The Art of Travel
Have you ever woken up in the morning and just for a brief moment, had no idea where you were? I thought that was something that only happened to 80+ year-olds but turns out it can happen in your 20's.
I've been "on-the-road" since I was 17-years-old, nearly a decade traveling the globe. But, this is a new thing - waking up in the morning and not knowing where I am because I've been jumping from one place to another week to week...
I didn't plan this... a life of travel. It came to me like a disease, the persistent urge to see, do, experience, smell, taste, touch new and curious things. It's addicting. The world is so vast, magical, and mysterious... Throwing myself into new people & places has only made me learn who I am and what I have to offer, I see my reflection in the faces of others and vice versa because, remember, we're more the same than we are different.
The benefit of waking up in a new place almost every week by unconventional design is that I know now, more than ever, what home feels like. Home is not a place, it's a mindset. It's in your routine morning cup of coffee, it's in a thought-provoking & soulful connection with another person, it's in the ocean waves & the repetitive sound of it crashing to the shore, it's in a window seat gazing over the airplane wing at the big world below, it's over a fire on the beach feeling its warmth on my shins, it's in a favorite song that I fell asleep to on repeat... Every single one of us is a creative-being with an urge to understand, connect, and communicate. I say it all the time. But what travel does to the creative mind is a feeling so hard to explain, it feels like you have your hand and heart on the pulse of the world. I learned to treat my days as I want to treat my life, with balance. I know there's a perfect recipe to a day. A daily dose of mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual balance, whether that's time in nature, space to create, time to connect, time to pause, time to listen, and time to feel accomplished. Most mornings, I can't wait to put my feet on the ground because I know there are wonders to be discovered, challenges to accept, and always & forever things to learn. It takes a certain fearlessness to grab your life by the horns or jump on the mary-go-round for the wild ride. The other day I was walking the beach talking to my mom on the phone and I remembered a past time when I felt like the whole world was backward, chaos... I was once like a sponge soaking up everything, the good, bad, and the ugly. I felt like a kite in a storm. But, over time, through experiences, you build a resilience, a new softness & strength when you realize you can channel your own & others energy into a place of good.
So, have I lost you? The moral of the story is that, we're all "traveling" - whether you're going around the globe to find answers or you're going as far as your backyard. We're complicated yet so simplistic of beings & people, with the same needs, wants, and desires. Be kind to yourself, be understanding & empathetic of others, be a student to everything, and most importantly, find your sense of expression - if you do, you'll be able to connect, harmonize, synchronize, and that is the road to creativity.
Travel is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. A gypsy life wouldn't be possible if it weren't for my dad who made the voyage, by boat, from China to Brazil to eventually the USA. With that long journey around the world, he brought with his wisdom of the East, that Latin love & passion, and drive of the American "way-of-life."
I moved to Brazil as a teenager and experienced something there that changed my life forever. At only 17-years-old I lived out what I considered, and still consider, the perfect day. It's one of sea, sun, hammocks, coconuts, conversation without the distraction of modern day media and vices. All its simplicity, flavor, and diversity is something that I strive to re-recreate on a day to day basis.
If you travel with an open mind and open heart, it'll change you. Like a block of clay, it'll chisel you into a piece of walking, talking art. You know what I mean, the look of someone well-traveled with light beaming from behind their eyes fueled by curiosity and wonder.
Whenever I return from a trip my faith in humanity feels restored. I develop an affection, empathy, and hope for mankind. It's because, we're all the same just built out of different materials, striving for safety, love, happiness, fulfillment, health, and freedom.
1. If you begin to understand others, you will understand yourself.
Have you ever asked yourself, who am I & what am I doing here? If you dwell on those questions long enough, it can be isolating and lonely - sometimes it causes us to attach ourselves to things, labels, titles, gender, race, religion. It's normal. But as you travel and begin to connect with people from different walks of life, hear their stories and strifes you'll understand that we are much more alike than we are different - each person full of heartthrobs and heartbreaks. There are many ways to live, no one way being the right way - and as you understand and accept that about others, it'll free you to live your truth.
2. Division isn't the answer, bringing people together is.
We all do it, we create division. We stick to what we know: people, places, foods, sports teams, recreation. We're always looking for a tribe & a sense of belonging. As you travel, you see it a lot - but you realize that we're all a part of a tribe - and that's the human race. Your country, language, and culture doesn't divide you, it makes you a part of it. At the end of the day, the default answer should be about bringing people together, not dividing them simply because they don't do life the way you do.
3. It was meant to be simple.
We’re intelligent and complex beings, the world is abundant and fruitful. When you put those things together, it is quite simple what we’re supposed to be doing here. We’re here to enjoy, take care, and connect. This whole thing was designed to be wonderful, all things working and feeding together. Most times, we ignore how our pleasures and greed hurt others, it wasn’t meant to be this way.
4. It was meant to be beautiful.
Ever stared at a summer nights fire? or the sunset? or the moon rise? or the stars decorate the sky? or the first bloom of Spring? or the colors of the fall? or sound of silence after a snowfall? This life was meant to be beautiful. We’re supposed to be in awe and enjoy the mystery of what we don’t know, only to seek and find out that it is magic.