Thoughts on travel
I like traveling. I’ve been living on the road on and off for the past half a year, traveling across the US. This whole time I live in my car, and quite frankly, I enjoy it.
Passing beautiful vistas and not having a place to call home are two sides of the same coin. It’s something that gives me time to think.
From a very young age we surround ourselves with objects of comfort. It all starts with toys we have as children. First things we own. Our room. Friends. House. Job. Town. Country. We take comfort in certain parts of the environment. Be it objects, people, or places.
After getting rid of most of my belongings and starting my journey - I felt like a lot of things which made me feel comfortable and safe were gone. It made me feel very exposed to the world.
When objects of comfort are gone, one has to face a lot of their own demons. Issues hidden by a security blanket are let out to roam freely. Living on the road amplifies the experiences I have: the ups are high, and the downs are low. A wider specter of emotions is thrown onto me.
I guess there’s a reason why majority of people all live in a similar manner. It’s comforting. It’s a void inside you that needs filling. It’s things we don’t want to think about, deal with.
But there’s also strength in letting go. Items, places, people. Thoughts. Ideas. It’s a way of growth. To become a better version of yourself, you need to be destroyed a little. Deal with the darkness within.
Some days it’s exhausting, some days it’s revitalizing. But that’s why I do what I do.
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What are some of the situations you find most exhausting?
The most exhausting thing is the fact that I don't have a local group of friends with me. Having to make new friends or be in solitude are the only options. Being in public more often. Pretty much all the time. Even though I know that people only notice themselves - it's still a bit tiring at the end of the day. Constantly moving is both exciting and stressful too.
What city did you find it was easiest to connect with locals and why was it easier there compared to other cities?
I don't think I can pick a single place - I think it was more dependent on my mood and desire to be outgoing as opposed to the cities. I feel like people are somewhat warmer the closer West you go, and a little less friendly the further East you go, but this might just be stereotypes setting in and clouding my perception of the situation. I think warmer states were easier to casually bond with people.
At the end of the day it all was about how confident I felt, how much I wanted to talk to people, and how patient I was. Sometimes you start a conversation and people are clearly interested in chatting (few times I've spent hours and hours with someone tagging along after casually saying hi - so fun), and sometimes people would really not be in the mood. It's very much up and down, like the rest of the things on a trip.
Have you noticed the difference yourself?
Excellent article Ruslan. I'm at the very crossroads of breaking down myself to discover who I am. I've been living in my Prius for three days and I feel free. I'll be working on a blog shortly and i would like to reference your site if you don't mind.
Of course, reference away! Hope the Prius adventures will have the same healing effect on you as they did on me!
Please do share your blog as well once you set it up, I'd love to read about it!