Before you dive into my thoughts about traveling, I should brief you about my own traveling background. I am Taiwanese and I ventured out at the age of 20 to pursue my bachelor’s degree in San Francisco, California. I lived there for about 8 years. While studying and working in the U.S, I also traveled to Peru, Mexico, Canada, and Bali. In 2016, I moved back to Taiwan to live and work in my native country. In 2018, I went on a backpacking trip in Europe, and Colombia for a few months. As you can see, I am fortunate enough to visit many places. Even still, I am definitely not one of those people who has traveled through every country. I sure do have more countries I want to visit in the years to come. However, after each journey I embarked on, with every mile I have traversed, I have accumulated many thoughts on traveling. I thought it only right to look back on what my adventures have taught me.
Traveling has taught me — Be a sensible traveler, please!
Since the world has been ever so connected, traveling itself has also been easier than ever. From my recent backpacking travel, it’s more than obvious that traveling has become more affordable and accessible, especially for those people from the developed world. People are either taking a gap year around college time or in between job transitions. While I was traveling, I couldn’t help but notice something. There are tons of backpackers that are annoying tourists. They are often “long stays” at one place and they take advantage of affordable living expenses at the city they choose to live in. They are working online or doing their zen activities at some random retreat center where everyone speaks English and the attendees are all expats who travel through or live in that city or country.
I cannot help but point out this typical travel scene I’ve witnessed through my days abroad. These travelers gather at the cafes that serve flat-white latte or vegan friendly meals that locals would barely step into.
I found this sacrifices the authenticities of the local cultures for another hipster-urban village that those travelers already have back home. Okay, I get it, there’s nothing wrong with traveling around the world while having a taste from home. However, when your so-called traveling is just another way to colonize another land to make it feel and look like your own country without any respect of locals, you hike up the price of the rent while snapping a few more pictures since you’re that cool Instagram influencer or digital nomad. To me, this is nothing different than old time western imperialism, just different formats, the poor stay poor, the rich stay rich.
The development of these travelers’ favorite destinations are at the expense of local people. In Bali, around 60% of water is used by tourists, according to research by a British academic, Stroma Cole. In addition to water shortage, urban cost of living has increased faster than wages. The food and beaches have become unaffordable for local people, the cities have been watered down for international mass consumption, and the city caters to those who ignore local community issues. These tourists choose to enjoy what their privileges have brought. This is the freedom to enjoy remote work lifestyles without feeling a sense of responsibility of giving back to the local people. They just simply take and take from locals while believing they are the people who are liberal and open because they’ve been to so many places and are good global citizens.
The point I am trying to make here is not that you cannot long stay or travel to a new place outside of your country. However, the social responsibility you need to be aware of as a lucky individual who can afford international trips are crucial to equip. Stop ignoring the consequences for local people, contribute to local communities, and living outside the expat bubble, or at least learn their languages, and meet local people and listen to them, help to build up more conscious tourism if you can.
Traveling Has Taught me — ‘Traveling within’ is essential life long work to do for yourself
Being a more sensible traveler is our responsibility, and water your side of the grass after you are back home. How to combine what you’ve learned on the road with your roots is a lesson I am still working on.
So many travelers, including myself are running away from something-responsibility, being a grown up, heartache, or a stressful job, etc, etc. I totally admire people who end up living as long-term travelers making a living in their never-ending travel nomad lifestyle. But, lots of people go back to their previous life unchanged. The wanderlust journey has ended, now what’s left is the reality that we chose to put aside before the trip. There are lots of different stages of an emotional roller coaster you have to go through. After going away for so long, your home country is more foreign than ever, you realized everything has stayed the same, but you…you are the one who has changed.
Initially, you enjoy the attention you get from friends and family. You enjoy sharing and talking about your epic travel stories. It feels awesome for a little bit. However, it goes away really fast, and the reality kicks in. You need to figure out what you are going to do with your life. Now what? Do I get a job or move away again?
This made me realize, after all, if you never deal with your own issues, seeing more people, mountains, exotic places, and different cultures is not going to help your day to day life. Because after you come home, you’re no longer surrounding yourself with new things that give you temporary release; you need to face your own problems at the end of day.
Time to adjust to the reality of being home again. People like to say traveling helps them find themselves. To my surprise, I feel the opposite. Coming home to reconnect with my roots, finding a place in my real life and learning how to apply the lessons I learned while away to things that are familiar to me back home is where I found the greatest personal growth.
I remember vividly when I first moved back home after living abroad for 8 years. There were lots of reverse culture shocks I experienced. When I was in America with my non-native accent in that diverse society, people often ask, “where are you from?” Never had I needed to answer such questions until I moved away. However, little did I know people back home also began to wonder, “Are you Taiwanese? You don’t look like Taiwanese.”
The feeling is always very complex~ I do like being different, but not feeling like you fit in your own country is definitely not a good feeling. That sense of belonging has disappeared. I started to suffer from an identity crisis. I seriously don’t know if I should embrace what America had taught me: Being different is a positive compliment, it means you’re the one and only, you’re unique and special. Or should I lean into what I was born and bred into, what Asian culture taught me. “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” It took me a while for me to get the balance of the two. After reconnecting with my motherland and traveling to more countries, I realized, there is no such thing as a place that is perfect. As progressive or as advanced as the city or country might be, there are always some underlying issues some way or another.
One of my favorite quotes is “The grass is greener on the side you water”. YAS!!! After traveling and living abroad for a long time, I believe no matter how many miles you accumulate and scenery you have seen, the essential part of life is to know how do I water my side of the plant and keep the grass greener on whichever side I am living in.
Traveling is definitely a school of life, I heard different stories and experienced the unknown, I have developed my longing for psychological evolution via seeing and exploring. However, I found my inner strengths truly amplified when I try to find a place in my day to day boring life. How can I stay adventurous and curious in my ordinary life? I came to the realization that this is a higher school of life I am starting to develop. I began to have an understanding that moving forward means staying still and feeling what I have been trying to avoid and reaching a new destination. It’s not moving to another foreign city or country. It is a life that is filled with contentment and a focus on the present without any outer world stimulations.
“Home is a symbol of the self. Caring for a home is caring for one’s self,” from Gloria Steinem, a long time traveler way before all these Instagram backpackers were born. She clearly pointed something that is deep to my heart: “the divisions between home and the road, instead of EITHER/OR, she discovered a whole world of AND.” I don’t need to choose: Do I prefer to be on the road or home, or where do I call home. I can have wings and roots, it doesn’t have to be one or the other. After being on the road for so long, I finally connected the dots and the purpose for me to move back to my home. It may take my whole life and I’d still be far from mastering the lesson of coming home, but I am willing to travel within this time and water this side of the grass where I call home.
May all travelers out there find their balance and peace whether it’s your home or another new discovery.
