But here I am all these years down the line and but for a few months back in Cork in the end of 2012 I have never looked back. Call me what you like - gypsy, hobo, vagabundo, bum or nomad! I never imagined leaving Ireland as a newbie backpacker in June 2011 that I would be sitting writing this in my apartment in Medellin, Colombia over 4 years later but the best thing about life is that it always throws up a few surprises along the way.
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| Newb - 2nd day in Bangkok |
That first 12 months backpacking now seems so long ago. I had traveled a bit before but mainly those 2 week trips to Greece, Turkey or Spain for the Irish to get their annual dose of Vitamin D. My decision to leave and book the trip was a bit unexpected. I had - like about 99% of the world - thought, probably dreamt better sums it up, of quitting my job and globetrotting - with just a backpack and a guide book.
I wasn't particularly happy in my job - I was probably going through the motions and was stuck in the all too familiar "rut". Wishing away five days ever week to get to weekend. "Was this what life was all about?".
I was lucky at that stage, back at the start of the Irish economic crash, that I got a job straight out of University and was paid pretty well and even got to travel a bit. A few colleagues from University couldn't find work and went through the familiar journey of extra courses, unpaid internships and months unemployed - a life which was very normal for graduates in the late 2000s.
For sure, I was a lucky one but office life never really fulfilled me. Looking back on the day I booked my ticket - it was a decision I didn't think through very much. I was in Cork City on a Saturday afternoon and passed by a travel shop. I remember seeing one of those amazing beach photos in the window and thought I should find out about how much it actually costs to get to this "Hidden Paradise of Thailand". I sat down with a salesperson (was probably her first break from the honeymooners for a few hours) and the next hour passed by in a blur. I was listing cities, countries, continents, dates and times.
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| Its your fault travel agent...and Leonardo Di Caprio |
I left an hour later with a round-the-world ticket from Cork with stops in Bangkok, Singapore, Brisbane, Santiago and New York. I remember a feeling of adrenaline kicked in - I had just spent all this money on a year travel - all by myself!! Where would I stop? Would I make friends? Would it be safe?...A lot of questions raced through my head - the most pressing being - "How the hell do I tell my parents".
I decided to tell my parents right away. As you can imagine I got the usual Irish parent reaction - a lot of references to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. In fact a lot of Bible characters were referenced.
"Are you mad?" was the most interesting question from my mother. I mean "Was I crazy?" - I hadn't thought it through a lot, I didn't know anything about South East Asia and had never done a long trip alone.
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| "Watch out for those snakes" - sound Irish mother advice |
"And what about your job?" - I also hadn't thought that through. Here I was in February and I would leave in June. I decided to go in that Monday morning and tell my boss. I couldn't really wait to say it. I slowly broke it to a lot of people - still trying to come to terms with my own shock. But the longer I thought about it and the more people found out I became more comfortable and excited. So roll on June 2011 and off I went!
Im not going to go into details of my trip but safe to say it was a whirlwind adventure. The worries I had disappeared after just a few days. I saw so many amazing places and met so many amazing people....and I never looked back. On returning home it quickly became apparent that I couldn't settle back in Cork and I eventually left again - a one way ticket to Mexico. And now here I am - back again in Colombia - via Vancouver, Mexico, Colombia, Vancouver again, Costa Rica and Panama. I have already explained how I ended up in Medellin in a previous blog but the main thing that hits me looking back on the last few years is that the less I thought about things - the better my life has become. I have less money and less security of family and friends but I am so much happier.
I also had the dreaded 30th Birthday in July. Queue the few days of mental breakdown.
I thought back to when I was 20 - still in University in Cork - halfway through my degree. This was the time of the Celtic Tiger!! For anybody outside Ireland - this was a time when Ireland was "balling" - we had so much money. Everyone was spending cash, buying houses and cars, taking up skiing - even people were buying Hot Tubs for their houses....yes!! hot tubs!! in Ireland!! (This should have been a warning).
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| The Lads buying a round of drinks in the local - Fat Frogs! |
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| "So much disposable income" - said every Irish person |
I remember as a 20 yr old thinking about 10 years in the future. "when I'm 30 I'm going to be rich, close to retirement, have two houses - probably one in Croatia or Bulgaria or somewhere obscure, have started a family, have a few cars and basically be living like Richie Rich."
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| Eoin - Aged 30 |
Of course the reality of the years to follow in Ireland were very different. But thats what I thought. So when I hit 30 I was thinking - I'm not rich, I need to work before I retire, I am nowhere near one house never mind two and family and cars are waaaaaay off. But hey - I have a lot of stamps in my passport!
I also recently met up again with a girl I had first met backpacking in Argentina back in 2012, when she came to visit Medellin. We had seen each other a few times in New York in last few years but she mentioned - "Wow you are still going - still living the dream". I guess I am!
Don't get me wrong I haven't been moving around constantly for 4 years - I lived and worked well over a year in Vancouver and I have also been living in Colombia for a year and teaching English to make some money. But I was still living outside my comfort zone - still living day to day, week to week. Im still unsure where I will end up or what I will do with my life, but I am happy living in this moment. And like everyone else I still wake up some mornings thinking "What the fuck am I doing with my life!!" and "How did I end up in Medellin in Colombia!?!" But here I am.
