and the cycle repeats.
Travel can help illuminate much about the world and self, but the work of self-discovery is an inner journey you can’t outrun.
8. Our perspective can change the world.
Is the world a wonderful place or a horrible one? Is life a joy or a chore? Are people generally good or bad? Is a country generally right or wrong?
We change the world by how we view it. By changing our own perspective, we change the world around us. A positive outlook leads to positive outcomes, and the opposite is equally true.
Sometimes our joy is a reason for our smile, other times our smile leads to happiness. What comes first, the smile or the joy? Spend the next hour smiling, and you'll have the answer.
9. We all love from the same heart.
Traveling the world, you see so many differences in people. But when you get to the heart of the matter, you see that all of us essentially are after the same thing. We all have this need to love and be loved.
Most major religions may use different words, yet they still lead us on a similar path — a path that asks us not to harm others, to look less at what we want and need in order to see how we can help others.
10. There are no rules, but there are laws and hazards.
There are a lot of paths you can follow in life. Some are clearly mapped out and come with guides, while others have no obvious direction. When you forge your own path, you have the freedom to create your own rules as you go.
Be creative, go where no one you know has gone before. The opportunities are there for the taking.
Even as you take risks and step beyond your comfort zone, be careful, too. Travel smart. People love and care about you, so protect yourself. Call your family and let them know where you are. They're the ones who worry about you when you're off somewhere foreign.
Together in Your Adventures
No two journeys are the same. How you travel, where, with whom, and what you get out of the experience is as unique as our own fingerprints.
That doesn’t mean you’re alone in your adventures, though. Find inspiration, tips, and a community of fellow travelers at SevenCorners.com.
