I love to travel.

Who are you living for?

You can’t live your life based upon other people’s needs. That’s a one-way street to the land of regret and bitter disappointment.

In 20 years time, you’ll resent those who held you back. We love our family and friends, yet we have to follow our hearts, or the cracks will appear in, not just our relationships to those we love, but to ourselves.

Family will always remain constant. You’ll have ups and downs, which is normal, but no matter what you do with your life they’ll always be there.

Your friends will come and go. There will be those who, just like your family, will remain constant, no matter what you choose to do. Whether you stay at home, or travel, your life path will change as will the friendships that come with it.

What happens if you choose to remain near your friends, and in 5 years time, your best friend finds the love of her life, moves to another country and is deliriously happy. Where are you then?

Welcome to the land of bitterness, regret, and resentment.

What you are most afraid of is being alone. Not recognizing who you are anymore and having to start all over again. This can be scary, or it can be liberating, depending on your perspective.

Let’s get one thing straight. You’ve formed friendships before right? You’ve been doing it since the days building towers in the sandpit at the local playground.

You’re also a person that many people would love to chat too. You’re interesting and have so much to offer. (Please don’t tell me this is not true)

Travel has this amazing ability to give you the freedom to be who you want. You form friendships with people purely based on who you are at the moment. You are free to allow it to be a pass-on-by-friendship, or make an effort to create something a little more life-long. You don’t have to be friends with someone just because you played in the sandpit together when you were 3.

Let me share with you my truth.

Before I started travelling, I was very insecure, shy, and had low self-esteem. I was frightened of people as I never knew how to engage in conversation. Travel helped me become more comfortable with myself and talking to strangers. Now I love meeting new people (and I still adore my home-town friends).

You might also be fortunate to travel with your friends. I’ve had many experiences traveling with my friends in local destination and we have the most wonderful memories and have stronger friendships as a result.

Don’t be afraid of change

It’s a natural part of life.

You can’t evolve unless you embrace change, and you can’t thrive unless you evolve. Don’t be frightened about who you could possibly be in two years time and what this might mean for your family relationships and friendships.

You can only live your life based on the now. If things change they change, love never has to.

You’ll always love your friends and family, but you have so much space in you to love an infinite amount of people. Don’t limit your capacity for love and learning by shutting out experiences because you are afraid of letting go and walking into a future that might seem cloudy and uncertain, but is really full of light and beautiful rainbows.

Think about it, would you want your parents, or siblings to give up their hopes and dreams just so they could be near you?