Reflections from 60 days of solo travel

I’m not sure if this a correct generalisation, but from observations, people who get laid off from work typically  follow one of these three routes:

1. Find a new job

2. Kickstart their self-employment/entrepreneurial journey

3. Dive into some form of funemployment

Of course, there’s no correct route but for me I did not feel inclined to any of the three. I didn’t want to jump back into a new job for the sake of it as I knew whatever I commit to next would had to be done with full conviction and the right intention. A decision that probably can’t be made with haste. Then I was also testing out option two but at the time of my limbo, I was not fully committed. Energies weren’t aligned and intentions weren’t pure… it felt as though I had only wanted to pursue that path to reconcile the fact that I was laid off.

So that left me with option three…

Contrary to popular belief, I thought travel was the “easy” way out. I thought I needed to figure out what I wanted in the next chapter of my life, and though I knew that I didn’t have to have (all) the answers right now, there was guilt associated with the idea of escaping. Deep inside my mind, I believed the only way to figure out where I want to invest my time and energy was to sit my ass down and lean in. With an unprecedented amount of time and laser focus, this was the chance for me to finally absolve months of angst built by the fear of never building anything that would amount to something.

However, the other side of me was echoing my mantra: “Eat the fruit when it’s ripe”. From an emotional perspective, one devoid of any attachment towards outcomes and the need to be productive, I thought there’s never been a time in my life where I’ve taken a “macro” break. Not the casual 2 weeks here or the obligatory XMAS shutdown period. But a long long break where I can completely disconnect from any idea of work and just live.

And so, I told myself f*k it and started planning my travels.

New Zealand. Thailand. South Korea. Hawaii. New York. Big Sur. San Francisco.

All squeezed in 60 days.

I’ve been back home now for a month and after countless conversations with friends and family, I can’t seem to put my finger on how to best describe my trip.

Anyway, in addition to all the amazing photographs I’ve taken in these places, there have been some valuable lessons worth sharing.

1. Kindness is cool. Kindness is the universal language

There’s been many moments on my trip where language was a barrier and though there were indeed tools out there to help bypass this, there’s something much more valuable.

Whether it’s offering to take a photo for a family, lifting some baggage up to an overhead cabin for an elderly, or even giving up your seat to someone who needs it more; there is power in being kind.

No matter how big or small the gesture may be, kindness will always be cool. And kindness will always shine the light on your values even when verbal language fails to do so.

It doesn’t matter if you can’t speak the language, because the sincerity in your kindness will speak louder than words ever could.

When things go south on your travels, which they will, being kind to a stranger is the best way to bring back the vibes.

Met this adorable man, Devin at Big Sur!

2. Not every photo needs to be captured… sometimes seeing things with the eye is enough

For me, travel provides a great outlet to be completely immersed in landscape photography. It’s one of my deepest passions. And part of this passion sees me greatly obsessed with capturing every moment at every scene at ideally the most optimal times. This means early sunrises and late sunsets—even at the cost of me being tired and even at the brink of burn out.

I think I speak for most photographers or creatives out there that when travelling, the quality of a day is (unfortunately) sometimes correlated with how happy you are with the footage you were able to capture.

And so, being on this big trip where playing the long game is vital - I’ve learned to let go of capturing the perfect shot. Because perfection is relative and more importantly a potential impediment to enjoying the full experience of the moment.

It’s okay to not have gotten that shot. It’s okay to not have caught the sky at it’s peak sunrise or sunset. Because being at that place, far away from home, is more than enough for you to be grateful.

3. Solo travel is great but at the end of the day, shared experiences triumphs

This is my third time travelling solo and though I have always preferred it this way, something about this trip felt different.

I suppose other fellow creatives would know this. There’s a certain empowerment and freedom that comes with being able to shoot whenever and wherever without the pressure of an external party.

Definitely not a knock on my partner because she is the most patient and supporting person there is, carrying my camera bag half the time when I’m out shooting.

But, after all the amazing photos I was able to capture all with the liberty from solo travelling, there was a void left unfilled and that to me, was company. The void was temporarily filled during moments where I’d share my captures with my family and friends, which makes me think, perhaps shared experiences triumphs after all.

