Making New Year’s resolutions is so passé. People do it all the time, and more often than not, forget about it before the first month is up. I wasn’t so different. I would vow to eat healthier, exercise more, study this new skill and that, until I realize it’s so much harder to actually do things than just dream about them.
Home…or the rest of the world?
Things changed for me this year. I was faced with a choice: do I continue with my safe, comfortable life in the Philippines, or take a risk and be with someone as he travels around the world?
It wasn’t an easy decision to make, even with my New Year’s resolution of going outside my comfort zone this year and with my location independence. As Susan Orlean said in The Best American Travel Writing of 2007,
As I’m packing I feel myself resisting, thinking to myself that I really would prefer staying home, that home is very nice, that I have everything I want at home, that I can just take it easy in my own living quarters and eat my very own familiar food and have no difficulty using the telephone, getting cash, finding my way around, and that this travel business is just a headache.
Yes, home is familiar. Home is nice, with my little house, a small yard kept verdant by my neighbor, and two cats who keep me warm at night. I love home, where I have no need to go far to buy food. Itinerant vendors always stop by my house everyday and offer me whatever they’re selling for the day–from carbonara and spaghetti, to sugared banana and sticky rice.
My babies Kabs (left) and Jumper.
Home are my neighbors, who feel free to hang their laundry in my yard whether I’m there or not. Home is a place where people know me, like me, and respect me for who I am, and care enough about me to receive and keep my mails (even unasked) whenever I’m out of town.
Early this month, though, when I was offered a chance to chuck all these comforts, I realized that even though I would like nothing than to be home, I needed to go out of my comfort zone, to take risks and see how far I can go from what’s nice and familiar in order to follow my heart.
So I said yes, I would leave home indefinitely for someone who can give me no assurance, no guarantee, of stability.
Indeed, it is scary. I could prepare now to be away from the Philippines for six months or more, but nobody knows, not even us, if we’ll still be together after a month or two.
To go or not to go outside of my comfort zone?
However uncertain the future may be, I see that this risk has to be taken, this jump into the unknown has to be done. After all, this is not so different from traveling. When I travel by myself, I always get lost, not only in the place but also in the moment.
When I’m traveling, I revel in all things unfamiliar, overjoyed by the thought that I’m somewhere new, experiencing something beyond the usual.
If things don’t work out according to plan, there won’t be any regrets. I am living my life the way I want it to be, following no script but my own. Even if the relationship ends, life goes on. There will always be new paths to take, new dreams to fulfill, and new people to love.
Happy new year to all of us!
37 Comments. Leave new
@ Jho VD: Would love to hear your stories too 🙂
@ James: Thanks! Looking forward to read your posts too!
I will be looking forward to many more exciting posts from you then. 🙂 Wish you well, Aleah.
ohhh… great post..
well, we all have our stories to tell.
some are extraordinary while others are the usual…
and what makes it extraordinary is really from getting out from the usual…
good luck 🙂
@ Rob: There’s a lot of other trains (locals) that aren’t as expensive as Thalys. The difference is big. Re validation, you just show the ticket when you’re there. They have train inspectors as well who will ask you for your ticket.
@ Lelay: No, no I’m not going to get married hahahaha Just traveling around for a while.
soon to be married ?Oh no!hehehe . Isn’t he a hardcore traveler too ? Go mam! : )
thanks aleah pero pahabol naman.so you mean there are cheaper trains than thalys?i’m planning to go to amsterdam kasi from paris,isisingit ko lang sya para lang makakita ako windmills.and ano yung mga validation of train tickets sa europe?in my case i bought it online do i have to get it validated pa din sa train station?
@ Rob: Yes. There are two entries in your visa that you must consider: validity of the visa and duration of stay. In my visa, it states that it’s valid from February to May; however, duration was only 70 days. So I can stay up to 70 days *within* the validity period.
Re Thalys, I didn’t book there as I couldn’t afford the cost but I did use my local credit cards during my trip in Europe. Used it for booking flights, trains (Belgium, Germany, etc.), etc. However, I can’t use them now since BDO has instituted this really stupid feature that sends you a text when you use your card online. I never have luck with activating roaming in my phone, so when I go back to the Philippines, I will explore other credit cards.
hi aleah , have you tried booking trains on thalys?are you able to book using a local credit card?
thanks aleah, i have another question my visa says valid from march 1 to march 26 lang,maybe because i applied to early.does it mean within those days pwede ako mag travel up to the number of days they gave me?
@ Rob: Yeah, we had a stopover at Doha for a couple of hours. No transit visa was required since it was just a connecting flight.
good luck to your new endeavors! I just need help though. Ive read in your post before that when you went to europe you flew via qatar airways.did you have a stop over in doha?and were you required a transit visA?please help me naman.yung mga airlines kasi na hong kong ang stop over mahal na.I’m going manila-paris and rome manila.thanks in advance
Brava to you for sizing up your choices, admitting home is comfy but safe and setting out on the road for what will no doubt be an adventure. Home is great — but while with travel the lows and are often lower, the highs are almost always higher (and wonderfully rewarding). Happy trails!
