One year ago today I started my world around trip
Saturday 2nd April 2011
I wake up early to get prepared for my departure. I spent my last night to a family house because I didn’t have my apartment anymore. That was a great opportunity to tell my family goodbye and thank for everything. To be honest, I didn’t sleep very well last night. I guess I am very excited!
My bags are ready: I have my new red backpack with all my stuff (clothes, medicines, equipments, shoes…) and a small 25-lt backpack with all the important and necessary documents. The small backpack is as important as my life…there is everything that declares who I am, what I have, where I live and where I am going.
A friend of mine, Anna, should come soon to drive me to the train station of Paris, Gare du Nord. Stephanie, the wife of my boyfriend’s brother, prepared me a small surprise: She cooked some French croissants and “pain au chocolat” and she gave them to me for the trip. That was definitely the best breakfast I could ever have before leaving.
I take my two backpacks and my delicious breakfast, I say goodbye to everyone and I get into the car of Anna.
My feelings are strange: excitement, fear, happiness…all of them. In the car, Anna put a Greek song:
Μαζί μου έλα, πάνω από τα σύννεφα…
Νύχτα και μέρα, πάνω από τα σύννεφα…
which means
Come with me above the clouds…
Night and day, above the clouds…
Oh yes, I forgot to mention: we are both Greeks and we have moved to Paris a couple of years ago. It was just the right song to tell a last goodbye to my lovely home country too!
We arrive at the train station. I say goodbye to Anna too. This is a difficult moment and we take a picture together for souvenir.
I get out of the car with all my stuff. I don’t feel comfortable. It is my first time in my life that I travel with a backpack. It will be difficult I know it. I will have to get adapted. I am an organized person and I always like having my stuff well organized to avoid loosing it. This is a quite impossible thing to achieve while you travel with a backpack. But I knew nothing about all that the day of my departure because I have never travelled like that before.
I walk and turn back for a moment to watch for a last time the Parisian sky.
This sky generates different feelings in my heart: I hate it because it was never as blue and sunny as I wanted. I used to compare it to the clear, Greek sky. On the other hand, I love it because it is Paris’ sky. What to say about a city that has the power to make you be stuck with it!
I pass the control and I get into the train. I feel quite nervous. I leave for a long travel and I have never done that before. I start enjoying my croissants in order to get relaxed.
The word around trip starts: Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is my first destination!
All the above happened just one year ago. I am wondering how this can be possible. I feel like if it happened yesterday.
During my world around trip I was thinking that life is passing so slowly. Now, I know that may happen only if we want it to happen. On the other hand, if we want to accelerate our life, we can. It is the way we think and our reality that generates the one or the other feeling. My reality during the world around trip was different than my friends’ or my family’s reality. I was enjoying 100% every moment of every single day.
But Lenia, do we need to leave and have a world around trip to enjoy 100% our life?
Off course not.
Well, that is a canned answer. You can see through this blog that I am not very good to give advice. There are numerous blogs out there that can give you advice about how to enjoy your life, how to think positively, how to escape your 9 to 5 job, how to dream, how to make money, how to have a bold life…
I have just one advice to give you: Stop following others and start choosing for your life. Life is a puzzle and you need to choose the right pieces to get the best result. You also have the right to choose something and then change your choice. It is up to you!
Decisions and choices are hard because when we make them they may change our reality. As a result, we get out of our comfort zone and we may feel scared, alone and not self-confident.
People usually take decisions which make them feel safe and well. Generally, this is the easiest solution someone can find. But what I am wondering is the following: Do we take these decisions because we like them and we believe that they will make us happier or just because everybody else around us took these decisions and so we know what to wait and we are less afraid of the unknown?
Off course, you don’t need to have a world around trip to enjoy 100% and start choosing for your life.
I feel strange today and I wanted to share my thoughts with you. My life today is different than a year ago.
Does your life today is different than the life you had a year ago about now?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings.
Hello Lenia,
I felt the same on my departure day…excitation, fear, weird mood etc.
Thanks for sharing, this is the kind of day we will never forget and even if it is very personal, everybody actually feel almost the sameI suppose.
I came back also from my world tour and Yes, my life is different than a year ago but more….I AM very different than a year ago.
