The idea of quitting the job to travel around the world is not a good thought until you are very clear in your mind. It takes a lot of compromises, sacrifices, dedication, and passion for traveling 24X7 and yet manage to survive successfully. For many people, survival on the go is not a big deal, but they find it challenging to feel satisfied with the nomadic life. Although it may be easier than expected to become a wanderer for life, it may become a testing time to find clarity of beliefs and sentiments.
The pain of taking a decision to quit
Living a nomadic life seems exciting, particularly during the early life when you are young, energetic, healthy, and curious. Even though the number of people is small who quit their regular way of life and choose to live out of a suitcase for their lifetime, they manage to stand up for themselves and do the thing they always wanted. They do not listen to people who call them selfish, mean, stupid, illogical, unstable, and what not. It requires a heart of steel to listen to such comments and yet choose to ignore them. Sometimes, you have to build a fortress of dreams in your heart for years in a row. When that citadel of ambitions becomes enormous and unbreakable, it is only then that you find the ability to unveil your plans.
You may take a year, or two, or even more to finally resolve and say to yourself, ‘Just do it!’ When you are finally ready for it, you just go to your manager one day, and tell him or her that you spent a good time in the company, but it is now time to say goodbye. Based on the part of the world you live in, you may face different reactions from people about your decisions. Someone may mock at you for behaving like a kid, someone may watch you with awe, and someone may not be interested in your life at all. The last reaction of ignorance is the most painful one, especially when it comes from friends whom you thought were your best buddies. One of the major yet secret reasons to take such bold decisions is to seek praise from people; and when you do not get that desired level of appreciation, it feels painful to accept the oblivious behavior of people. Anyway, you still choose to proceed towards your journey and close your eyes to everyone who disappointed you.
What after you leave home?
The idea of living in a hostel, hotel, or short-term rental excites the heart for quite a long time. For some people, it may be a year of thrilling life; and for others, it may be a decade or two. However, the only place you can call home is your hometown where you were born and brought up; the rest of the world becomes a vacation spot for you. The only thing that remains constant for nomads is Change; everything else is just so temporary, yet fascinating. When you are a nomad, you have to reset your mind every time you change your location, and stay detached to things and people.
The feeling of not having a stable set of friends, family, and a spouse may begin haunting you after some time. There comes a moment when you start feeling too lonely. You feel the need to talk your heart out. You want to scream from the edge of a cliff and shout it out that yes, you feel lost. Without having a clear vision for life, you are not able to set life goals. You miss little things in life. After you are tired of roaming around several countries, you feel the compulsive desire to save for kids’ education, celebrate your marriage anniversary with the spouse, have potluck dinner with colleagues and friends, and do every silly thing that you earlier thought that you would never do because everyone else was doing it. At that point, you would want to become a part of that rat-race and join the crowd that you always loathed. You think about creating your own terms to live life with a standard routine and make it more rewarding. That is the time when you do not want to compete with anyone but just live.
Dissatisfaction with life is something the human race cannot overcome. You choose travel to seek inner satisfaction, and then you renounce it to feel more gratified. Travelers are not a bunch of saints who can renounce the world and stay content with minimal things in life. Even though the trippers become minimalists, they remain materialistic in many regards, which becomes the root cause of discontent from the present life. True that they achieve many more things in various forms than their peers back home, but it is not in their hands to avoid missing their loved ones. Anyway, it is not a sin to feel a little dissatisfied with your achievements; at least it gives the motivation to keep going.
What about the sense of failure?
You left your home and job when you wanted to, without thinking much about anyone’s emotional state. It was an important decision, isn’t it? Now that you do not feel satisfied with your nomadic lifestyle, you do not need to feel embarrassed to accept it. Your folks back at home might make you feel like a failure for a few days or months, but if you are confident about accepting your current state of mind, you can positively answer to them that yes, you returned home, but it was not because you failed. It was because you missed your clan. You wanted to live like them, which is why you chose home over the world.
You might survive the financial challenges of the nomadic life, deal with the adventures, and do whatever it requires for staying on the road forever. However, when it comes to emotional contests, even the wealthiest person on earth feels lonesome. Choosing the life of a nomad was your choice, and when you feel clueless about your existence even when you listened to your heart, it is again your choice to realign your life.
You have had your share of endurance and experiences, and you can cherish them forever in your heart. Anyone who wants to hear your tales is more than welcome, but you should steer clear of people who bring your morale down. Nobody wrote it in the rulebook that you have to find your vision for life once you become a nomad. You might leave your footprints throughout the world, but still feel chaotic in your mind about your existence. It is entirely fine to make your own definition of living and be in this world on your terms, whether it means living life out of a suitcase or spending time in a cozy apartment at your birthplace. Just be confident about your decisions and remember that life is too short to foster regrets. Choose your way of life and move with the flow.