It is always terrifying to make a huge life change. The only thing scarier is not trying. Congratulations on believing enough in yourself to know that you can handle whatever may come. Keep us posted on your adventures!
Looking forward to following your adventures! 🙂
Dear Aleah, yes, go for it! That’s a big decision. But the best journey in life often entails a big leap of faith. If it doesn’t work out in the end, you can’t say you didn’t give it a try. And there’s always your home, family, neighbors and cats who would welcome you back with open arms. But I’m hoping and praying for the best. Wishing both of you a wonderful and meaningful journey together. Happy New Year, Happy New Adventure. Looking forward to follow your new chapter.
This is such an interesting post. I think you’re right – even if things don’t go as planned, you don’t have to have regrets. Good luck with your new adventure!
date a girl who travels, right? 😉
if you haven’t heard of the book already, I recommend Love With a Chance of Drowning.. a travel/love memoir about a girl who chose the risk! Loved it. She’s also in the blogosphere so chances are you probably heard of it too 🙂
I love that I’ve been hearing more travel love lately (thinking Journeying James here)… and me too. I’m taking that risk this year as well.
All the best to you and your relation. Have fun out there and keep us abreast of your adventures.
All the best Aleah.. Enjoy the journey..
Wow. You go girl! Exactly, if things don’t work out just thick of it an experience. Life is too short to wander ‘what if’ so you’ve got to throw yourself out there and see what happens. How exciting!
I agree with Photo Cache, you’d always wonder. and I think in the end, that’s worse than not going at all! Good luck and look forward to reading more!
I think a lot of travelers and expats wrestle with this idea often. I was so close to not getting on the plane to Spain, but knew I’d forever regret it. Thanks for sharing, and enjoy!!
You go girl! If you don’t take risks life is boring- and often risks aren’t that risky once you take them and the payoffs can be amazing!
It’s a good opportunity to stay out of our comfort zones to experience other things or new things around us. But still at the end of the day, home will always be where the heart is. Opportunities will come and go but home, it will always be there.
We wish you well on your journey, Aleah. Although we’re not quite ready for our round-the-world trip yet. We’re still busy exploring Gran Canaria.
I’ve faced many situations where I had to decide to take the risk or not, and truth be told it scares the heck out of me 98% of the time.
But just like what Photo Cache says, if you remain in your comfort zone, there will always be the what-if’s. You’ll always wonder what could have been and if taking the leap wouldn’t have been so bad after all.
Will you be introducing this ‘special someone’ on your blog soon? Haha! Sorry, just wanted to lighten up the mood a bit. 😉 Keep traveling and writing, Aleah. We need more people like you to share your knowledge and discoveries with the rest of us, esp for people like me who have yet to go out there and travel.
Go Aleah! But always be careful =)
I’m home now after 28 months of travel, and I sure do appreciate it more now!!! Its so nice here. 🙂 Nice writing Aleah.
Woo hoo! Good for you, Aleah, to have this much strength and courage to take on a brand new, unknown personal challenge! Very proud of you. That is what I would hope we always strive for in life. To be everything we’re possible of within ourselves not for anyone else. Our best wishes to your relationship. So excited to see posts going forward from this. I want to get itinerant workers stopping by my house with food! Kabs and Jumper are so adorably cute! 🙂
I envy you. Wish you all the best in your relationship and travel life.
Good for you for going outside of your comfort zone….that’s always where we find out more about who we really are!! Best wishes…
I wish following our hearts could feel more stable than it seems, especially because there’s so much passion, familiarity and fortitude in it. In many ways, it should be our comfort zone. How ironic that it’s not.
Much luck to your new leap~ live life to the fullest, follow your heart and even if you fall, it will feel like flying! Then again, maybe you won’t fall at all. …Now where’s the fun in that? 😉
Ohhh yeah, NO REGRETS!
Okay, I actually have a few might-have-beens, but am pretty content. I’m currently creating a ‘familiar pillow’ me self, and so far I’m enjoying it. Luna’s finally starting to realize that things can be permanent! LOL.
Go girl! 😀
If you didn’t go, you’d always wonder what if.
I don’t know what to say. I hope goodluck and best wishes are appropriate at the beginning of this new journey that you’re taking on.
Please do “kiss and tell” so to speak of your new adventures…..
…but maybe, this could be it.
Ingat ate.. show us more photos please!! 🙂
Will wait for your inspiring stories.
Very thoughtful. I think that there is such a wide range of comfort in the world, and people’s comfort levels/boundaries are all different. It’s great for us to step right on the other side of our safe-feeling boundaries when we want to…not everyone wants to, of course, but it makes life more exciting for those of us that do.