This past summer I had the most life-altering experiences while backpacking around Ireland for a couple of weeks with my best friend Laura.
The moment we arrived in Dublin I could feel the weight and stresses of everyday life lift off my shoulders. As we walked out of the gate, we looked at each other with the realization that we hadn’t planned a single place to stay; however, with the faith that we could figure anything out, we knew it would be alright. After a tour of the Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Brewery, we were feeling pretty good, to say the least. We then decided to go a little old school and bought a map, looked at different cities we thought would be cool, circled each one we wanted to see, and bought a pair of two week bus passes.
The next two weeks flew by in a whirlwind of adventures. We went from getting lost and stranded in a country town to dancing in pubs with Irish bands to walking and hiking miles and miles to seeing the most amazing views nature had to offer (and also castles… SO many castles). These are the most valuable lessons I learned while traveling:
1. You Are Never Alone.
We landed in Ireland without a single connection aside from one another. That lasted for a grand total of 30 minutes. Making friends is so much easier than you could ever imagine. We met a couple on the bus who told us we could stay at their California beach house if we ever travel to the western U.S., Irish boys who walked us back to our hostel when we were lost, and formed an even deeper friendship with a girl named Kaitlyn who we ended up traveling and becoming great friends with. These encounters taught us the same thing: You are never alone.
2. Problems Occur and Life Goes On.
The moment we arrived in Ireland, we had a little hiccup in our plan. My bags were in New York – whoops. After a temporary freak-out, I remembered that I have no control over these things. I spent a few days in the same outfit with nothing to my name, and then I stepped out of a bus and a bird pooped on my head. But you know what? Life went on. Life always goes on regardless of your attitude, but it’s a lot more fun with an accepting stance on it.
3. U.S. History Has Nothing on the Rest of the World.
I have loved history my whole life. My father used to drive me around to different monuments to learn about our country’s history, but in correlation to the rest of the world, U.S. history might as well have happened yesterday. As I stood in castles built in the 13th century, I realized how short our time here on earth is. We climbed up towers that were lived in 700 years prior to us being there. Just imagining all of the different people and stories housed in those locations made me feel like a part of something much bigger.
4. Don’t Wait for Whatever You’re Waiting for.
Life doesn’t wait for you, so why wait to experience what you want to experience? Four weeks before taking this trip, I had no clue I would be in Ireland that summer. My best friend asked me to go with her months before, but I said, “No, because I have to work.” At that point, I was working two jobs and around 60 hours a week. Four weeks before she was going to leave, she asked me if I was sure that I couldn’t come. That is when I realized the only thing holding me back from my dreams was me. I bought a plane ticket that night, and we left a month later. I could have missed the greatest experience of my life waiting to do things at the “right time.”
5. You Can Gain by Letting Go.
Everyone always says you never need as much as you pack, and they are correct. If I could change one thing about our entire trip, it would be that I could bring less. It is hard to tote around luggage when you don’t know where you’re staying that night, and you mostly travel by foot. It made me realize how many possessions you don’t need. Letting go of baggage and possessions can provide perspective and allows for an abundance of freedom.
6. No Picture Will Fully Capture Your Experience.
Every cool thing we saw, we tried to capture through picture, video, or journal entry. But the honest truth is, you can’t truly capture your experience through pictures or words. No picture can make me feel the way I did being right on the edge of a 700 feet tall cliff. No Instagram post or Facebook Album will take me back there, but that’s okay. Sometimes, experiencing something doesn’t mean capturing it for a tangible memory. It means breathing it in, living it, and being in the moment.
7. You Will Never Be the Same.
If there is one thing I know above all, it is that I have been changed indefinitely. I know the exhilaration of finding your own way in a place never seen before by your own eyes. I learned how carefree and adventurous it feels to truly explore and not have any pending appointments to worry about it. But best of all I grew, not into a different person, but as Lewis Carroll would say, into a much “muchier” me. I have a desire to see so much more of the world than just what I am surrounded by, and the comfort of knowing that whatever I want to see, I can. Above all, I am forever changed by the idea that the world is comprised of so many different cultures, religions, and people, but that in our heart of hearts we are all the same people, just attempting to make more stories and trying to experience life.
I believe that everyone gains something different everywhere they go. So, I would suggest traveling often to learn about the world, gain perspective, and grow into yourself.
