BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi guys,

Well my boyf and I are off round the world for the first time for anything up to a year. We're heading to South and Central America and then Asia. Up until last night I was really excited, thinking:

It'll be great! I'll meet so many great people and have loads of fantastic experiences. I'll see awesome sights and do fab things and eat tasty (and not so tasty) food and experience new cultures and sights and colours and smells!

but then it hit me:

What if it's not like I expected? What if I'm tired all the time - I get miserable and emotional when I'm tired? What if I can't stand staying in hostels? What happens if it's too hard for me? What if we split up? What if I'm not strong enough to be away from home? What if bad things happen? What if I die? WHY DID I THINK I COULD DO THIS????

Now I'm beginning to think this could be the most stupid decision of my life.

I guess I'm just looking for reassurance that although it'll be hard and tiring at times, it's worth it. (And also to know that I'm not the only one who has been feeling anxious all day! )

Hi Emily,

I'm in the same boat! My hubbie & I are taking our two kids on a 1 year RTW adventure in just 5 weeks! The final travel preparations are getting overwhelming and the stress is starting to get to us.

I'm worried that the whole 24/7 thing may be a bit much and, without my girlfriends to vent to, I may just end up killing my husband and putting my kids up for adoption (not to mention Bird Flu, terrorists and tsunami's). I just keep reminding myself of all the reasons we decided to do this and what a great bonding experience this will be. Bad things happen at home too.

Besides, the worst thing that could happen is we/you could hate it and decide to come home. If you don't go, you'll always wonder what could have been.

Keep your chin up - it's natural to get cold feet occasionally.

Several of your fears are likely to come true. BUT.
Pretty much all of your hopes and dreams will as well.

You will discover that people the world over are really very similar, and that most of them are genuinely good and friendly.

You will find wonderful, beautiful, relaxing places. Whenever you're tired or stressed or otherwise unhappy, you can always slow down and spend a week or two in one of these.

You will realize that it's not as hard as you feared, and even when it is, that you have strength and endurance you'd never even noticed before.

You will have some hard moments, but the happy times, the richness of your experiences, the new friends you'll make and the lifelong memories will more than make up for them.

Within a few weeks of them happening, the worst of your bad times will probably be nothing more than good stories to tell, while the good times will last forever.

So smile, try not to fret too much, and make sure to savour both the pre-departure excitement and your last few weeks at home

PANIC! It's normal. I think we all have those moments. But you have to remember, that even if you hate it, you find out that you are not the traveler you thought you were, you can go home. Nothing is permanent. You have the freedom to do what you want. And you have the courage to have a go at your dreams. So, whatever happens, you'll learn something about yourself and the world.

BUT, you'll probably find, as most of us do, that the panic was for nothing. That you love traveling, that it is as amazing as you'd hoped, that sometimes you may be exhausted and frustrated, but those times are so outnumbered by the utter greatness of long-term travel that they fade away.

Good luck with your jitters, power through the stressful parts and have fun!

Here is a quote I keep in my wallet at all times. I'm not sure who said it or where I even got it from [possibly from Boots]:

Many people use their leisure time to journey to faraway places. The soul and sprit are challenged on such adventures.
That is why we need to travel. If we don't offer ourselves to the unknown, our senses dull. Our world becomes small and we lose our sense of wonder. Our eyes don't life to the horizons, our ears don't hear the sounds around us. The edge is off our experience, and we live our days in a routine that is both comfortable and limiting. We wake up one day and find that we have lost our dreams in order to protect our days.
Don't let yourself become one of these people. The fear of the unkown and the lure of the comfortable will conspire to keep you from taking the chances the traveler has to take. But if you take them , you will never regret your choice. To be sure, there will be moments of doubt when you stand alone on an empty road in an icy rain, or when you are ill with fever in a rented bed. But as the pains of the moment will come, so too wil they fall away. In the end you will be so much richer, so much stornger, so much clearer, so much happier, and so much better a person that all the risk and hardship will seem like nothing compared to the knowledge and wisdom that you have gained.

To me, this quote is all I need to get me through the difficult moments.

The longest my husband and I ever traveled continuously for was 3 months but I think a year would be similar...it took us 30 days to get used to being on the move and having total freedom. It sounds strange but it's a little hard to adjust to a life without routine. We were homesick quite a lot the first few weeks, even though we had lived abroad for a while. It seems strange but not having a "home" and living out of a backpack takes a little getting used to.

