Affirmations for Travelers

I’m allowed to take up space in this world

Weirdly enough, an American politician said this once about taking up space in the election world, but I’ve morphed it into my own use. For a long time, I spent life trying to blend in as much as possible. Something I’ve learned over the last few years is that it’s totally okay to take up space in this world. Ask questions, run around, and be free. Take up all the space that you need and don’t be scared to be loud. Spin around in circles, hug trees, take your photos, and never (ever) be scared of what other people will say to you. You don’t owe anybody anything, take up space.

I’m allowed to be here. This really helps whenever I get impostor syndrome. In hostels, you meet a lot of different kinds of people. Sometimes it’s hard to fight the feeling that you don’t belong, but everyone has the right to travel around the world if they can or so desire. You have as much right to travel as the next person, so don’t leave yourself out of cool experiences just because you are scared to take up space.

Remember your Why 

Should you find yourself on an uncomfortable, long, bumpy bus ride in the middle of nowhere Mexico, you might ask yourself ‘why.’ Why did you decide to do this? When you’re lonely and homesick, having that answer is the key to you keeping your sanity. My ‘why’ is a double edged sword because I’m traveling to avoid settling down somewhere. I’m traveling to yes, see the world, but also to avoid the scary truth that I don’t have a place to call home at the moment. It’s not a fun realization to have at 23. When I have those moments, I like to remember the positive parts of my ‘why.’ I’m meeting new people and having so many positive experiences that vastly outweigh the negative ones. Remember the good times to help the bad.

I decide what to do next 

Yesterday, a few of my new friends and one of my good friends hopped on a very long bus ride heading south west in Mexico. I had so much fun in Tulum with them, however I had a volunteering position to finish in Mexico and a flight to Puerto Rico already booked for next week. I could’ve abandoned my plan to head off with them, however I decided to go back to Cancun and finish what I started, even though I had to do it alone. I am in charge of my life and my travel plans. It can be easy to get wrapped up in things sometimes, but remember this is your travel journey and no one else’s. You make your own choices. You’ve made it this far! Everything I’ve done up until this point and I still have all of my limbs intact. People do these things all the time. If ever I’m nervous, I remind myself of all the “hard” things I’ve already accomplished in my life. If I can jump out of a plane I can definitely take a bus by myself. If I can move to Hawaii by myself 3 years ago then I can definitely visit Mexico. Remind yourself of all the times you felt nerves and then think of how each situation turned out. You’re still here. You’re still doing things. You’ve made it this far, now see how far you can go.

It’s okay to go home 

Speaking of making choices… There is no shame in going home if you want to. I had an experience last December. I made some choices and found myself in my car, by myself, shivering in the desert in the middle of Joshua Tree National Park, California. It was pitch black, 6 pm, I was hungry and cold. I could feel my whole car shaking because the wind was so powerful. I called my mom and she told me to just… go home. No one would even know. I had an apartment in LA at the time so it was a quick 2.5 hour drive. The thing is, I would know. I would know my trip ‘failed.’ Here’s the thing though: it wasn’t a failure, just a learning experience. I didn’t go home, I froze my ass off all night. But I realized there’s no trophy for staying uncomfortable on a trip. Budget travel is not going to be perfect all the time but safety is paramount. I went to Zion National Park a few months later and my AirBnb host was making my very uncomfortable so I ended up losing $30 to that d!ck head and leaving. I’ll say it again, safety is paramount to anything else. Even if you don’t feel unsafe, it’s always okay to go home. It’s not a failure just another experience.

I Know how to Listen to my Gut 

You know when enough is enough. You know your limits and you know when you’re testing them. Trust yourself. Sometimes shortcuts are okay, sometimes they are not. You know the difference. You don’t need anybody else telling you what to do on your travels because you already know the answer. This is your journey to live so live it. Know when to say yes and when to say know. You have the answer, listen to your gut. Safety is always paramount. It took me some time to learn the difference between the sense of nervousness and the sense of disaster. After a while, you just know what the right thing is to do. Absolutely get other’s opinions if you feel it will help- but only you know your situation. You know what you can handle, listen to yourself.

I am expanding my world view and my horizons 

For those who don’t have a ‘why’: this is it. You are expanding yourself whether you realize it or not. Traveling the world, meeting new people, experiencing new cultures… These are things many spend their lives dreaming of but not actually doing. You are doing it! And you’re doing great. You’d have bad days even if you were home, it’s human. No one’s life is perfect. You are continuing to educate yourself with real world cultural experiences. You’re opening doors for yourself whether you realize it or not.

