One Life-Changing Lesson I Learned While Traveling
How travel taught me the simplicity of life and zero desire for materialistic things.
I started to travel in 1998 when I just turned 18, and my first destination was Switzerland. Since then, I traveled and lived in multiple countries in Africa, Europe, and the American continent.
When I began my adventure, it was usually for work or learning a language. I love the unpredictability of travel and learning new things constantly. Until this day, I dislike routines, and nomadic life gives me exactly what I need: constant change.
But this article isn’t about the change, it is about how travel taught me the simplicity of life and zero desires for materialistic things.
During my first years of travel, I always packed two or three suitcases to get to my final destination. I often believed I would miss something, that I wouldn’t be able to live without a certain item of clothing, cosmetics, or other things.
After two decades of traveling, I pack simple: only one backpack.
Even if I go for a month somewhere, I always carry my backpack with me, which contains all of my necessities.
After years of traveling and moving, I realized if I miss something, I can get it at the place of destination. I missed nothing. It’s all in your head. Our old routines are playing tricks on us. So I fooled myself by tricking my mind.
No need to carry heavy bags.
When I left America for good, I took all my belongings with my 3 member-family packed in 6 suitcases.
Many adventures took place during the transition and relocation, including fleeing war in Nicaragua to Costa Rica, and traveling throughout Italy and Slovakia, before settling down in Spain.
I only arrived with 2 suitcases and lost the other four. Then, after a few months of settling in Spain, learning the language and the culture; I never missed the other ones.
Since then, I refuse to overload myself with useless stuff.
Not only in my travels but also in my life. I understand how little things matter and that the most important thing is to discover what you truly want.
Why do people buy and buy? Useless shit.
Yesterday, I went to the mall after one year. I hate malls. But I needed some tools for our farm. This was the only open store during Easter. The number of people there, I was shocked. Also, outside it was 23 celsius, nice and sunny.
Parents were leaving their young children, aged three or under, in the front row of large-screen TVs to go shopping.
It made me sick to my stomach. In the name of shopping, they jeopardize the mental health of their cherished children.
Shoes, handbags, clothes, and electronics are among the things that we consume the most. It’s all made of plastic, which is killing us.
Cosmetics are composed of hazardous chemicals. Do we need a different cream for every inch of our precious bodies or 5 different brands for our hair?
If you realize you only need 3 things in life: shelter, food, and family (friends).
That is all we need to live and survive. Everything else is not important or needed.
When you discover that this is all you need, your life changes because you won’t have to spend so much money on everything else.
This can help you avoid the trap of working long hours and investing your money in areas that don’t bring you happiness.
If you don’t need as much money, you may work less, which allows you more free time to do what you want and deserve.
Isn’t that life all about?
I consider consumerism not only futile but stupid.
We’re killing ourselves (literally, by spending less time with ourselves) to gain more useless plastic.
The next time you are about to buy something, think if it is really necessary.
You don’t need a new car every year or the latest iPhone because Apple tells you so.
Be happy with what you have and enjoy your life with no useless things that will end up in the trash after a few months (or weeks).
This is what I learned from my years of traveling. The simplicity of life and how to be happy with less.
What about you? What have you learned from your travels?
From Nicaragua:
