I started to travel more often was only about 2-3 years ago. Not too long and my first solo travelling was to South Korea – 3 Things I Learnt from Travelling Solo: Real Travelling. The fear and excitement that I felt, the courage that grew in me, those eventually led me to many more trips later on. It has been fun and challenging, especially I was still working full-time as a Graphic Designer back then with all the limitation that an employee has, I understand and experience all that.
Do I still have passion in travelling? What do I travel for?
Count all my travel blogger fellows who constantly travelling out from the list, I scrolled through feeds of my social media accounts one day and I saw many posts in my circle of friends showing they are in various part of the world. Even friends that I never saw or even heard about their interest in travelling, and friend that I know clearly that he dislikes travelling, now, he travels, too.
Travelling has now seems to become a lifestyle for most people. To the beach, up to the mountain, to foreign places, and so on. Somehow, when I see the posts, I feel like there is an unofficial mini competition to clear what we have in our bucket list is going on.
“Checked! Been here!”
It sounds something like that.
I am happy to see people get out from their comfort home once in a while for travelling. Just to get out from all the daily routines and spend time with their loved ones or only for getting ‘me time’. So, what’s the problem then? The problem is on me. I feel sick and I don’t find the same excitement as I did when I just started to travel two years ago. I am terribly sick.
I used to be very excited when I saw beautiful photos on my online feeds from my friends or brands. I used to be very excited whenever I am away from home to explore places and I used to be very excited whenever I am lining up at the check in counter at the airport and waiting for boarding time. Excited! That’s the only word to express my feeling back then in that situation.
But now..
I don’t feel that anymore. I am kind of losing my interest.
Although knowing that in few days time, I will be checking off one of destinations in my travel wish list and few other places that I have been longing to visit, however, deep inside me says, “Ok, that will be only another trip.” I only feel OK. OK may also means not OK as some people say, especially when a girl says so. That’s a big issue for me as a Travel Blogger. I need that excitement to be able for me to write something and share it on my blog, on my social media accounts so I can keep my existence. As a newbie, I need to work harder to find out strategy, enhance my writing skill, keep learning, and so on. There are so many things to pursue along the way. But I need that excitement back in order to work this out!
“Why? Why? Why? What’s going on with you?”
I was asking to myself. Until one morning, while I was still laying on my bed and under my warm blanket, I turned on my phone and did some reading as usual. I checked my emails and I read an article from Alex Beadon about how do we spend our time. She shared about her decision to skip doing what she should have done and put herself first by spending quality time with her cousin.
How you spend your time is a proper representation of your most important priorities.
I feel like that is an answer to my “why, why, why”.
I need to ‘pause’
I still remember when a friend introduced me to a kind of membership program, similar to MLM where we will be entitled for free trips after certain achievements, I told myself that time that I won’t make my passion in travelling becomes a job. But now, without I realize, I have made it becomes a job rather than an enjoyment. I feel exhausted and indeliberately I am working all the time even when I am on holiday. Sometimes I need to just go travelling without my thinking cap, just go and explore. Put myself first not my blog nor my works. I should know when I need to ‘pause’.
Travel ‘deeper’ and not always further
Since I started my blog, I have always been trying to discover new places. Again, to create content for my blog. I would make my travel schedule for one year and hunting for early bird tickets. While it is good to plan early but this year I plan to travel ‘deeper’ of one place or country rather than always aiming for new ones. I will go slow but deep.
Be who I am and focus on my goal
When I was reading that article from Alex Beadon I mentioned earlier, it reminded me of one statement from another article I read on Travel Blog Success which also resonate very well. It says,
It can be damaging to your own goals if you’re constantly comparing yourself to the progress of your peers. Maybe they’re making money faster than you, but maybe that’s not your goal.
I need to remind myself the reason why I started my travel blog. I understand that my foremost intention is to inspire people to travel, to remember to take a break and enjoy our living. But seems like I forget the goal myself because I am distracted by things around me. I am still very young in this travel and blogging world so whatever advice I received, I just absorbed. I received many inputs that I should do this and that on my blog or I should be like this and that so that I can be like some of the bloggers, and so on. Although I appreciated and learnt much from all the advice, however, I should have known my priorities and still stick to my goal.
If travelling was truly an excitement for me back then, now in year 2016, it changes a little bit since to travel has become part of my ‘job’. I will make sure that I am still progressing to spread the travel virus to others through my sharing. Be ready to get contagious! I move slowly but I am moving.
To travel is to live
And by ending this kind of (not so useful) ranting sharing, I will take off my thinking cap and just enjoy the rest my holiday in USA guilt-free like what Alex said. I will be back soon! So feel free to share your opinion or feedbacks in the comment. Meanwhile, here are kisses from me and my two little ones – my niece and my nephew. Muuuacchhh!
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