Bring your exciting "travel life" into your "real life"

Over the last few years, I’ve been living kind of on/off. It was a cycle of travel, back to normal life, travel, back to normal life - until it was time to travel again. I was constantly working, I was constantly saving money. I lived through my adventures and the life of traveling.

Travel excites me. Traveling makes me feel truly alive. It brings me insight and some kind of satisfaction. I am feeling free.

Whenever I returned back home, I felt I was determined to study, to get a ”real job” and settling down into a life of routines and deadlines. The thought completely bored me. I couldn’t see any way that a ”normal” life could bring me any satisfaction. So I went away again. Onto new adventures.

Even though, I’ve always promised myself, that no man should decide, if I go travel or not, I got into a relationship. The fact that I haven’t been in a relationship for over 4 years, it felt truly beautiful when I finally met the man I, for the first time, could see a loving and exciting future with. I somehow changed my priorities. I wanted to spend my life with him. I truly wanted to create a new chapter with him. Honestly there wasn’t anything, I wanted more.

I was always thinking, that being in a relationship, would keep me from during what I truly wanted. But I was clearly wrong. Ever since I met my boyfriend, I’ve been feeling truly alive – we both follow our hearts, we both wants to live an exciting life full of adventures and happiness. I’ve realized, that the life of excitement, adventures, laughs and unforgettable memories, doesn’t only happen when you’re traveling. Life is what you make it. And the best part of it all: I still feel free. He would never prevent me from going on my travels or follow my passions - just like I wouldn’t prevent him from following his.

I wanted to discover a way, where my ”normal” life could be just as beautiful as my travel life. I wanted to know, if there was a way, I could incorporate the life of travels into my everyday life too.

And this is my conclusion:

Practice being mindful in your daily life.

When I am away on my travels, I am always present in every experience. I am focusing on what I am doing and is enjoying every minute of it. When I travel, I notice the sounds, the smells. I notice the people around me.

When I am back home, living my ”real life”, I lose that excitement and focus. I am often forgetting to be completely present in the moment. I am rushing through my daily affairs with head down, headphones in, quickly eating my lunch and quickly heading back home and continuing being ”busy” and unaware. When I travel – sitting in a café in Melbourne, taking a walk in Sri Lanka, driving around in Bali or sitting on a beach in Thailand – my eyes would be studying every color, creature or thing; my ears would be listening to sounds of the nature or the chattering; I’d taste every bite of my meal and every drop of my drink; I’d pay attention to the smells of flowers or smells on the streets. I’d allow magical moments and experiences to happen into my days.

I realized, I could be the same, no matter where I am in this world. I could still be visiting new cafes. Cook new meals. Explore new places. Do new things. Meet new people.

This mindset we have, while we are traveling, can also exist in our daily lives. Be fully present in every day – no matter how boring the day might seem.

Be exactly where you are and you’ll slowly notice how your life, perspectives and mindset changes.

Surround yourself with the right people:

I’ve been during a lot of cutting in my social circle. It’s important for me to cut out all the people, who’s giving me bad vibes. For me, it’s important to connect with the people, I’m surrounding myself with. Ever since I’ve started traveling, I know how it feels to mentally connect with somebody. It’s difficult to explain – but it’s feels like you are in your own bubble. Laughing out of control, talking about everything. I see people with different eyes, when I am traveling. I only see the positives and I see them, just as they are, in this very moment.

Do you know what’s beautiful? No matter what, you always have a choice; You get to choose who’s in your life.

As you probably have heard before, you are the average of the people, you choose to spend time with. If you’re surrounded with negative people, who doesn’t serve you or people who brings you down, give yourself permission, to move on.

While you are traveling, you are always choosing, who you are spending your time with. Some of them you connect with. Some of them you even share your adventures and journey with. Then there’s those you don’t connect with and you both move on onto different journeys. And that’s okay. You can apply this to your ”real life” too.

Shut off you TV

I’m serious – sell it and buy yourself a gift or a plane ticket. Let me ask you; Are you ever watching TV, while you are traveling or on holiday? Okay, maybe the occasional movie or show. But how many of your evenings, are you sitting in front of a TV, while you are traveling?

Okay, I admit it might be a little rough to sell your TV completely - but one thing you can do, is cutting down on how much time, you are spending in front of it. There’s so many people, who says they haven’t got time to go to yoga, reading books, learn something new, following their passion etc. But one thing they can tell you, is what’s been happening in Paradise Hotel, who won X Factor or how many episodes they've seen of Game of Thrones.

I’m not saying, you never should watch your favorite TV-show if it brings you joy, but keep it in balance with all the other activities, you enjoy as well. Obviously I have a TV, but I don’t pay for a TV package or extra channels. I do watch movies and TV series, but I keep it in balance, with all the other things I enjoy. I’m kind of ”boring” that way and some often ask me ”What do you spend your time on, if you’re not watching TV?”. I kind of don’t know what to answer. It’s actually sad that someone had even asked me that.

So go exploring, go on adventures, be spontaneous, go for a walk. Be active, stay curious.

Be real

It really should be easy being ourselves, because that is who we truly are. We are often caught in situations, studies, work or relationships where we barely recognize ourselves.

It’s important you prioritize, to stay connected with yourself and your happiness. Just like you do, when you’re on holiday. You put yourself in focus. When you do that, you show the best version of yourself in relationships, commitments and to the world.

Ask yourself what it is, you truly love about yourself, when you are on holiday? What makes you feel so special? What did you allow yourself to do, in order to make yourself happy? What qualities did you have in that experience? What do you love? What makes you feel alive?

Take all your answers and put all that into your current life.

I’ve realized, I love living close to the city. It allows me to be spontaneous. I love living near the water. It allows me to be peaceful, without the noise from the hectic city traffic and spending my time outside. Actually, while I am writing this, I got to think about my current home. I've always wanted to live near water and nature whilst I am near the city – and that’s exactly what I got. I have water just outside of my balcony and nature all around; and I’m living 10 minutes from the city. Yay!

Anyway, back to focus. I’ve realized, I love being around likeminded people, who can make me laugh and people, who can inspire me. I’m not a big fan of routines neither and therefore it has been very difficult for me, to begin my studies.

It’s not necessary to move to another country, or to turn your life completely around to be true to yourself. The only necessary thing to do, is to put a face on your passions and interests you locked yourself out from. Make time for them, make them a reality and put them into your daily life.

No matter where you find yourself in this world or what situation you might face, always be you.

But the most important thing of all, one that I thought was hard, is to not see ”home” and ”travel” as two completely separate lives.

I’ve come to realize, that my adventures isn’t going anywhere. I stopped seeing ”home” as a place only filled with rules and a list of things I ought to do.

Life is an adventure itself, if we only wants it to be.

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