Each year, I live out of my backpack for a couple of months, travelling to different countries.
And it’s been the biggest catalyst to growth & change in my life over anything else.
So, here’s my 3 biggest lessons from travelling at 21:
There’s people out there doing the shit you want to do.
You might not be able to see it in your hometown, or your friend group, but if you go out there beyond your bubble, you’ll see and meet people just like you. The way you feel isn’t some fucking curse. There’s others out there who’ve transformed that same passion or feeling into a life of freedom. You’ve just got to find them
Going alone changes you.
Before leaving uni, I hadn’t done any travel alone before, and i was terrified of the idea of it. As someone who was pretty introverted at heart, going solo brought me out of my shell, and made me realise I’ve got the power to change my life if i can combine determination with a willingness to get uncomfortable.
No one’s going to do it for you.
if you’ve got a dream, you’ve got to go get it yourself. When the world is this vast, and you can move anywhere, and chase anything if you make it your one overwhelming desire, then it’s possible. But it’s also only your journey to take. Others can be beside you, but your future remains your responsibility. So if you want change, watching more motivational reels gets you hyped, but it won’t take you there.
I was talking to a friend the other day who I hadn’t seen in a month or so.
As we checked in on what’s been going on, his recent Bali trip came up.
It was the first trip he’s taken fully independent of his family.
“I think I’ve got the travel bug…”
“Fuck yeah.”
It doesn’t have to be saving $15K to stay in Airbnbs, or a few months with a backpack through Europe. Just go see something different for me, and if possible, without the comfort of people you know joining you.
You’ll come back with answers, and just as many questions too.
I guess that’s the fun of it all, once you realise it.
Realise what?
It’s not about finding all the answers.
I think it’s about the joy of searching for them.
Trust me - as someone who’s done a lot of “answer searching” through travel, dropping out, reading a lot of self help & spirituality books, and “finding myself”…
I have new questions every day.
Do what you can to smile as you search through the world for new little glimpses of magic, new friendships, new breath taking moments. That’s the meaning right there. Being fully immersed in the moment in front of you.
Travel Tip:
Well I just got back home, and that’s been a shock.
What wasn’t a shock was how simple it was to pack all my clothes into my bag before my flight thanks to a solid set of 4 packing cubes.
$40 bucks or on discount, get yourself a range of small, medium and large packing cubes, and use them for your clothes. It’s worth it, ESPECIALLY if you’re staying in places 2/3 nights before moving. I brought a 60L hiking bag to Europe for a month, and fit everything easily. Last year I did the same thing with a 40L bag for 3 months.
I got some decent Kathmandu ones, but any standard outdoors store should have some. Worth the couple bucks!
Newest Video:
Now that I’m home and finding my feet again with the change of pace, I’m excited to return to Youtube. In the future, I’ll drop the link to my last video down here at the bottom of the letter, so if you feel like rolling into a bit more me (but talking instead of just words on a screen), then you’ll see me here.
Non brain-rot content recommendation:
My Deep Focus Spotify playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7bgpvAASVpQxIdBem3Aa13?si=f7f09add21f64d07
When I spend time writing (journal, scripts, my E-book, this newsletter), it’s nice to get some instrumentals on that get you in the zone.
This playlist has been that for me. I’m adding some more music into it soon.
If you can get into a habit of choosing a set of songs to do deep work to, it becomes a nice way to signal to your body it’s time to focus.
lmk what you think <3
See you around,
Sam
p.s: feel free to reply to this email with thoughts or feedback, I read every one :)
