What is your dream? I met thousands of different people during my 8 years of travelling. It wasn't that I would just go twice a year on a holiday but I was living and working in several countries spending in each location 4-14 months. I met many travellers from other countries which were living the same life as me but only a few of them knew what they really want. They sure loved travelling same as I did but there was a difference for me. I always knew I am not living in the specific country/location just to cross off an item from my bucket list.
Travel just for the sake of travel
Travelling has been my life for last 8 years and I always wanted to visit many countries, explore the culture, meet different people, learn history, climb mountains, swim in the sea, explore deep forests, see various lakes and live an adventure. I could travel like this without any limit as long as I want but I knew to have a dream or goal to tie with the travelling it would offer me much more. If you are the lucky one and you can travel anytime and anywhere without need of having a job or you even have enough money to be secured until the retirement age its great. You don't need to worry where you will eventually settle down, what job you will do or where you will live. In that case this article is most likely not for you.
University, career, family, house - how it used to be
I was growing up in the culture where I had a freedom but on the other hand I always felt I don't have a freedom and my steps are already set in stone. I sure wanted all these things but I wanted to have my own path. This default lifestyle is expected and other ways are not much tolerated usually from your family or surrounding people.
It has always same steps. Finish the best university/degree possible and find yourself a great job with no need of moving. Now it's time to find a partner and start a family as is in most cases expected from your family and friends. You can go once or twice a year on a holiday but don't spend too much as you will have to buy a house for your family and of course the mortgage comes along with it.
What will happen once you finish the travelling?
I believe in most cases many travellers just postponed what was about to happen anyway. You managed to visit/live in a few countries, met interesting people but soon or later many people go back and continue the path which was expected from them to follow from the beginning. Some people don't give up and settle down in a foreign country and manage to still live an adventure but the way as I see it there is not a big difference as they setlle for the same path just living it abroad. In both cases its more or less end of the adventure and partially admitting to stop chasing the dreams.
The dream
How was my path different? Before I even started to travel I knew the reason for my travelling. I had a dream to build a block of flats with 40 flats (8 years ago when I didn't have any work experience, great job or money, many people would say impossible but I wasn't about to give up). I was studying a civil engineering university. My passion to travell tied up with my dream led me abroad. I was working as a waiter (it wasn't my dream job but helped me to easily travel and reach my dream). I knew I am able to earn more money abroad even as a waiter without any work experience. Each new job in hospitality helped me to get a better next job, higher salary, possibility to travel almost freely and on a side save money for my dream and to get ready to have my own company focusing on building block of flats which would allow me to travel afterwards and manage business from abroad while I am turning more of my dreams into the reality. I started to study online to get hands on even better positions and have available knowledge required for the business owner.
How was it different?
When I knew where I am going I could see the progress. I was happy to go to work because each day at work got me closer to my dream. I was going above and beyond my duties to keep the job as a foreigner and to get possibly a good recommendation which could help me to get a better job in my next country/destination (to earn a bit more in order to reach the dream faster). I was in general happy employee as eventhough customers were sometimes rude I knew I am again one day closer to my dream.
Where is your block of flats then?
I didn't give up on this dream but change happens and opportunities are becoming available to seize if your eyes are open wide enough. As I was studying beside working and travelling I studied online across many fields such as customer service, leadership, management, digital marketing, hospitality and many more. At the end I would be able to build block of flats with help of a bank but an opportunity (actually two opportunities) suddenly appeared. I had many other opportunities along my way but this time I had money and knowledge which I didn't have before. Both of these opportunities are time sensitive and in couple of years could be irrelevant thats way I shifted my focus towards new opportunities. In a few years will people still live in flats but digital technology goes forward every single day and I can still build block of flats in a few years.
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