I often toy with the idea of going back to school before I remember that the world has become my school. I am experiencing a freeing (& free) education by traveling as much as I do. The world is out there, not in books (though I do love reading too.) You are expanding yourself more than reading about it ever could.

I don’t know who I am going to meet today 

Especially if you are staying in a hostel, you will 100% meet new people everyday. All you have to do is leave your bed. You don’t know if you’re going to meet your best friend, a new guy, someone that will change your life forever, or just a regular nice person that you’ll talk to once and never see again. Don’t think of it as scary, think of it as exciting. You are going to meet so many people that you don’t know yet. On any given day you could meet the love of your life. Now, yes of course you could do that at home as well, however you are meeting people from all over the world when you’re traveling. They’re meeting you. You’ll have friends in all corners of the globe. You never know how the day is going to go, so face it with a confident smile.

I know where home is 

You do. You know where it is. Even I know where “home” is. It doesn’t have to be a place or a house. It could be a person or a feeling. Home is a haven, a place to land when your wings get tired. I know that even though my parents house isn’t my home any more and it will probably be sold soon, my cousin will always have a bed or couch for me to sleep on. I know I can call my sister in an emergency and she’ll 50/50 pick up but she’ll definitely call me back. I know I have people and you do too. To help with this affirmation, I like to remind myself of the strings that tie me to the people I love. I play a lot (a lot) of chess with my cousin. I’ll be in a night club, on a bus or plane, at a bar, wherever. I’ll play her back. I buy post cards for my sister and magnets for my mom. All of these little things remind me that even though I may be traveling solo, I’m never really alone.

I am grateful for this life and all it brings me

The Melnikov Lab has a good way of putting it. “…[the] probability [of existing] is the same as if you handed out 2 million dice, each dice with one trillion sides… then rolled those 2 million dice and had them all land on 439,505,270,846.” That’s a really small chance. I am alive and I am going to be present in my life. I will make the most of each day and be grateful that I can. I have the privilege of traveling without responsibility for anything or anyone but myself. I know it can all be taken away by things I cannot control so I will do everything I can, when I can and be thankful I am able. Even on the bad days, I stay grateful.

I am the only one who needs to approve of my decisions 

Allll the time. All the time, I hear about how people’s parents “don’t approve” of them dropping everything to travel the world. Or I hear of my friends whose partners don’t want to do or can’t go. Make your own choices but please remember this is your life. After 18, you are the only person who needs to approve of what you’re doing. It’s a scary free for all free fall but welcome to adulthood. If I wanted to, I could rent a car and drive to Argentina tomorrow. I could book a cruise to Antarctica or a safari in Africa. I won’t because I don’t want to blow my savings or do anything unsafe but I could if I did want to. My family has told me 100+ different reasons why I couldn’t or shouldn’t do things that I’ve done. Another sub piece of advice here, don’t listen to someone you don’t want to end up like especially if they are judging you. As the great Taylor Swift says, “never take advice from someone who’s falling apart.” You are the writer, the creator of your own story.

I am the only person who can give me my dream life

At least once a week, I think about going home, getting a job, and living the way my hometown friends do. I think these thoughts mostly on the bad days. On the bad days when I can’t order food because I don’t speak the language of the country I’m in, I think “This wouldn’t happen if I was in the US” and no, it wouldn’t because most people in the US speak English. However, it is my dream to see the world. If I gave up at every speed bump, I would never live the life I want. I pick and choose how I live my life. I picked my dream over stability and that is something I will have to live with. It’s something I get the privilege of living with. I am the only person stopping me from living my dream life. I am the only person who can give me my dream life.

I control my perspective

It’s funny because the other day my friend and I were walking through a rough, wet, dirty alleyway with her large suitcase on wheels. It' was an experience for sure. We were talking about how it was so funny when we were together but if we were alone it would’ve been frustrating. It’s all about perspective. You could say that you are ‘alone’ or you could say that you are getting to know yourself.

I could be annoyed by the rain or embrace the water hitting my face. I longed for that feeling when I lived in the desert. It’s all about how you look at things. Look at the bad days with gratitude for the basics. Look at the cloudy sunrises with appreciation for the pink and orange ones.

Gratitude will get you through. Perspective shifts are all you need to turn the bad days into unforgettable stories.