RTW means “Return To Work”! That’s all it’s about, do the ‘trip’ then get back to your life!
It’s not travelling it’s collecting a badge, a button, that makes you feel good. Don’t waste your time blogging on it, nobody wants to read it.
So now I’ve upset half my readers, both of you, why am I saying it.
Catchy headline – YES! Controversy – YES! Genuine message – YES!
My cousin is typical of what I am talking about. He is a great salesman and worked in the UK for Coca-Cola. He married a New Zealand girl, a colleague of his in the IT department. They had a great life, money, home, then they dropped it all to ‘travel’. Everyone said, “What about your jobs”, they said, “it’s OK we’ll find something when we come back”. So off they went, threw caution to the wind and started travelling. They did the usual stuff – South East Asia, Trans-Siberian Express etc.
Then back to the UK and back to the J-O-B. They eventually moved to Singapore and Bali, so it did help them to open up their horizons, but otherwise it was life as usual. That’s what usually happens with RTW. There is a period of intense activity and then life pulls you back, society wins. You blog about it and feel you are different, then it fades away as the responsibilities of home take over.
That is being a tourist. There is nothing wrong with that, I am often a tourist. But it’s not ‘travelling’ in the sense that many people understand it. It’s not living consciously and designing a new lifestyle for yourself.
So what is travelling? What is living consciously? What makes the difference?
1. What is your purpose?
What’s your reason for travelling? Is it to see the world or is it to make a difference? Make sure you know what it is all about.
2. What have you left behind?
Is it unresolved? Is it pulling you back? Make sure you ‘clear’ the old life, leaving you free to take the new one where you will.
3. What does the future hold for you?
Are you open to receive whatever comes? Do you worry about what is going to happen? See the future as an open book and expect to be surprised by what is going to happen to you.
4. How are you integrating and networking?
Are you making any friends as you travel? Are you building your connections? Treat your travel as your life, your whole life, and build your connections as you go.
5. How is your travel funded?
Are you supporting yourself? Are you making a living? If you are travelling on savings you need to make a shift to independent working. Invest in your future and make it you life.
6. What are you contributing?
Do you give more than you receive? It is important in life to give greater value than the money you receive. Give back and make that central to your travels.
Think about what you are doing, give to others and let go of where you are going.
Photo by JonoMueller
To find out more visit “Travels of an Earth Pilgrim“.