We also took a break for 2 weeks in the middle of our trip and just stayed in one small village doing nothing, which was wonderful after so much sightseeing. We also had to delegate duties. For example, when we got off the train, my husband would wait with our backpacks at the station and I would scout out rooms/pensions. After I found a place, I'd come back and get him. (It gets old walking with backpacks.) He's great with maps, so he was in charge of directions to sites. And about once a week, we went different directions--he'd spend the day doing his thing and I'd do mine, and then we'd meet at dinner time to talk about our days. We got to a point after a month or so, we were craving conversation with other couples, so we made an effort to hook up with other couples for a day or two here and there.
By the last two weeks, we were so sorry the time was almost over. We were so used to our life of leisure, it was sad to leave it.

Now that we are back in the grind of regular life...we really cherish those days.

I see in your profile that you are planning to go to Easter Island. I am planning a trip for next year that has a stop there. Post something when finish the visit there and let me know how it was. I have always been fascinated by the place and am looking foward to visit something so remote.

i am off in 5 weeks time yesterday, and i have been expecting such like panics to come along. they haven't yet. still very excited by it all, though as the time draws nearer i will obviously get nervous.

got to sort out a few things yet, though i have time. i am not working at the moment, nor have i for a few months, so i am very eager to get to places i haven't seen before, as it's getting boring round the same haunts.

as people say, panic is natural, though i try to always call it excitement instead. BE POSITIVE AND AWARE

all the best,

alienepx

quote:

Originally posted by kidsnall:
Hi Emily,

I'm in the same boat! My hubbie & I are taking our two kids on a 1 year RTW adventure in just 5 weeks! The final travel preparations are getting overwhelming and the stress is starting to get to us.

Wow that is so great--kids and all! just for curiosity-how did you both mangage to have time off to travel as a family--for an extended time period? What will you do when you get back-as far as a place to live and jobs and stuff?
Much admiration!!!

Yep, I can relate too.I think it is normal to have some panic attacks on such a transformative choice.We leave on Sept 1 ( hubby,me and a 5yo child) for a very slow trip aound the world starting the first 2 and half years in Europe.We have spent a whole year preparing ( sold our home last year & dedicated this one to prep)and I am still amazed at how much has to be done.

My biggest panic is if we get everything done that we want to before we take off.I have already had to eliminate many things.We have traveled a lot and I lived a year in Italy ,so have a pretty good idea about the pros and cons ,but its such an ambitious trip that the leap into the unknown is definately there.

Whats that old saying about travel.Its something like one thrills at the prep before a trip,kvetch all thru the trip and then basks forever in the memories.There is a bit of truth to that as travel definately puts one out of ones comfort zone,but then that is part of the joy of it ,isn't it?

You will not regret your decision and I am sure you will have a blast and will be grateful your whole life that you did it.Panic and fear moments are just part and parcel of big choices.Just nerves...frame it as "excitement" as that is what it is!

Whats that goeth quote?

Hey jart2b,

Thanks for the encouragement. To answer your question, both my husband and I are professionals (I own my own business) so we will, hopefully, still be marketable when we get back. I sold my business and my hubbie quit his job (he was getting bored anyway) so we could do this trip. Part of the thrill is the fact that we will be completely free of all commitments while on this trip.

If you're interested in our story, check out our blog at Career Break Central

Cheers!

Ahhh,heres that quote I was talking about that might inspire you or someone else ( its all about just committing fully to your choice and taking that leap of faith and trusting):

“Until one is committed there is hesitating, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans. That the moment one definitely commits oneself, Providence moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.” Johan Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

Thank you so much, to all of of you!!! You've really calmed my nerves. It's great to hear that I'm not the only one who is panicking a bit and you've made me remember why I'm going! I can't expand my horizons by sitting behind a desk all day dreaming - I need to go out there, see it and experience it (whatever it may be).

In other words, if tomorrow appears the same as yesterday then it's probably time to move on!

Hi, I am officially 3 weeks to go and alternating between flipping out and (literally) jumping up and down about my trip. But, unlike most of the backpackers I chose a safer route and will be teaching TEFL in Greece. It's nice to hear about others nervousness..just so you know I've spent several nights up late because the anxiety is almost overwhelming. But at least I'm getting some much needed cleaning done. and hey if there are any other TEFLer's out there I'd love to hear from ya!!

Happy Travels!!

Its weird, but the lead up to a trip is always so much more nerve wracking than during the actual trip.

I'm considering doing TEFL, but only because when my money runs out here in Budapest, its either find a job or go home. I think that the pressure of teaching a class of students a new language would be a bit difficult for me though.