Some people dream of owning a bigger house. Some dream of becoming the CEO of a business. And others dream of having a big family.
I don’t.
My dreams are a lot different. I dream of exploring the world and embarking on crazy adventures. Non-stop. Until I no longer want that lifestyle.
As some people sometimes remind me, I’ve already done a lot of insane things but it’s still not enough.
Every time I hear about people having gone on true though expeditions or experience, it reignites my passion. Not that it ever dies, but sometimes it does quiet down a bit.
In the last week, I’ve watched movies and YouTube films about a couple who traveled for 5 years around the world with their family, before attempting and succeeding at crossing the North West Passage. I’ve watched episodes about a guy doing what’s probably one of the longest road trips, from Chile all the way up to Alaska, in a VW combi.
Their images are all insane. The scenery of Alaska, among other places, has really made me want to add that destination to my never-ending list. But what struck to me the most as being inspiring is that they kept going. They didn’t quit.
Traveling for extended periods of time is challenging in itself, but in a small camper van or on a sailboat it’s a whole other level of challenge. There are always things that break, and usually, it’s when you are not ready for it and do not have spare parts. Or when you are in the middle of nowhere and when there’s no one around to come and help you. That’s the part I find particularly impressive. The fact that they didn’t let that deter them. They kept going. It most likely included a decent amount of cussing and swearing and of course they would have had to simply to get back to civilization eventually, but even when they had the opportunity of quitting, they made the decision to keep going.
I’ve done the same to a certain extent in my life, but since it’s not my strongest quality (I tend to be a quitter when things become difficult) I find this even more impressive. And it makes me want to keep working on developing that side of me too.
One day I would love to buy myself a sailboat, or get a small camper van and hit the road. Or the wild. As this is usually where adventure awaits.
I’m not sure what I’ll do when I’ll get to New Zealand, but if anybody hears of something epic to do, an amazing crew to join, or simply something unique, I’m all ears!