Does a long-term journey change the nature

Does a long-term journey change the nature of a person? In principle, we think yes. Travel expands the horizon. When you travel and immerse yourself in a foreign culture, you don’t come back the same as when you left. But what does that mean in concrete terms?

Long-term travel is eye-opening – as long as you open your mind and take the time to get to know another culture. Anyone who runs in the hamster wheel at home, fills everyday life with the channeled media, will not have a broad view of things. He has limited visibility, wears blinkers like a workhorse and trots along in the blinkered path. The horizon is narrowed, limited, channeled. Family and friends will warn you of all sorts of dangers, maybe even be horrified that you are taking such a high risk.

As soon as you leave these well-trodden paths, i.e. decide to go on a long-term journey, your perspective will change. The very fact that you dare to take the step of going on a long-term journey shows that your way of thinking is moving outside the hamster wheel.

You will experience situations, see things that you either don’t say at all or only know from what you have heard. You will meet destitute people, homeless and homeless people. You will meet rich people. Every encounter leaves its mark on you. You will recognize injustice and experience it yourself. Emotions come up in you that cry out for justice and resistance. You will gain insight that these destitute people, the homeless, are much happier and happier than those with a lot of money. You will see that the warnings of those at home are not true, that they have only copied words that are somewhere on a government website, but they themselves have never traveled to such “dangerous” places.

You will be bombarded with an enormous number of impressions. The world before your departure may have looked romantic, many obstacles were cleared out of your way, you were in good hands. These impressions – of the narrated versus the experienced world – can take you away quite a bit, maybe even throw you off track. We have met a lot of long-term travelers who have turned to alcohol. Some certainly before the trip, others during the trip. Escaping into a psychoactive substance is not the solution.

So what is a solution to avoid falling into lethargy or melancholy? The solution is to get a hobby. This can be a sporting, creative or musical activity. It’s a valve. Furthermore – and this is probably the more important aspect – consciously enjoy your privilege of being able to make this trip. Consciously look at the nature around you. Consciously explore the world of insects at your feet or consciously admire the underwater world. Consciously enjoy the company of foreign cultures and customs. Consciously enjoy the peace and quiet around you and consciously get involved with a few influences from your environment such as those of digital media, television or radio. Become aware.