The wanderer’s life

Rosa Briant.

Opinion

One upon a time I was a country kid from Patutahi who dreamed of being a teacher, a mum and a farmer. The life I mapped out for myself was pretty straight forward and what most people would define as “the norm”.

However that all changed the day I jumped head-first into the world of the wanderers. Straight out of uni with $500 in my bank account, I threw caution to the wind and booked a one-way flight to Australia. That was the beginning of the rest of my life. Since that first adventure seven years ago I have not been able to stay still, knowing how much of the world is out there to be explored. I am currently wandering the fifth of the seven continents and I am not going to stop until I have set foot on them all. I actually do not believe I will want to stop even once I have reached that goal.

One thing you realise when you travel is that the world is truly a huge place and there is always more to see, more to experience and more to learn.

I believe that if we all were able to experience life outside of the “comfort bubble”, the world would be a more accepting and tolerant place.

This kind of understanding can come only from travel and I want, so much, to inspire others to step out of their comfort zone.

To read the stories or watch the movies is a great start but it is not enough. You need to make the move. You need to get out there and see for yourself what it is all about.

If my writing can inspire even one person to take that first step then I have contributed some goodness to the world.

Let me be clear here that the first step is the hardest. It is so huge, so daunting, so overwhelming and scary that most people push it to the back of their mind, where all the other big dreams lay.

I promise you though that if you can do it, take that first flight, you will realise nothing will ever feel that scary again.

Women in particular have a fear of travelling solo, almost as though they don’t believe they are capable. Although their dream may be to wander the world alone and put themselves out there, being completely vulnerable and independent, many don’t take that step.

I want to prove that every person is capable. All it takes is to book the first flight. It is not always easy, things go wrong, I find myself in dangerous situations, I get lonely and I cry a lot!

I have to budget every penny, I volunteer in hostels for free food and accommodation, I find under-the-table bar work, cleaning or nannying wherever I can, and I had to learn to hustle — making and selling things to pay for the ticket to the next town or country.

But through every experience I learn a bit more about who I am and what I am capable of. I cherish every hardship because it is only through those that I have become who I am today — an independent, free spirit who knows and accepts herself and her fellow humans completely, the good and the bad.

When you are outside of your comfort zone it becomes so clear that every one of us is a little lost, a little lonely and a little bit in search of deeper connection and meaning.

To understand this is to understand more of life, and you cannot find that sort of understanding in a book. It is very true that there is no better education than travel, and that is coming from a former teacher.

I want to leave you with a quote which only started to make sense to me through travel:

“Sympathy is easy. You have sympathy for starving children swatting at flies on the late-night commercials.

“Sympathy is easy because it comes from a position of power.

“Empathy is getting down on your knees and looking someone else in the eye, and realising that you could be them, and all that separates you is luck.” — Dennis Lehane