4. Humans have a homeostasis, so yes there is such thing as too much travelling

Homeostasis is defined as the state of balance among all the body systems needed for the body to survive and function correctly. To many people, the idea of travelling for this long is a dream. I do agree but there  was a point in my travel where I felt not exactly drained, but more so disengaged.

Whether it’s because I’ve been out of routine since September last year or that my travel itinerary was (as per usual) packed out with activities that demand a lot of energy which on top of that, was running about 30km per week in early preparation for my first marathon.  Or maybe it’s because I had already scratched that travel itch last year when I went to Japan for a month (again, I have the belief that travel for me is an escape or a breakaway from my life). Whatever the reason was, or perhaps the culmination of it all, there was one thing clear - my homeostasis was out of balance.

I felt this significantly when I was in New York. The place I was highly anticipating, revisiting after five years, was not met with the excitement I had planned. And reason being was because by this time, I was quite worn out and far drawn from my form of normality — that being working and having slow weekends.

The truth behind it all is that perhaps I was in highly stimulating activities:

• Hiking mountains in NZ

• Helicopter rides in Hawaii and New York

• The buzz of Thailand

• Running through countless cities and amongst the nature of Thailand, New Zealand and Hawaii

And so when you’re doing all of that, on top of my prior three months of funemployment, it’s also inevitable that as creatures of habit, we crave structure. Or at least I did. If anything running and staying disciplined to that was what helped kept my little homeostasis remaining in check.

So yes, there is such thing as too much travel. Of course, as I am writing this, I miss the freedom as anyone else would, but with me being back into the motions of my life (starting this new exciting job and training for my first marathon), I’m glad to have experienced it and continue to live this new chapter of my life.

5. Travel is indulgence

The sole purpose of this trip for myself was to give me an opportunity to provide some self love.

For a long time now, I have resisted the urge to reward myself in a grandeur way (besides the few times where I’ve bought myself some camera or running gear). Part of this was the self-deprecating cycle I found myself in where I’d tell myself I havent done enough with my life or accomplished enough to warrant such grand indulgence.

Anyways, few weeks into my trip and after capturing some beautiful photos, I felt my cup was poured.

Social media to a fault, glorifies this idea of travel. You see this “influential” personas showcase the lavish side of working remotely or being paid to travel; and on the other side is the audience feeling the urge to romanticise the idea of travel. That if one is to travel, then one is “living life” or “finding themselves”.

Quite frankly, I think this is utter bs which brings me to say there is merit in staying home. There is merit in sitting your ass down with the mundanity and finding beauty in the normal “day-to-day”. It’s actually here where you can hone in on trying to create your passions, fail and succeeed in them, set systems and routines for you to practise discipline and then ultimately see the fruits of your labour.

With travel, you can’t do that.

Travel can be overrated. It’s fun yes. But some people need to recognise that there’s vanity in making it a north star.

6. Travel helps you appreciate home

Perhaps one of my biggest takeaway was I am f*cking lucky to be able to call Sydney, Australia home. Sure I’ve always loved where home is because of my affinity towards our beaches and beautiful harbour.

But I never realised the inaccessibility for the rest of the world. Countless times I met people who would tell me their lifelong dreams of visiting Sydney - only to them succumb that perhaps that’ll never happen because its either too far and/or too expensive. Second to this, were the countless remarks from strangers abroad of how lucky Aussies are to be having extended holiday breaks.

And so I came back with a rejuvenated perspective of Sydney.

Sure I might live far from the beautiful beaches and the CBD, but what was once me complaining about the distance, is now replaced with the gratitude that the option to visit these places is more than I could ever ask for.

And upon writing this, it’s making me realise that boy am I lucky that these are the cards that I’ve been dealt with. The only reason I am in this position is because my parents chose to immigrate here. I really had to do no work to get here. The opportunities are laid all out and it’s up to me if I want to make the most of them.

To think these are the cards that I’m dealt with while there are people longing to start a life here in Sydney, it’s quite a pinch-myself moment.

Final Thoughts

As a closing thought, I can’t express how grateful I am to have experienced the two months I did. It felt like it never happened and sure I might forget the small details and even the big ones too, but I’ll never forget the feeling I had during this time of my life.

Now that I’ve resettled back into normality, I can’t wait to unlock the next chapter of my life. From running my first marathon to starting a career in venture capital, there's so much of life waiting for me and I can't wait to finally be back in the swing of things.