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| This Sums it Up Better Than I Can Sometimes |
Life is good! I live in a relatively cheap country (take that Vancouver) with really nice people and an unbeatable climate (take that Cork). Waking up everyday to sun and temperature in the 20s is pretty sweet - for sure beats those dark Monday mornings in October in Ireland where getting out of bed and going to work felt like beginning a life sentence.
I always think I am really lucky to be in this position. I am lucky I had the money to leave in the first place, lucky that I don't have commitments back home, lucky that it's easy as an Irish person to travel. I have met lots of people who aren't so lucky - whether it is university debt, sick family members, mortgages, children or just the fact you were born Colombian - making it difficult to get visas and travel wherever you like. I definitely feel lucky to be living this lifestyle!
But lets be honest life isn't alway going to be 100% great. I have moments too while traveling when life brings you down. It can get a little depressing and lonely. Sometimes I miss my family, friends in Cork and Vancouver and just the safety net of a country you understand and are not a stranger in. I have missed out on numerous weddings and funerals -my grandfather and little cousin both died while I was on the other side of the world - these times you really do feel alone. Even last week I had a moment where I wished I was watching Ireland beat Germany in a bar at home.
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| We beat Germany - if you didn't know |
Traveling can be tiring. After months of backpacking its natural you won't have the same enthusiasm and appreciation to see another waterfall or temple or beautiful beach. Everything - even the most amazing things - can become a little mundane after a while. I had points like this but I still felt grateful for what I was seeing.
"But is it not really hard to travel solo?"
This is a question I get a lot. Traveling alone has given me the opportunity to be outside my comfort zone, to meet incredible people, to meet good friends, to have freedom and a sense of adventure! In short I have no regrets. I have met people for hours, days, weeks or months - and each one has had an effect on my travels. I have spent only a few hours with people and still to this day consider them as good friends and we keep in regular contact. Considering there are people I went to school with for 14 years that I never speak to - this is an amazing thing.
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| Paddy Day 2013 in San Cristobal Mexico |
I guess when you travel alone you have to be more outgoing and friendly. You meet people in the same situation and instantly have something in common - which always helps to break down barriers. It's the people that make the places and experiences. You can be in a beautiful place and alone and wonder what all the fuss is about. But you can be in a boring little town in the middle of nowhere with an amazing group of people and have the time of your life. I seriously recommend solo travel and don't regret it.
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| Jungle Hostel in Costa Rica 2015 |
Of course it can be hard though. Obviously there are times when you have the same conversation for the 5th time that morning and feel like jumping off that beautiful waterfall you saw earlier that day:
"Where are you from?".
"How long have you been traveling?"
"Where are you going next?"
This makes you long for your good friends who know you and can joke with. I miss the banter of my friends - the natural conversation and memories you can bring up. You also miss the little things - from the long summer nights, to bread that isn't shite, to flushing toilet paper down the toilet - to more hipster things like - good sushi, ramen, WholeFoods (still waiting on my hamper from Vancouver- hint to all my friends there), Mexican tacos or a proper pint of stout. But every day is different as a solo traveler, full of opportunities to breakdown stereotypes, make friendships and try new things!
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| Sound Life Advice |
The one way that traveling solo has affected me in a somewhat negative way is that I think I have become a commitment phobe. The fact it feels like I have been restarting my life every 6 months makes commitment difficult. Starting from scratch, getting to know a new culture, making friends, finding a place to live can be really hard...to the point that I find commiting to anything over a few weeks difficult. Whether thats someone special, a gym membership, buying a fan for my room (which I still haven't committed to and keep promising myself I will every time I wake up sweating my ass off at 3am).
I guess the hardest thing is building friendships or relationships. I have met some incredible people but knowing that I could leave anytime soon makes it hard to committing time and emotions to building on these. I think this was especially true in my time in Vancouver - where even though I made some true friends I still, maybe without even thinking, kept people at arms length. So yes, solo life can be a bit tricky and at times lonely.
Now I have been in Medellin a while I have built strong friendships and I am more open to letting that guard down. Sometimes you miss having someone who really understands you - who figuratively and literally speaks your language. Someone to give you a hug when you are down or to just enjoy the good times. But instead of being depressed I realise that I am responsible for my choices. I am here because I want to be here. This is what I want and even if it is a bit selfish - this is what makes me happy. Even if solo Netflix and Chill (*insert joke*) may sound depressing I am lucky to be here in this moment. And I have learned to enjoy the alone time too.
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| All Day Every Day |
A lot of people in the last few years have said things like "What you did was so brave" or "I wish I could just leave everything and live like you". But the thing is I don't feel brave or that I deserve a pat on the back or that what I am doing is better way to live life. I look at it the opposite way.
I think those people who stay in a job they hate or in a life they are miserable in are brave. There is nothing brave about doing something to change your life for the better or doing something to make yourself happy. Doing that just makes sense. Hopefully I can look back in another ten years and think I did those years justice. For sure I have fucked up along the way and I will do it countless more times in the future.
But this time I am not going to say where I want to be or where I think I will be in ten years time. I am going to live my life, be happy, keep having new experiences and enjoy what I am lucky enough to have. The thing is there is no script to life, no 'How To Guide' . Do what feels right for you.
Whether thats living in a hammock on a beach on some deserted island or working 12 hour days until you are 65.
Do what you want - not what you think you should be doing!
Think less and live more!
Or just come join me as gypsy - I will even give you the password to my Netflix account.
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| Dr Felipe |
