Art Car by L. Marie via Flickr
When we first decided to take this trip a year ago, we didn’t know anyone who had done it. Oh sure, there were famous travelers like Tim Ferriss and Rolf Potts, but not anyone we actually knew or could relate to.
We started our blog partly because we couldn’t find the information we needed to plan such a big trip. That statement seems really funny to me now because we have virtually and literally met dozens of people who are planning, taking, or finished with a round-the-world (RTW) trip.
It is like when you buy a new car. You never noticed that type of car much before, but now that you have one they seem to be everywhere!
The same goes for stating your dreams and intentions out loud and actively working to get them. You’ll meet all kinds of people on a similar path, and you lighten each other’s loads by journeying together.
I would have never in a million years thought we would have found a community of like-minded people for such a life-changing experience, but we did. And we haven’t even left on our trip yet!
This is how we found people and information to help us complete our dream trip:
- Twitter – there is a huge group of travelers on Twitter, and we can benefit from sharing information as well as have the opportunity to get to know each other as friends.
- Our blog gains in popularity over time, and that allows other travelers and bloggers to find us. It works the same way for them.
- Telling other people will often result in a response like “oh, my friends Jana and Steve took a trip like that!” and you then get an introduction to them. This happens more often than you would think.
What dream or intention do you have that you hold secret waiting for the “some day” when you’ll attempt it? Why not start talking about it now? Just like with that new car, you’ll start seeing other people on your path everywhere you go, and it will make it almost impossible NOT to follow your dream.
Just try it.
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Betsy Talbot writes about carving the lifestyle you want out of the life you already have. When she’s not writing, she’s paring down, saving up, and getting ready for a year of travel with her husband Warren.
About Betsy
Good post – it’s kind of like “outing” yourself and your dream! It’s amazing how many things will show up once we start asking around – and that’s very empowering too, knowing others are doing/thinking the same thing.
How about a Michael Jackson singalong…”you are not alone…”
Okay, maybe not.
Karen, you are right. Putting your dreams out there is sometimes hard to do, but once you try it, you’ll be amazed at what happens! People are so much more complex than you realize, and sometimes the least likely person will end up having the perfect piece of information for you (and vice versa).
If the planning is this much fun, just think of how great the trip will be!
Great post. It’s all about putting your intention out there. I’m so glad it’s working so well for you.
I actually know people who did it with kids- 3 girls about 5, 7 and 9 at the time. It was of course a life-changing experience for them.
Isn’t it also great that you’ll have a record of all your planning and conversations and tips? I love the Internet/social media/blogs, etc!
Angela, I met someone today for lunch for the first time, and it was a little weird to hear “I know all about you from your blog!” It is great to have it all out there, but sometimes it still surprises me that people are reading about it!
I think for many people making a life changing decision such as traveling the world, the journey really starts once you vocalize it. Because once it’s out there and people know your intentions, then you really have to make it happen!
And it is amazing how big of a community is out there of long-term travelers. We started our site to help inspire others to travel and in the process have found many people that have inspired us as well.
I now have many “digital” friends and it’s so much fun when you can meet them in person as well. They have become a great support system for this aspect of my life.
Michaela, it is a little bit scary when you first say it, but it gets fun to say it after a while! I think the hardest was for Warren to tell his boss just because he did it so far in advance and we didn’t know what the reaction would be. But since then it has been smooth sailing!