Travel For Mindful Souls is Possible

My experience from traveling sustainably

Desiree Driesenaar had tagged me in one of her thought-provoking articles on how to travel sustainably and at the same time have deeper experience as a traveler by connecting with locals. I totally agree with her. For me to travel is more about discovering and learning than about relaxing. I started to travel 22 years ago to this day.

Here is the story of my traveling journey

After my graduation, my father bought me a one-way ticket to Switzerland because I got my first job in Zurich.

He told me:

“If you would like to return then you need to earn the ticket back.”

Don’t worry, he was not trying to be mean but to encourage me. I was ecstatic from the joy because traveling was my dream since I was 10 years old. I told everyone in my family, the moment I turn 18, I will travel the world. And I did.

I left home in 1998 to travel and to explore. Since then I have lived and traveled around Europe, Africa, Central America, and the US. Each of these places taught me valuable life lessons. In each country, I learned about the culture and learned its language.

In Switzerland, I spent 2 years working in different jobs and enjoying the beautiful, but expensive city. I was working illegally in Switzerland. Slovakia in 1998 was not a part of the European Union, it joined in 2004. I could only get under-the-table jobs, it was hard, but I had so much fun and never-ending adventure.

I never knew where I would sleep or eat the next day. I learned to live day-to-day and not worry about tomorrow. I was exposed to so many languages, learned Swiss Dutch, and made lifelong friends. The biggest lesson I experienced there was to learn how to say no and stand up for myself.

In Stockholm, Sweden. I only lived here three months because of my Humana NGO program, where I was a volunteer, and I fundraised my tuition for my African trip. Stockholm taught me, not to be afraid to ask.

Also, I made friends with almost everyone. I was poor in one of the most expensive cities in Europe but being creative and figuring out how to find resources. It allowed me to enjoy the beautiful city and make many international friends. I learned to be super social and assertive.

South Africa was the first-time that encountered the African culture and the word racism, daily.

The topic -racism was discussed everywhere on streets, classrooms, in stores, and at home. In 2000, South Africa was still recovering from the Apartheid.

In South Africa, I learned a new language- English and how to fight ruthless monkeys stealing our food.

We lived in a remote area out of the city close to the wilderness.

I learned how to eat with my hands and appreciate the beauty of nature.

From these experiences, I learned who I am. I became fearless.

Mozambique taught me that Malaria is real and deadly. I fought Malaria twice while I stayed in rural areas. The doctor at the local clinic gave me only one pill to take and told me to pray to God for my survival. Luckily, I did survive. Some of my volunteer friends ended up in the worst shape. One guy got a neurological disability after malaria, and another girl almost died.

Also, I remember the trip we took into rural areas where public transportation was non-existent. However, I managed to stop a big truck to take us. We sat on the top of the truck loaded with a crop of potatoes and we could almost touch the trees.

When I needed to go to the bathroom I could only relieve myself with other travelers in line. Going to the fields was lethal. The fields were still full of landmines from the civil war that ended in 1992 or the lions may be waiting for you.

Mozambique was the first country in which hitchhiking was safer than public transportation. If you hitchhike you usually stop NGO or business cars because the locals couldn’t afford cars. But the bus was full of people, kids, and livestock.

They had no doors or windows. I could not risk falling out of the bus. Mozambique taught me how life is fragile and you can die anytime. It was a lesson of survival.

The US taught me how to be an individualist and be there on your own-exposed at all costs. I went to the US to settle down and to catch the American Dream. Luckily, I met my lovely husband at a coffee shop, in Denver, Colorado. He also decided to come to America for the same reason. But life became one-dimensional ( work-sleep-repeat), and I missed living a fuller life.

After more than a decade I learned very important lessons on how not to fall into workaholism but enjoy the simple and authentic life.

Did I achieve my American Dream? Yes, I tried. I aimed for the stars but ended up in a fishbowl as a goldfish swimming in circles.

Next was: Nicaragua. I planned to search for the simple life in the Nicaraguan jungle away from the busy workaholic, and unsustainably expensive life. We were planning to open a local clinic through Worldbank but civil unrest shook us and led us to Spain. Despite the unrest, my daughter still misses the Nicaraguan nature. Maybe someday we will return.

Spain is my personal journey to learn to appreciate the simple things in life again. The highs and lows dressed in simplicity. Spain taught me to be creative again, enjoy human relationships, and just to be. To live and love life without expectations.

In the past 22 years of living abroad, I have learned many valuable lessons. Without travel, I would have numbed myself, trying to hide from the fact that I couldn’t find the meaning of life.

BENEFITS OF TRAVELING THE WORLD SUSTAINABLY

During my life abroad, I experienced everything. The adventurous backpacking life and routine-boring life. Anytime if given a choice, I will choose travel and the unknown over routine and comfort.

While I traveled sustainably, this is what I learned:

1. To get out of my comfort zone.

2. To be incredibly creative and good at problem-solving.

3. How to cook well.

4. Languages and have friends all over the planet.

5. To appreciate life more.

6. To be a risk-taker.

7. To understand life and travel as an adventure where you can grow instead of the dragging routine where you are doing the same shit every day.

8. To feel alive.

I believe, nobody needs much money to travel, even if you are older and if you don’t need the comfort of your home.

When I started, I traveled without the internet, phone, or GPS. It was all possible and adventurous.

I traveled frugally and on an extremely limited budget. Mostly I worked or volunteered while traveling. I believe traveling sustainably taught me important life lessons.

This is my motto:

“Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what’s right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding this amazing world we live in.” Andrew Zimmern

Thanks for reading!

I hope to read other sustainable travel stories from Keno Ogbo, Salam Khan, Chris Hedges, Rasheed Hooda, KeepingItRealWithAnnick, Terry Mansfield, Timothy Key, Aurora Eliam, CMP, Karen Madej 💛, Gurpreet Dhariwal, and Shin Jie Yong.

Let’s make the world a better and simpler place, after all, we are all the same.