TRAVEL TRUTHS

  • Apr 17, 2015
Today I want to talk honestly about the reality of living a life well-travelled.
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There is a bit of a lack of human experience in the travel blogging world today and it’s resulting in an unrealistic view of travelling full-time. It’s breeding unnecessary envy and disappointment towards where you might be in your life right now. If we shared a few of our not-so-perfect moments in our online lives, maybe it will result in healthier offline lives.

We are in an era of influences, instragrammers and bloggers who are living a life exploring the world and doing it in serious style. I love following the stories of these explorers, their pictures are inspirational and add colour to my sometimes not-quiet-so-lovely days. But it can be easy to forget that this is a ‘highlight reel’. All their perfect images compacted for my easy viewing pleasure. I think it’s wonderful that if by sharing your travel experiences, you can inspire someone to finally buy that ticket they’ve always been dreaming of, but it’s not quite so great if it’s making someone miserable in their current life because they can’t quite achieve that level of constant perfection and happiness.

When I share my story I want to be honest. This is my diary after all, why would I want to lie to myself? When I’m old and grey I want real stories not just perfect moments.

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I saved for three years to come on this journey. I still spend countless nights planning our budget for each week, where we’ll sleep next month and what cities we can visit that are in our price range. Travelling long-term is completely different to that two-week holiday you might take once a year. You need sustainable funds, and you need to somewhat be prepared.

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I am average. What you might call completely and utterly ordinary. But there really is no shame in being ordinary. My reality is that I wear the same outfit every single day! Sometimes I barely feel clean.. let alone stylish! I often wonder where travel bloggers put all their lovely clothes. I’m carrying four t-shirts, one pair of jeans, underwear, thermals, a jumper… and all that’s heavy! Oh and backpacking? Totally not stylish but definitely practical. Let me in on the stylish travel secret!

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My accommodation is a mix of hostel/subletting a room/airbnb and only rarely a hotel. Sometimes it can be dirty or cold or noisy, and definitely not insta-worthy. Other times it’s cluttered, cosy and homely, and I love it even more than a trendy hotel room. Just because it doesn’t look like the ‘most beautiful’ place to sleep, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t share that photo.

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Travelling long-term is exhilarating, but it’s also an emotional roller-coaster. Some days you’ll be the happiest you’ve ever been, but others you might feel really sad. Sometimes sad for no reason, or maybe you’ll be feeling homesick, other times you’re freaking out that you’re not doing what society says you should be doing and you feel like a bit of a waste of space. This lack of ‘purpose’ can be difficult. In our normal lives we are so consumed with work, both for money and for love. While travelling you’re stripped of this superficial purpose we’ve become so accustomed to. I manage this confusion by setting myself long-term projects. I take pictures to document life in different cultures and cities (to hopefully release a book), and I share real stories of the world with those who might never get to see it themselves.

When I see a beautiful travel picture on instagram, I try to imagine what that person does the moment after the picture was taken. Do they get lonely too? If we shared both the highs and lows in life, maybe we’d be more prepared for the harder days. We all have the same fears, doubts and anxieties. When we know that feeling sad is normal, we can embrace that feeling, acknowledge the reason for it and let it go.

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When I started this journey I wanted to know all the secrets of the world, but instead I’m learning more about who I am and what I want from my life.

Travelling is humbling, it has helped me to realise that I am just one fish in a vast ocean. Before this journey I was a naive child, and now my eyes have been opened to an entirely different world. Once you’ve stripped back everything you own, any kind of familiarity, it’s just you everyday in a new city and there really is no hiding from who you are.

If theres one reason why I would recommend travelling young, it would be so that you can see what you may or may not be missing out on. So you don’t have to live your life wondering ‘what if?’, or dreaming of where the grass might be greener, and you can stop asking yourself what you need to do to be happy.

Just get out there and see for yourself, find where your place in the world is, and you might even be surprised to find out that it’s somewhere you’d never expect.

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By experiencing new cultures with differing ethnicities/religions/communities, I realise we are all fundamentally the same. We all feel, dream, love, hate. We work hard, meet friends for dinner and spend time with our families. There is prejudice and there is acceptance, good people and horrible ones, sadness and blissful happiness. The simplicity of it is obvious and yet I never could grasp it properly before I saw it for myself.

When I started this journey I didn’t really know why I was doing it. To see the world while I’m still young? To explore while I don’t yet have serious commitments? To escape from the realities of society? Never did I think it would be so I could gain such a realistic perspective on my life, something I’ll never take for granted.

Knowledge is power. That perfect life you might be reaching for doesn’t exist. Be present in the now. There is this beautifully unperfect world waiting for you, if you’re brave enough to explore it.

 

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20 Comments

  1. Karam Bachour

    17/06/2015

    hello Claire! your blog is the best guide for travelers who truly understand the meaning and the purpose of travel.

