This year marks 7 years of solo-traveling for me (wow, what an awkward way of outing myself as chronically single). In 2019, I embarked on my first truly open-ended adventure – which has somehow never come to an end. While I have also traveled on my own before (actually started in my teens!), now I finally did what I had been dreaming of for years: spending more time on the road than not, with no return ticket in hand.

A lot has changed since then. Despite my curiosity for the world still being at the core of my identity, I feel obliged to mention that by now, I probably cannot claim the label “full-time traveler” anymore. Recently, I’ve been spending more time back home again – why? Well, that’s one lesson in itself.

One thing is for certain: traveling has been my biggest teacher. After 7 years, I still stand by that. Nothing else has ever expanded my worldview and shaped my heart as profoundly as travel has. You simply cannot go on a real adventure and come home the same. It is bound to leave a lasting mark.

So, here is (some of) what I learned in 7 years as a vagabond.

1. The kindness of strangers is real

If we look at the state of the world, it’s easy to doubt there’s any goodness out there at all. There are wars. Economic struggle. Racism and scary political ideologies. The climate crisis. All those things are very real, and yet I refuse to believe the world is evil. On an individual level, people are good. People want to do good. This is my firm conviction because I have encountered the kindness of strangers over and over again.

As a young woman, stranded in foreign lands, not speaking the language or knowing where to go, people could have decided to harm me in unthinkable ways. Instead, they decided to help me. Over and over again. Whether that was driving me to my hostel when my bus didn’t run, waking up the village mechanic when my car broke down on a Sunday morning, giving me the firmest hug after having a conversation where neither of us spoke the other’s language, or sending me on my way with enough food that would feed a family.

People have proven their kindness a thousand times over. It just usually doesn’t make the news. Call me a hopeless optimist or stupidly privileged, but I will die on this hill: this world still is, and always will be, full of amazing people, willing to extend their hand to a stranger.

2. There is a cost to everything

„Your new life is going to cost you your old one,“ Brianna Wiest once put it. I’ve had this conversation many times – people tell me I’m living “the dream“ with an envious sigh, not seeing that there’s a price to it. And mind you, this happens with any kind of life you choose. The one going for a shiny career might miss out on quality time with their loved ones. The one creating a stable family life might find themselves missing a sense of freedom. The one choosing their passion might face financial uncertainty.

So to those who tell me I’m living the dream, I like to ask them back: Are you okay with missing your best friends’ birthdays back home, and when your sister has a baby? Are you okay with being an outsider almost everywhere you go? Are you okay with not knowing where you sleep? Can you go without a shower for a week? Are you willing to earn less and live with less? How do you deal with uncertainty on a daily basis? How do you deal with solitude? Can you comfort yourself when there is no one there to comfort you?

Because yes, the freedom and experiences are beautiful. But it comes with a price. And if we’re being honest, it’s a price many people don’t want to pay. (And that’s ok! Otherwise, we’d all be long-term travelers, and what a boring world would that be.)

No matter our path in life, we need to come to terms with the fact that we can’t have it all. All we can do is be intentional with our choices and follow the path we’re happiest to pay the price for.

3. The wilder your adventure, the more people will cheer you on

Going on big epic adventures is scary. But the funny thing is: the more exposed you are, the more life will work its magic to support you. What do I mean by exposed? Traveling by camper is fairly sheltered and comfortable. It’s a nice way of traveling, but most people will likely be indifferent to you. That changes when you start crossing rough terrain on foot, carrying a huge backpack, or end up thousands of kilometres away from home with nothing but a bicycle.

It’s a very visible way of saying: I‘m doing something tough here. And people are here for the story. They love an underdog. They want to see people succeed in doing impossible things. The most help I ever received was on adventures people deemed crazy, like when I was trekking across the Alps barefoot. The more “out there” your adventure, the more they will want to support you. Even if it’s just by sneaking an extra piece of pastry into your bag at the bakery shop, or offering you a patch of grass to sleep on.

And, there’s another side effect to this: the more challenging your adventure, the more rewarding it feels. Comfort is nice, but when traveling, embrace the discomfort. It will teach you more than you could ever imagine.

4. It’s just another day on the road

After some time, travel is no longer an exciting vacation. At some point, it simply becomes your life. And life inevitably comes with good days and bad days.

