Traveling Latin America: Why I’m NOT lucky to be here
I’m writing this whilst on a bumpy bus ride through Paraguay – not the most comfortable, however I got that creative spark so here we are.
Every so often I get friends or family (or anyone else from the Internet) saying “George, you’re so lucky to be traveling around the world and seeing all these amazing places!”. Every time I hear this it baffles me.
Is Traveling Latin America an Unattainable Dream?
Let’s start by dropping back down to reality here.
Everyone seems to think that traveling the World is this “miracle” or “dream” that somehow happened overnight.
The truth? Lots of sacrifice, hard work and daily effort is what got me here.
Just like any other goal that requires effort on a daily basis (such as building a good body, learning a new language etc), it’s the same with long-term travel.
Of course a big caveat here is that I didn’t have any long-term ties, such as a mortgage, children or anything else like this.
However again, since I knew for years I wanted to travel long-term, these were things I actively avoided getting tied into.
And for anyone with these commitments who still want to travel? There’s always a way if you’re willing to live outside of the ordinary.
What am I actually doing Daily?
What my Backpacking Life ACTUALLY Looks Like
The second interesting question I get is what I’m doing daily.
It’s easy to see a backpacking South America trip as one endless holiday where you see beautiful things, doing whatever you want everyday, partying non-stop and fucking a ton of beautiful strangers from around the world.
And sure, yeah these are definitely part of the experience, I mean you have a lot more freedom and time on your hands (and come on let’s be honest we all love those exotic human species).
It really depends on the person. Some do this lifestyle all day for a few months and hats off to them if that’s what they want.
Me? Working on blogs, teaching English, personal development and other goals are also important aspects for me, so I try to find a way to integrate these things into my daily life.
Sure I still do all the fun stuff too, but it’s easy to lose yourself and overspend without some kind of defined goal, path or priorities.
So for me this first year of travel has been more of a development project rather than just being on holiday 24/7.
How I Created my Latin Dream
I spent 2+ years putting literally everything I earned into my savings.
I hardly went out at night, rarely ate out, didn’t buy expensive clothes or phones etc. Lived the proper minimalist lifestyle.
Many may look at this and say what a shit existence, and yeah sure. If these are the things you prioritize in your life, then you’d be right.
However, for me, these things don’t improve me or bring any long-term fulfillness; I see these as simply short-term highs and distractions.
Again we’re all different so there’s never a right or wrong way to live.
So lots of sacrifice and hard work. Of course as mentioned earlier, there are lots of people with long-term responsibilities such as children, mortgages, family, expensive assets etc.
And let’s be honest – you can’t simply pack your bags and leave these (unless you have massive balls or some less than orthodox moral views).
With any goal in life you’ll have lots of setbacks and distractions literally waiting to knock you off the rails.
For example, if getting down to 8-10% Body Fat is your goal, you already have to think about avoiding alcohol, where you’re allowed to eat out and putting the time in and outside the gym to achieve this goal.
The exact same goes for backpacking Colombia or traveling the world. When you have your number one goal, this becomes your priority over everything, and you’ll need to adjust your life so it works in favour for you daily.
Don’t get me wrong. You can still fuck up every now and then, and not need to be this 100% obsessed crazy person.
But only you know you best! If it’s something you’re thinking about 24/7, then it’s time to actively make it your number one priority.
Take small steps on a daily basis towards making it happen (the man moves a mountain a few rocks at a time as it goes).
Travel Latin America: Final Words
Making long-term travel in Latin America possible is all about dedication and priorities. If you say it’s impossible, then you’re right, it’s impossible.
But if you say it’s possible, and you make it your number one priority, then you’ll start finding ways to move things around to achieve this goal of traveling to Central America and down south, or, where ever else you want to go.
There’s always a way no matter the circumstances.
Once you then start breaking down the goal into daily steps, you’ll start working out a way to do it too. So for this reason I repeat, unequivocally;
No, I’m not lucky to be traveling around Latin America. I’m just reaping the rewards of putting in the hard work daily and making it my number one priority.
Read more of my travel blogs as you plan your own trip to Latin America.
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