In my 29, I was exactly at the same stage. What I want from my life for the long term.

I had everything. Excellent job & career prospects, a super beautiful house inherited (NO mortgage!!!), a beautiful partner, a company car & my car, my stunning red Vespa for long or short rides and a little city to live plus short trips-escapes all around the world (Moscow, Stockholm, Cairo, Istanbul, Rome, Zurich are a few destinations only).

I am now 34 and the last 5 years I am traveliving non-stop around the world. Since 2012, along with my partner, we have explored Africa, North & Central America and we are currently in Colombia. Our visa expires 1st of July so we "must" move to Ecuador. We are on a campervan but at this point, I dont think it does really matter.

Visas, local regulations & weather patterns are the only restrictions so far and our longest term plan starts & ends in the country we are.

True, authentic long-term travelling with a super tight budget. No vanlife bullshit, no wifi chasing, no likes, tags & followers lovers!

We stopped following the news, we have no social media accounts, we do not do any marketing of our trip on FB or instagram (other than a book that we have published), we do not save any money but only recycle in the best possible way the rent we get from our flat, we work or volunteer locally, we always look for connections with local communities and after all, we enjoy what we are up to.

My biggest question before quitting everything back home was NOT if I will enjoy this adventure. We all know that we will.

My biggest fear was if this sort of exchange (travel+freedom vs all benefits of an anchored life) will be fair and worthwhile for the long term.

I am not older than you or even wiser but I can confirm that this exchange works perfect so far.

At your disposal for any further communication. I am super happy to share all my fears, doubts and answers that I gave to myself.


Cheers

Nikos

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The Pin Project | Overland Greece

Life has too many twists and turns, you can't put down ideas about what you are going to do at a certain age. A restless mind is an intelligent mind, always searching for that new thing to satisfy the curiosity. I learned too late in life that if you have an idea or an itch to do something, you need to just get on and do it. Life has this habit of turning round and biting you, and it's only when you realise that your life might end sooner than you hope that you start having regrets about the things you haven't done. In my case cancer 15 years ago, only saved by a transplant. In the 3 weeks between diagnosis and surgery my whole outlook on life changed. It could happen to you. Don't follow what everyone else does ( remember, only dead fish go with the flow), or what others expect you to do. Your semi guilty conscience about doing things outside what is perceived as the norm is a potential trap which will deprive you of your free mind. Only do things because you want to, not because you feel you have to.

Everyday I wake up is a bonus, I just get on with the day. Life is biting me again, I've had to give up the bike after 45 years. At 66 I don't mind really, it's not the end of the world, I'm just going to get on with something else, and as Tolkein has often been quoted here:- '' all we have to do is to decide what to do with the time that is given to us''.

Little song for you:- appropriate. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaQnYSbgnM0

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-''It is better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction''. ( Herman Siu)
-'' Live life then give life '' (www.lltgl.org.uk)