In part 1, I wrote a bit about the amazing things I get to experience with the lifestyle I live and particularly have been living for the last year and a half. Now, in part 2, it’s time to talk about the reality of life on the road and the kinds of unexpected, and also expected, downsides of it all.
And as I do, I will break it down into numbers so it’s easier to take in (and go back to).
1. No routine
For someone like me, a Virgo, this is probably a bigger deal than for others who don’t care so much for (or even function well with) organisation. But not having a consistent routine in any way, shape, or form for such a long time has been quite a struggle for me. It’s number one for me in terms of discomfort and the thing I miss most about a stationary life.
Sure it’s fun and exciting to be spontaneous and have the whole world ahead of you. But every day, all the time, without a base or place to reset is challenging.
The primary way this manifests that doesn’t work well for me is with food and movement. There are such big differences in the way I move around depending on where I am (car, bike, foot, train), as well as the times the sun is up, that it really affects both my eating habits and the amount of movement I get on a daily basis. I managed to gain something like 15 pounds over the last 2 years simply because of the times I ate and either the lack of sufficient time between meals or the opposite. It took me about 2 weeks of getting back to my body’s preferred eating routine (and cuisine) in Indonesia for me to shed all of that weight in what seemed like one fell swoop.
It was actually pretty incredible. But it highlighted a strong need for meal consistency that I just can’t get being a traveler.
2. Not always having space to practice
This kind of goes hand in hand with number 1, and there is a big part of me that feels like it’s an excuse but it’s my reality and I am learning to accept that. Perhaps I am spoiled for space, but when it comes to my practices, I like to have a dedicated space that is used just for that. Otherwise, I find it difficult to maintain the practice. This is obviously very difficult to do when you’re in different places quite often. It is especially difficult when you are in someone else’s space and following their routines and expectations. It means that not only do you lack the physical space, but you also lack the metaphorical space to create a routine for yourself that includes time for your movement practice.
*Excuse.
Even though I never leave my yoga mat behind, I can’t say I use it very much during transit. Most of the times if it is used, it is just to spare me from laying on a floor somewhere when I just needed a flat surface.
And yes, I do make time for acro but you know that’s more than just a movement practice for me.
Still, I didn’t use the excuse as a way to completely abandon my practices altogether. I just found different, more suitable ways to incorporate them into my lifestyle. My remedy has been finding yoga studios to sign up to. This is also a bit of a mission because I am quite particular about the type of yoga classes I enjoy and will pay for. Yet, I managed to find an amazing studio in Florida and another great franchise in London. Both of which have kept me moving and healing and transforming energies during my extended stopovers. The former even allowed me to host an Intro to Acro class, which was so much fun and provided me with a lot of joy and fulfilment.
Plus, aside from movement, they provide me with a bit of community in being around like-minded people even if just for an hour.
3. Weather considerations and what it means for my suitcase
Maybe this is more of a complaint than a downside but I have to include it because of the crazy airline baggage rules that are always changing (getting worse) and affecting travel plans and budgets.
Not knowing exactly where you will go and how long you will be there, and being across varying continents, biomes, and all things in between means not being able to pack just one type of clothing. When I travel, even just between Miami and London, I have to pack for everything from crazy wind, torrential rain, heat stroke humidity, and frigid air for an unknown length of time and it is all meant to fit into a suitcase that weighs 40 pounds/20 kg or less. Not to mention ensuring I have the right hair products and moisturizers or the right shoes for the terrain and the amount of walking I will do, and on and on it goes. (Forget my diving equipment, skates, paintbrushes/canvases, or anything else I need for my various hobbies. Not gonna happen).
This leads to the next downside…
4. Buying things you already have somewhere
This might be just me, so I really want to talk to other women travelers and see if they share this experience — but I feel like I am constantly buying clothes because of the issue I explained in number 3. Whatever does not fit into the suitcase requirements then becomes something you can “buy when you get there”, and if this happens every time you’re in a new location, you end up in this viscous cycle of buying and giving away, and repeat.
Comfort is important. But also, I know I already have something like this in Miami/London/Phuket.
What do you choose? Most of the time, if I can afford it, I choose comfort.
5. Missing everything
This is an obvious one, so I won’t spend much time on it—especially because I go into more detail in my next point.
But I’ll just say: it’s still nice to be included, even if I am not there.
Pictures mean a lot. Calls mean even more.
6. Isolation
There is something about moving away that causes people to feel like they are no longer required to and/or responsible for keeping up with a relationship they supposedly cherish. I don’t quite know what it is, other than a mental block, because it’s easier than ever to keep in touch with people if we really want to. Yet I hear over and over again “you left” and it triggers something inside me that either goes: “so?” or “yeah I did.”
In either scenario, it’s become clear to me that the onus is somehow always on the traveler to ensure contact and that relationships are kept. Somehow a person who travels apparently can’t also have “a lot going on” and can’t also be super busy or otherwise occupied with life-ing…because, after all, they left.
“Life” doesn’t apply to you, if you travel, it seems.
And so you are left with 2 choices:
- Have no real friends
- Make all the effort
It’s clear to me that there are no other options.
Hence: isolation.
No one can keep up with the time zones despite having a computer glued to their hand, which likely tells them exactly where you are with one click of a “story” button on IG. And if you by chance have a few people who you hear from from time to time, you don’t ever really get a chance to properly connect. Unless *you*, the literal you, make a special effort to do so. Otherwise you are left with a lot of lingering questions and unfinished conversations or those that were never quite had: wanting to know all the things going on in their life and also wanting to share yours, but never quite getting there in between memes on Instagram and the occasional story heart.
Yet chances are they already have a few others who they can and do talk to on a regular basis, who do, in fact, know what is happening in their lives. It’s just not you. And probably you can’t say the same.
Isolation.
It’s not something you sign up for readily when wanting to travel. And certainly not with the expectation that it will be your permanent resignation. But the truth is: the more you travel, the less people will want to keep up with you, truly. And that’s the reality.
7. Misplacing things
Imagine living out of a suitcase consistently for years and having to shuffle and reshuffle and organise and reorganise your things in places of all sorts all around the world: sometimes with plenty of time, and sometimes in a mad rush for one reason or another. You’re bound to misplace a thing or two.
If you’re lucky it’s a cheap meaningless t-shirt you’ve left in the laundromat; but if you’re like me it’s expensive and sentimental jewellery that you bought with your brother on your trip to Egypt and a gift you received from one of the fewwwww people who actually tries to maintain a friendship with you no matter where you are.
Life.
But not really. Because I left.
