Shutting out the Haters: Why Quitting to Travel is the Best Thing you'll Ever Do
You mum will probably tell you to just get a degree under you belt. Your grandma might include you being off the rails in the family letter she circulates at Christmas, but trust me - taking the path less walked is the best thing you will ever do.
Ditching your responsibilities to see the world is the most valuable choice you can possibly make.
You know why this is? Because somewhere along the line, in this complex spider web that we have coined 'society' somebody told us we need security. That somehow, safety and happiness are the same. But I can say, after the first time I ditched university and quit my job to see the world, security is in fact slavery in disguise.
Testing myself, throwing myself into the wilderness of the world, has taught me far more than any of the rote learned words of my university professors ever could.
I run the risk of sounding preachy as I write this, which is not my intention at all. My point is, that seeing the world has the capacity to teach you about how small you are, how tiny your bubble is and how little we really know. How can we possibly know all things?
We can't. Even the most worldly among us have only ever seen things from their own perspective. But we can try and see it, to understand our place in the world, to acknowledge out tininess and to become grateful for our own existence. This is something you will never get out of a well paid job or modern house.
Well, travel is certainly the most fun and exhilarating way to do it.
So, when you're thinking about booking that trip, or deferring the university offer, remember that you will never regret travel. Even when you hear that little whisper in your ear that mutters "but what about..." remind yourself that as you have to say no to going out on a Friday night in the city because you can't afford a $19 cocktail, you will never be thinking "Damn it, I wish I didn't spend that weekend in the discoteca in Barcelona so I could go out right now." Nor will you be thinking that Vietnam was shit and you should have saved the money so you could buy new work shoes.
That will never happen, ever.
So, don't be afraid. Draw on the courage you mustered to backchat your teachers in high school, or all of the times 16-year-old you told your mum you were going for a sleepover and really you were getting blackout at some older guy's house party and kissing boys in the parking lot, and go forth into the world.
Shut out the voice of responsibility because once you begin, nothing will feel more comfortable.
This is your one chance to be alive. Go on, trust me, it's worth it.
And good luck.
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