Learnings From Life on the Road
After two years of nonstop traveling together outside of the US, it’s hard to summarize exactly what we learned. We can say this: We learned countless lessons about country-specific culture. We learned how to travel smarter. We learned how to be better partners to each other and to be better to ourselves. The life hack potential is endless.
During this time without the distraction of a full-time job, we made it a priority to experiment with different ways of life to find our ideal flow and happiest selves. That said, we came together, reflected, and wrote down some of our most important pieces of wisdom we have learned from the last couple of years on the road.
Make time for yourself. This is essential to being a happy you. It’s okay to travel solo, camp alone, or experiment with things that your partner or family aren’t interested in. It’s YOU time! It’s necessary.
People are inherently the same everywhere. They want to fit in. They want to be loved. They want to be a part of the community. Sometimes that community has different rules than what we’re used to. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re wrong. It means they are just trying to live a happy life within the constraints of their homeland.
People normally stay in one place because of their tribe. Being a nomad is hard. The one thing we didn’t have while on the road was a community. Our friends and family are spread everywhere we’ve been and lived. When we move around every 2-4 weeks, we miss the chance to consistently build these relationships. That means no BBQs at our house, no dinner parties, no seeing the same faces every month. We missed that! We love our family and friends and want to spend more time with them. That’s why we are looking forward to staying in one city in 2020. We aren’t sure where yet, but we are looking forward to it.
Communication is the #1 skill to master. For any human. Enough said. You communicate everywhere in all ways. Nonverbal and verbal. You communicate to fill your basic needs and also your desires. You sometimes need to deal with conflict, family, relationships, work, the government, police, everyone. It’s essential you hone your skills in negotiating, conflict resolution, listening, and all other aspects of communication. You’ll be a happier, wiser, and smarter person because of it.
Reflection is essential. If you want to understand the past and plan for the future, you need to reflect. Have a monthly check-in with your partner or yourself. Create a feedback circle with your boss or employees. Journal or write Morning Pages every day or week. Decompressing and allowing yourself to learn from the past while creating a game plan for the future will be one of the most powerful things you ever do.
Happiness can be programmed. Scientifically proven theories around this are out there in TED Talks and research papers. The practice we often did while traveling was completing five things per day for 21 days. They are: meditation, exercise, journaling, a random act of kindness, and remembering three gratitudes every day. It really works. Dumbing it down, it’s a practice of being mindful in all you do. In particular, having gratitude daily is especially helpful to appreciate what you have and who supports you.
Fitness is food first. Diet is what matters more than anything. Too often, we are drowning ourselves in food. That is, we overeat for greed or energy or out of boredom. By having more time to experiment with different lifestyles, we got to figure out what worked best for us. I cut down my daily meals to 1-2 and snacked on veggies and nuts the rest of the time. I played with fasting and intermittent fasting (eating only between 11 am and 9 pm). I often had more energy eating smaller portions of vegetables than I did getting a large caloric intake of meat or grains. Overall, be good at eating whole foods that aren’t processed and matching your caloric intake with the amount of energy you are burning that same day.
The gut is mood. Your digestive system is also tied closely to how you feel. Good food = good mood. Food is your energy source. Not a comfort. Think about trying a majority plant-based diet if you haven’t already. You’ll feel better and be more energized. Give it a couple of weeks to feel the effects and notice changes within yourself. Also, did you know you get positive probiotics not just from fermented foods, but also breathing normally out in nature?
Interval training works. The scientific 7-minute workout actually does what it professes to do. It’s simply changing your exercise every 30 seconds for 7 minutes. I do about 20 minutes of interval training every day on an app called Workout for Women (it’s for anyone, really!) and combined with my diet, I’ve never felt better in my life. My favorite is the Angel Body workout.
Cold = energy. Wim Hof is my savior. His method of cold therapy, breathing, and meditation has been transformative for me. I’ve been taking a cold shower in the morning almost every day for a year. When I see a glacier, I jump in the water. I’m excited by the cold because it gives me energy. As Wim Hof says, “The cold is merciless but righteous.” It feeds you. I encourage you to try cold showers instead of caffeine in the morning as a test. You can also try his breathing method push-up exercise and be amazed by the number of push-ups you can do after oxygenating your blood without breathing.
Stress is a sickness. You should live in a place of calm first and foremost. If this is at the top of your priorities all else will follow in happiness. Nothing is perfect of course, but stress and anxiety can be overcome. Once you win this internal strife you can send more positivity to everyone around you. Internal calm is external peace. Surround yourself with positive people. Take time to sit quietly and let all thoughts or emotions go (meditation).
Grow wealth not money. To achieve financial freedom, you need to build opportunities in which you can have passive income and investment. Equity in the company you are working for, for example. Find ways to make a parallel income where you have multiple income streams at once. Income streams that repeat monthly without much nurturing are also ideal. Think real estate rental income or an online business that is automated.
Mindfulness is essential to a good life. I highly recommend everyone try meditating and mindfulness practices like eating slowly, responding after thinking, journaling and spending time in nature.
Even if it isn’t for two years, this list is evidence that using the most productive hours of your day to improve yourself and your relationships can result in some big insights and self-development.
