That is a question I get much more often these days – or notice more now – after 3 years of hopping around the world. Initially when this adventure began my internal reaction to the question was a rebellious “as long as I damn want.” I’m not sure if it’s because some people seemed excited by the idea that I might fail in the beginning; one of the ways to overcome that obstacle is pushing the momentum hard in the other direction. Or it may be the high concentrations of semi-lethal, slightly intoxicating stubborn floating through my veins.
Basically, I don’t know the answer to this question that bleeds into large parts of my life and work. Yet, it’s an inquisition I no longer dismiss outright but contemplate now that there’s plenty of road behind me and a path to build ahead.
What Am I Really Being Asked?
The word “travel” obviously means different things to everyone and my demented little version involves a visit to every country on Earth; at a rate of about 10-20 new nations a year. So while that’s one way of defining travel it’s not the sole (or common) one obviously. There are planned vacations from set homes, fewer trips, and different objectives. It’s all travel baby, sitting along a spectrum. In my mind the question isn’t whether I’ll stop traveling but rather when my lifestyle will shift somewhere else along those infinite avenues.
Same Destination, Different Roads
My goal is to visit every country in the world but I don’t have a set time limit to wrap things up. That’s about as close as I’ll plan anything; if you’ve ever taken a look at my upcoming stops you know I change my mind frequently. It’s not a race to every country, it just helps set some incredibly vague boundaries my mind can accept as flexible plans.
Even if I could snap my fingers and have spent just a week in every country right now (about 4 years total travel) I still will have missed most of the world, it’s inhabitants, wildlife, foods, wilderness, and cheesy tourist traps. Earth is too big to see it all in a lifetime. Forget that I just glossed over the oceans too – 67.5% of planet’s surface containing 1.3 billion cubic kilometers of water – and who knows what’s really down there. Even though I’ll likely see more of this oxygen-iron rock than many, I’ll have missed most of it.
A good reason not to be in a rush; it would be like counting to infinity as fast as you can in hopes of getting done sooner. Being a facts and figures kind of person, looking at my current rate of movement and the number of countries left, I’ll have visited each one in a little under 7 years. That assumes a generally constant rate of travel and I’m more like a variable in most equations.
A Travel Blogger In Motion Tends To Stay In Motion Until They Have To Blog
One of the misconceptions about travel blogging is that I’m constantly moving. I certainly move around much more than the average person but slow down for stretches at a time to write. It is a delicate balance between traveling, blogging, and poking my head up every once in a while to take a look around. That second part of the recipe, “blogging,” forces my travel patten into rotating cycles of fast and slow. Sometimes too, I just like a place and stay longer; Egypt was that way. I go back to places too.
In other words, the more I physically travel, the less I can spend online to convert those stories for sharing. Photos, nomadic soccer matches, drunken nights; they all accumulate and before too long I’ve got to stay in one place to process it all.
The Second Law Of Travel Thermodynamics
There is an interesting concept in physics known as the arrow of time. In short it means as time goes on, the entropy of the universe increases. A scrambled egg cannot be remade whole, a dead tree alive, and when it comes to traveling extensively it’s impossible to see the world the same again. The excitement, senses, and understanding you gain from long-term travel changes you. So while you can change the way you actually move, the amount you fly, and how many places you visit, it is impossible to return to the person you were before.
In truth, I don’t know how long I’ll travel in any specific way. I like routine but crave change. I have been traveling in various forms for most of my adult life. I don’t believe I’ll ever stop traveling. How I go about it will invariably vary. Perhaps a better question is how long will you be a traveler? Now that’s an easy one – as long as I live.
same here man, i might not stop travelling but my style of travelling will definitely change as years go by (and as priorites change in the future)…
It reminds me of this Muhammad Ali quote:
“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life”
Thanks for sharing Anil! I really loved this post and the wisdom you share with us!
I appreciate that very much Vinny and glad you enjoyed this post. It’s probably one of the ones I’ve edited most times in recent memory so happy the final product turned out not bad 🙂
This is so true: “In other words, the more I physically travel, the less I can spend online to convert those stories for sharing.” That’s why there are times on my 70-day solo backpacking trip here in Europe that I just have to stay indoors and process all those things that I’ve seen or experienced. Blogging is a perfect vehicle for that.
Definitely a wonderful reflection tool and truly brings out the “log” part of word blog 🙂
I don’t think people truly understand travel as an education, or curiosity. When we say we’re going to a former Soviet country or China, our family asks, “Why?”
There is such a wide spectrum of how people view and feel about travel. One thing that most people have though is that place they’ve always wanted to see. Bring that up and it often changes the conversation 🙂
how in the world did you afford to travel for 3 years?
Over the 3 years I’ve turned blogging into a job; I make my living through my blogs, advertising, and my two ebooks. Though that’s only one way, many other people travel extensively in a variety of other ways.