For me, this change became possible with this travel, for others, it may be something different but what’s left is that it feels GREAT to make its own life decisions and not to follow society orientation, friend or family model, etc.
It makes you stronger and feel better.
Sheers
Fabien
Hi Fabien,
Welcome back. I think this kind of experiences mark one’s life. In the IT terminology we could say that it is like a format, don’t you think?
I am a different person too. I have changed my way of thinking. And you are right, each person is different: for us it was a world around trip but for somebody else can be another important event in its life. The point is to wake up and start deciding.
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and feelings through this comment.
Have a great day and see you soon!
Lenia
You are very brave Lenia. I travel alone but of course it’s usually one trip to a certain destination and then back.
I love being alone so I could see myself doing that I suppose although it’s never really crossed my mind. My nephew actually went around the world just last year, he’s been working on a cruise ship. They kept transferring him to these other ships so by the time he made it home he had been all the way around the world. What a cool experience.
I admire you actually, traveling and exploring the world. What you’ve achieved at such a young age. I’m in awe.
Thank you for sharing part of your beginning journey. Looking back I’m sure it doesn’t seem like that long ago now. A year does go rather quickly these days.
Enjoy your week Lenia!
~Adrienne
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Hi Adrienne,
Traveling alone is a really special way of traveling. If you like it you can enjoy it a 100%. It is a great way not only to think but also to meet people.
You nephew had a great experience. I am not stay for a long time in a ship because I am getting sick
Thank you about your kind comments. To tell you the truth at the beginning I was really afraid of the whole idea. But today I don’t regret anything and I believe it was one of the best experiences ever. I changed a lot and I am happy for that.
I thank you for sharing your thoughts here in my blog.
The we is coming so, enjoy!
Lenia
Congradulations Lenia. 1 whole year is a big milestone. I m sure you aer wondering where did the time go and how did it pass by so quickly.
In your post you said you did not give good advice but i think you give great advice. in fat you said two things that really struck a chord and resonated with my own beliefs.
1- Stop following others and start choosing for your life.
2- People usually take decisions which make them feel safe and well. Generally, this is the easiest solution someone can find.
I’m not sure but i think i must have been brain washed because for a long time i felt i HAD to follow everyone else. I’m trying to teach my kids to NOT follow everyone else but it’s a hard thing to teach so i lead by example and hope for the best..
Thanks for this very inspiring post and a peak into your life and your travels.
Annie Andre recently posted..Never Say I Can’t Again: Kid Builds Arcade Out Of Cardboard Boxes: Cain’s Arcade
Hi Annie
Thank you so much for this kind and constructive comment.
Yes that is true, I am wondering how did the time go and pass by so quickly. When I think where I was a year ago about now…I have different feelings: I think I feel sad because the dream is over but I also feel happy because I had that great opportunity in my life and I made the CHOICE!
You know something Annie, for a long time I felt I had to follow others and do what is “correct” and what is “accepted” by everyone. I was really hard with myself and I still am. But at least now I know that the only path I need to follow in my life is the one I build with my own decisions and choices. I have to repeat all that again and again to myself in order to avoid getting into the trap!
About your kids, I am sure you do the right thing. There are things in life that cannot be taught in theory…so I definitely agree that you do the right think by leading!
thank you very much for sharing your thoughts with me. I appreciate it a lot.
I am happy you find that i give some good advice. i just try to share my experiences.
Have a great evening
Lenia
Hi Lenia,
You say you are not good at giving advice. I have to respectfully disagree, my friend.
What I learn from your posts like this one is the strong characteristics you demonstate from your life experiences.
For instance, by going on a backpacking trip around the world you demonstrate amazing bravery.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
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Hi Hiten!
Thank you so much for your kind comment.
I am happy to discover that you think I give some good advice. As you mention I just want to share my experiences and give ideas to other people.
As far as backpacking, this way of traveling was completely new to me too. At the beginning I was afraid and to be honest the first days of the journey I was getting nervous every time I was looking for something in my bag. Today I feel really happy that I have discovered the backpacking mode because I had a different experience and I learnt many things. Today I feel ready to repeat this way of traveling
Thank you very much for this comment. I appreciate that.
Have a great WE.
Lenia
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