Gather Round

A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. - English Proverb

A journey of a thousand miles starts but with a single step. While this classic adage still holds true, the start of every journey, in my opinion, is a list. Are all vaccines up to date? Check. Did all the appropriate clothes get packed? Check. Passport and finances in order? Check. Naturally, the list will vary from person to person as I have alluded to in my entry about Minimalism, but the core concept is the same. Everything must be copacetic before the long awaited departure date. Still, despite even a high level of meticulous preparation, there is always the possibility of things not going as planned. Even the most thought out of itineraries will invariably come across setbacks where you can’t possibly have thought of preparing for. Travel just has too many external factors that are out of the traveller’s control. Hopefully, any incident that may occur will lead to no permanent damage or, at the very least, a full recovery back to normalcy in a speedy manner. Regardless, a positive light can always be seen with any outcome. That moment in time has now been transformed into a gift in the form of a story. It can now be recounted endlessly over an infinite variation of settings whether it be during dinner with family, drinks at the bar with friends or over a campfire with whoever are interested in hearing the tale. Some may choose to quietly transpose it onto paper for some personal introspection and, maybe, joyful recollection. A select few may even choose to publish these experiences for future generations to live out their journeys in vicarious bliss. There truly is magic in those words. Insignificant, too, is the level of grandeur needed for a story to be of any worth. If it is told authentically and with passion, it can be used to inspire; a beacon for someone to head towards what they most desire. After all, the best travel stories don’t come from a monotonous stream of favourable outcomes, but as a byproduct of unfortunate events experienced personally by the traveller.

Priorities

Investment in travel is an investment in yourself. - Matthew Karsten

If there is one common thread that is written about almost as much as the act of travelling is the excuses that people make that state the reasons why it’s an impossible dream. Consequently, another popular blog topic is the counter argument that it can be attainable to just about everybody. That travel can take form in a variety of different experiences tailored to the individual. Hundreds of articles are written detailing various methods to achieve this goal and can range from simple to the widely complex known to only an esoteric community. Regardless of the approach, execution will not occur without having the discipline and motivation to make it come true. Therefore, the biggest hurdle is much more of a mental barrier than it is a physical or logistical obstacle. Essentially, in order to succeed, it has to be made into a priority. Simple in description, but rather difficult in execution. But is that all that is needed in order to achieve the goal?  What does it truly mean to make something a priority? In the strictest sense, it is a thing that takes precedence over everything else. The reality, though, is that there are numerous things in a person’s life that can be defined as a priority. Family, careers, hobbies, financial obligations. Pretty soon a priority will very quickly turn into priorities. The problem is that there is only a finite amount of energy to channel into any one of these avenues. Stretched too far and things will start to suffer. Therefore, having made something a priority is not enough to complete a goal. It can only be truly achieved if it is coupled with sacrifice. There will come an inflection point where the deciding factor of success will be the elimination of the unnecessary. Sacrifice, after all, is the surrender of something of lesser value for an alternative of greater significance. Where does travel fall in your list of priorities and what are you willing to let go to live that dream?

Minimalism

Do nothing of which is no use. - Miyamoto Musashi

When you revolve a trip around staying at hostels, you really get to know who is a novice traveller and who is a seasoned backpacker by looking at how big their backpack is. The expedition packs that can hold a whole retail store’s worth of clothing will most likely belong to someone that is fairly new to the backpacking culture. Whatever situation may arise, there is a high chance that the appropriate item that you may need will be tucked away in their backpacks. Conversely, the hardened veterans will get by with nothing more than a daypack to store just the bare essentials. A select few can get by with nothing more than the clothes that they are wearing. I personally fall in the middle of the two extremes. During my recent trip to Southeast Asia, I was able to comfortably travel for months with a 35L backpack and a small day bag. In retrospect, I believe that I probably could have functioned with even less space. A small step towards being a minimalist backpacker. Why does this phenomenon exist in the backpacking world? Why is there a slow progression of needing fewer things in future travels? An obvious observation can be that you just learn over time what pieces you can sacrifice in order to carry less weight throughout the journey. If it is not a critical piece of gear then it probably could be left at home. Backpack space, after all, is premium real estate as I have mentioned in Digital Souvenirs. On a deeper level, I believe that the accumulation of knowledge and wisdom with every subsequent journey fortifies the mind of a person. Therefore, the lack of a physical piece of gear will be made up for by the increased ingenuity of the individual. The increase in mental resiliency will slowly start to reduce the perceived need for a sense of security in having more equipment. Upon meeting any future obstacles, the solution lies within as travel will create a transference of metaphorical tools from the backpack to the backpacker.