Also, it’s not as expensive as most people think. And it’s not “did” – I’m still traveling!
Yep. I’ve been in Europe for over a month and I’ve only spent $600 so far (excluding bus/plane tickets of course).
Laws of Travel Thermodynamics eh? You could start a new branch of science, call it travelology, or nomadology 😛 (travelology sounds more exciting though:P)
and it’s not a matter of time or how long, maybe someday somewhere something will make you change your goal, and that is totally fine, and you end up living, for example, somewhere in Africa for the rest of your life. No one knows, no one will ever know. Just live the moment and achieve those goals you set day to day (working towards the bigger goal ofcourse)
Travelology 🙂 Sounds like a band name or name of a hippie cafe haha! I do rather like the idea of being “Professor of Travelology” though 😀
I appreciate the thoughts as well and agree. There are no rules to this kind of thing which is important not to lose sight of. I guess that applies to life in general too.
Hi Anil,
Long time reader, short time commenter. Just want to say good work, not just on this but many of your articles, yours is a blog I still read after more than a couple of years.
Cheers.
Ivan
Hi Ivan, thank you very much. I’m honored to hear that and appreciate the support!
I just started my trip, been in London for almost a week, I’ll definitely need to move on soon to save some cash.
Budgeting can be a tricky part of travel; but hope you get it worked out. Good luck and if there’s anything I can do to help feel free to let me know.
“A Travel Blogger In Motion Tends To Stay In Motion Until They Have To Blog” – Ooh-wee! Can I relate to that one! I do exactly the same thing, sometimes to the point where I never even see the place where I shut myself in the room to write. I’ll be 60 next month and I’ve been traveling for 5.5 years now; can’t imagine stopping, though my mode of travel has definitely changed. I tend to stay longer and immerse more thoroughly. It’s unlikely I’ll ever see all 196 countries, as I’ve only been to 40 so far, but I’m certainly enjoying seeing those that I do.
It is funny what hermits travel bloggers can become at times isn’t it! I’m in “shut room” mode right now myself and know people would find it odd considering the travel aspect of our lives.
And country borders can be so arbitrary, it is hard to see much without having the time to do so. It’s impossible to put concrete figures on how much we end up traveling 🙂 As long we are traveling, numbers don’t matter much!
I do travel bursts now – 2 weeks here, 3 weeks there, the occasional week and lots of long weekends. Might do a few more longish stints but I like having a home base.
Just finished reading a book called Hypertravel – 100 Countries in 2 Years by Hardie Karges. Wouldn’t want to make that my sole motivation for traveling – as not enough time to digest the countries. But I am thinking about trying to travel to all of Canada’s National Parks – and take my time in them – though some are a logistical nightmare.
Interesting post Anil. I think for most of us – once a traveler, always a traveler.
I wouldn’t want to do 100 countries in 2 years either; even without the travel time it’s less than a week in each. I think it would all start to blend together and you’d miss so much it might be disappointing that way.
I’d be interested to hear especially about the more difficult National Parks and why they’re difficult to get to if you write about them 🙂
Fantastic post. I agree about the different types of travel. Honestly, I didn’t see the spectrum (or really understand it) until I started traveling myself. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Thanks 🙂 I too didn’t know how many different travel types and people following those paths there were really until meeting so many through this blog. And I’m sure there are many, many more to discover and be invented!
The earth is too big to see in one lifetime… What a great thought. I think it what it does for me is helps me relax and be open to everything new, and not to be pressured to know everything. Great post, Anil.
That idea does the same too for me and makes traveling so much more enjoyable. Why stress by rushing to a point that doesn’t exist 🙂
Hey Anil,
I guess travelling is a state of mind, humans have evolved as nomads and moved around all the time. Just like a creative person can’t stop being creative, it would be silly to imagine that one would give up travelling. Most of us will usually settle down (whatever that means) and strike a balance. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
cheers,
Priyank
You’re right and makes me think the terms are too generic for such complex ideas and well, complex minds that all of us are. Few things are black or white; or more appropriately, binary. At least for humans 🙂
Anil, you summed up my life PERFECTLY in that last paragraph “I like routine but I crave change”! It’s why I can stay right where I am and love being there with a place to call home. However, the desire to see the world and do things different always calls for something new and exciting.
I love this take on traveling – it’s honest, intellectual, and inspiring!
It is a strange pairing isn’t it! Being a creature of habit but then consistently doing things to shake up what we’ve established. I suppose it’s like getting the best of both worlds 🙂
Thank you for the kind words and glad to hear this post resonated with you.
Wow, three years, that’s pretty sweet! Well done for managing to travel and pay for it for that long – you deserve it!
I appreciate that Vicky 🙂 I have been extremely fortunate.