  2. valeria

    08/05/2015

    hello claire! i just wanted to express how much i love following your journey on instagram (and now on here too because i just discovered your site today!). i especially love this post! on social media most people only tend to share the highs of their lives and never the lows, it makes me feel so sad sometimes especially as an university drop-out who is about to leave for abroad too (i’m going to spain for a year, and leaving in two months! oh my, i’m so excited, i’ve been dreaming of traveling since i were 15!). people tend to frown at it a lot, especially older acquiantances of my parents, but i don’t really understand why i should on keep doing an uni course of which i already knew after three months that it wasn’t what i wanted to do for the rest of my life? i also love your posts about amsterdam by the way! i am dutch and it’s always so nice to see a foreigner’s perspective on our country. i can’t imagine not going everywhere on bike? oh, and i also love your berlin posts, makes me feel so nostalgic because i went there last year, only for a week but i fell in love. i wish you so much love and light for the remainder of your journey! kisses from the netherlands 🙂

    • Claire Alice Young

      23/05/2015

      Hi Valeria!

      Us university dropouts gotta stick together! 😉 How exciting you’re about to embark on such a special journey! Spain will be amazing! I’m planning on hopefully visiting with my best friend later on this year, I’ve always dreamed of seeing Spain too 🙂

  3. Carolyn

    18/04/2015

    I loved this post! I actually think you should Instagram and take pictures of all the not so insta-worthy places you stay! Even the photograph of the couch and the windmill above it has some charm – was it taken in Germany/Netherlands by any chance? It has those ~*vibes*~. I think that even the mundane has its own sort of charm!

  4. Alycia

    18/04/2015

    I’m so glad to hear someone speak about the downsides of travelling – I thought I was alone in being stressed about it at times and that I was being ungrateful. I do love to see the world but there’s no way I could do it full time, the lack of stability, being completely out of my comfort zone and the occasional chaos makes me appreciate being able to come home and calm myself at the end of a trip.

  5. Lizzy Anne

    17/04/2015

    Absolutely love the honesty in this post…I hope I can see more bloggers tell it like it is

    • Claire Alice Young

      17/04/2015

      Thank you Lizzy! ❤️

  6. Dominique Felicity

    17/04/2015

    I so agree with this, I love & live for travelling, but it is far from a perfect lifestyle and can be damn difficult and even isolating sometimes)

    • Claire Alice Young

      17/04/2015

      It certainly can be isolating, it’s such an incredible experience that the lows are just part of the crazy ride. Your family is so inspirational lovely, I love watching your journey in your bus xxx

  7. Jess Hay

    17/04/2015

    I love you! I love how honest this post is. Travelling is exactly that, extreme highs and lows all built into one humble lifestyle. After spending about 5 years travelling full-time you start to understand further the need for some stability, although that word does mean different things to different people though. I find so many people our age constantly promoting a life of never ending travel… where are the funds though, it makes it seem unrealistic and even more out of reach for so many people. I think the beauty is when you find the balance of both worlds, stability and travel. I am so proud of you Claire, you are such a good role model for all out there dreaming and wanting to fulfil their dreams in a realistic way. Sending so much love.

    • Claire Alice Young

      17/04/2015

      Thank you sweet girl, I miss you! You have always been one of the inspirations behind my courage for this journey. I’ll never forget all the advice you’ve given me! I’m learning more now about the power of a balanced life, with both stability and adventure. I’m excited for when the next chapter of our life unfolds, one where we can find the balance between a home and travelling. Xxx

  8. Lucy Ronan

    17/04/2015

    I seriously love, love, love this post – this is a concept I think about all the time, and struggle with, just like many others! No one, or their beautiful filtered online lives, is perfect.
    You write so beautifully and take the loveliest photos. Keep up the fantastic work 🙂 X

    http://www.farawaylucy.com

    • Claire Alice Young

      17/04/2015

      Thank you very much Lucy, you are so lovely xxx

  9. Jannicke Barnes

    17/04/2015

    Great and honest post! I agree it would be amazing to see more like this. And definitely where do they fit all the amazing outfits? It reminded me of my first time going to Glastonbury festival and my friend told me to bring old clothes that I wasn’t worried about cs it would all get ruined anyway. So I packed my not so fashionable old t-shirts, only to find everyone wearing super cute fancy dresses.

    • Claire Alice Young

      17/04/2015

      Hi love!
      I’ve done the exact same thing at an Australian festival! But I just couldn’t bring myself to risk ruining my nice clothes

  10. Victoria L.

    17/04/2015

    Wow. Thank you for this. You write so beautifully. I agree with every word 🙂

    • Claire Alice Young

      17/04/2015

      Thank you Victoria! 🙂 <3

  11. Aislin Fall

    17/04/2015

    Bam! All truth.

    • Claire Alice Young

      17/04/2015

      You know it girl! I am still in awe of how you do this journey solo, and by sleeping on couches! You’re badass 😉

      • Aislin Fall

        17/04/2015

        There’s always a way if you have the will. 😉 Just doing whatever I gotta do. I’m so impressed by how prepared you were for your journey! I fly by the seat of my pants most of the time.

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