Travel Like Crazy in 2021
Here is how
Do you crave to travel?
It’s been a tough year for all of us. The outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020 has caused unprecedented changes to our lives in so many ways. For me, it will go down in history as the year I spent locked up, starring at a computer screen all day and playing the waiting game.
I can tell you, that’s definitely not how I imagined spending my early 20s. For those of us that love to travel, Wanderlust has reached new highs.
In many silent moments, I teleported my mind back in the past and reflected about the travels I was fortunate enough to do. If the lockdowns taught me one thing, it’s that no one can take away these memories — not even freaking corona.
With an effective vaccine in place, it’s time to get excited again and plan the next big adventure.
Do Something Crazy!
This is going to sound harsh, but the way you think about your next trip is ultimately determining whether it is just another trip or the experience of your lifetime.
I have always fancied to go off the beaten track and to travel in other ways to the usual. If I had to come up with a motto for it, it would probably be:
“Do something crazy.”
It’s a slogan my older brother frequently used on a ski trip to the Austrian Alps. Whenever he sat in the ski lift, he waited for friends and sometimes even random people that skied beneath him. He would then scream like a maniac and encourage them to “Do Something Crazy”. Most of the people returned a big smile.
When Jokes Turn Into Reality
I have been on several travels in the past, I can barely remember today. They just seem to vanish from my memories. Not like others, which I am reminded of very often. Why though? What makes these travel experiences so unique?
In my opinion, the way you approach the trip is the underlying reason. Let me give you an example.
A few years back, my twin brother and I were both offered to study a year abroad. On a night out and after several beers, we joked about spending the year together as the time we saw each other had gotten so rare. A couple months later, jokes turned into reality, when we both got accepted into the University de La Laguna in the Canary Islands.
Most people would rather jump off a bridge than study a year abroad together with their sibling. I never felt that way about my twin. Instead, I got very excited, and one crazy idea led to another.
Your Monotonous Thinking Holds You Back
The University de La Laguna is located on Tenerife, which is the largest of the seven Canary Islands. Situated on the west coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean, the distance from Germany is roughly 2500 miles as the crow flies. Let’s take a look at the two ways to get there:
- A 5-hour flight from Germany
- Road-trip all the way through Europe and then a 36-hour ferry
Be honest, which one would you choose?
If you’re a Millennial like me, you probably find the road trip+ferry combo more appealing, or not. I went nuts on the idea to go on a road-trip through Europe to then take a 36-hour ferry — Screw the flight!
Most people will choose the flight, but for a different reason than you would think of. It’s not always the reason that it’s convenient and fast. In fact, many people don’t even enjoy flying. But it’s their monotonous thinking that holds them back to even consider options 2, 3, or 11.
My twin and I certainly weren’t consulted over tea and biscuits by an overpriced travel agency (which would have been sweet). No, we did our own thinking to come up with something unique.
Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying that either of the options is the better one. Instead, I want to encourage you to step back and envision what would make your next trip the best experience ever. My number one takeaway regarding travel planning: There are as many alternatives as you can think of.
For me, it has definitely been to find exciting ways to get from A to B — The more unique, the better. Though, keep in mind that what works for me might not work for you.
Make It The Time Of Your Life
My twin and I would have missed out on the time of our lives if we hadn’t stepped back to consider alternative routes. Obviously, we went for the road trip + ferry combo on the condition that we find a suitable vehicle.
Our journey to the Canary Islands began when we dumbed all the money we had frugally saved up from working odd jobs to buy a Volkswagen Transporter.
We spent the whole summer sketching, planning, learning, and eventually filling the empty tin body of the Transporter with a convertible bed, shelves and a kitchen line. Not having any experience in woodworking or electrical systems whatsoever, Blogs and YouTube videos were our constant source of information.
After weeks of sweat, arguments and working our butts off, we finished the van and took off on what was going to be a month’s long road trip through Europe. It definitely terrified me, how quickly these weeks went by. In no time, we sat on the ferry with a beer in hand and watched the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean. Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess.
What could have been a 5-hour flight, turned into 5 months filled with stories I am dying to bore my grandchildren with.
Create Memories That Last
Long story short, I encourage you to consider as many alternatives for your next travels as you can think of. Do something crazy.
In other words, you don’t want your first trip after this global pandemic to be just like any trip you’ve made before. Create memories that last. They will help you to get through the next pandemic, trust me!
Thank you for reading,
Timmy
