My parents always nurtured my interest in travelling and during school summer holidays I had the luck to see almost all countries in Europe, going back and forth with the campervan. Later on I did my first oversee journeys on my own and also different work experiences gave me opportunities to spent time abroad. So I thought I know a bit about travelling.
Well, this time is quite different! Some people asked me how it is to travel for a year. To avoid any illusion from the beginning: it is definitely not like being on holidays! Quite the contrary, it can be rather exhausting. Sometimes you even get the feeling you need time off from travelling, but maybe I should start with first things first.
The grand scheme of my journey is defined by the countries I choose to put on my list and by the timing of my flights. However, when it comes to the detailed route I don’t have any plan, so I only decide a few days in advance where I’ll go next. If I like a place I stay longer, if the weather is bad or I’m just not interested I go on. Reasons to go somewhere might be interesting stories from other travelers, because I like the name of a town or just because it is on the way to somewhere and I like the feeling of the area. In the beginning I still was carrying a guide book with me, but given the weight and my disinterest in even opening it, it quickly found a new home.
I assume my biggest luxuries at the moment are that time doesn’t really matter and I don’t have to be somewhere. Definitely don’t try to ask me which day of the week it is, normally I’m happy if I get the month right 😉 I’m also meeting many new people, sometimes we travel together for a view days, we maybe do a hike or we just spent a few hours talking during hitchhiking. However short or long, this gives me a never ending input of new ideas, possibilities to get to know life stories from all kinds of people and for sure lots of opportunities to learn.
On the other hand, as it happens with all things you do for a while, you develop a routine. In the beginning it just gets easier to sleep in a new place every few nights and find your way around in the hostels. However, after some time it gets tiresome to exchange the same basic stories – where are you from, where are you travelling, how long are away, … – with your new roommates. You start missing little thinks, like having a nice kitchen and being able to cook properly. Especially when the weather is bad, it is difficult to find a place to be for yourself a bit. Also the enthusiasm about new beautiful places wears off or as some German hiking companions put it while we were enjoying a wonderful picking with a perfect view over Franz Josef glacier: “… it is just not as exciting anymore!”
The first months I absorbed so many inputs like a sponge. After almost five months of travelling I notice I feel tired and need to slow down to digest all these impressions – especially after the intensive last weeks on New Zealand’s south island. However, I’m also still very much looking forward to what lies ahead. Still way too much to discover and experience 😉
„ … vergiss nicht, dass alles möglich ist, die Welt ist offener, als du es dir vorstellst, sie ist ein einziges großes Tor, …“
(… don’t forget, everything is possible, the world is much more open than you imagine, it is one big door, …)
From “Love Life” by Zeruya Shalev