There will be days when you are bored. There will be days when you are exhausted and just want to lie in bed watching Netflix. There will be days when you learn your grandfather has passed away. There will be days you will spend hours doing your taxes, filling out visa forms, and other bureaucratic nightmares. There will be days when no one is here to celebrate your birthday with you, and you wish you could just go hug your mom.

When traveling long-term, you come to terms with not every single day being a highlight. And honestly, that’s a good thing. At some point, we need to slow down and process all the amazing things that happened. Rest days are needed. Lazy days are needed. Days of routine, and even days of sadness, are needed – so that we can go out there and appreciate it all over again.

5. You take yourself everywhere you go

“What are you running from?!” is a common question (or hidden accusation) long-term travelers get to hear. While it might be a valid concern for some, I feel like I could always genuinely answer with “nothing“. It’s true. Actually, the more I travel, the more I appreciate my home country and come back with newfound perspective and gratitude. But… the curiosity keeps pulling me out into the world again. I’m not running away, I’m running toward.

But you do take yourself no matter where you go. Yes, travel can feel liberating, and it might at times almost feel like you just adopted a new personality, but what’s underneath stays. Travel can maybe distract you for a while, but ultimately, your patterns, your trauma, your story will always be right by your side. Until you figure that shit out.

Fortunately, I cannot think of a better setting than traveling to write a new story for yourself. But at some point, you have to face reality and see if it actually holds up. It’s like Christmas with your family – that’s where you see if the therapy actually worked.

6. It takes courage

I used to find it pretty boring when people complimented my courage. Because for the longest time, I couldn’t see that trait in myself – I just thought it’s what everyone does, or should do. Until I experienced an intense time full of panic attacks and anxiety, and suddenly, everything I used to do with ease took me immense amounts of courage.

Now I look back on my younger self with pride. Damn, she was courageous. That’s how I got here in the first place! And I still do my best to choose courage over comfort, courage over fear, each and every time.

Playing it safe is not how you get the life of your dreams. Keeping yourself small isn’t how you live your wildest adventures. Repeating the same script over and over again doesn’t change the things you hate about your life.

It takes courage. I can certainly acknowledge that now. The good thing is: you don’t need to be a world-rescuing super-hero to choose a life built on courage. The trick is to start with something mildly out of your comfort zone. Challenging, but not completely overwhelming. It’s the power of baby steps – because a lot of small decisions amount to big change over time.

7. You’re in this on your own

You are completely and utterly alone in this world. For many people, that’s an unsettling thought. But it can also be a liberating one. Because if no one is coming to tell you who to be or how to live, then you get to decide. It also strips away the illusion that someone else will figure your life out for you.

Having support systems like family and friends is invaluable. Travel has not only taught me to be fiercely independent, but it has also reminded me that we are social beings. We need good people in our lives – cherish them. As I realized how much I longed for connection after years by myself, I started putting more effort into actively maintaining those relationships. That’s part of the reason why I now return home more often. But two things can be true at once, and so ultimately, the responsibility for your life is yours alone.

That means you are the creator of your life. You have the freedom to shape your life as you desire. I’m not going to give you any everything-is-possible-for-everyone bullsh*t, because frankly, that’s just not true. Some people are much more privileged than others. You may be working with small or big obstacles, but limitations challenge our creativity. There is so much we can do within the limitations we were given.

This leads me to another thing travel (or any experience of challenge) will teach you: You are so much stronger than you think. Remember that.

To many more lessons.

At the moment of writing this, I am not certain if the years will keep stacking up or if life will take me down a different path. Travel has certainly taught me to expect the unexpected. And even if one day travel is no longer my sole focus, the lessons are here to stay. But well, I am currently looking out over a lake that’s bustling with aliveness in Sardinia, so I guess I’m not quite done exploring yet (are you ever, once you’ve fallen in love so deeply with the beauty of this planet?).

But that’s the point, there are a million ways to do this. You can be the grand world-tourer or a brave backyard explorer. There’s just as much magic to be found between the nettles and lavender in a well-loved garden as in the sweeping mountain ranges of the Caucasus. It’s all about keeping your heart and mind open.

Going out into the world on my own has made me a braver, kinder, more confident, tolerant, compassionate, and grateful human being. So if you ever find yourself in the position to experience something wildly different for a while – go for it.