So, here’s what I realised

So, here’s what I realised

I love my routine and right now, I'm a little homesick for it. Let me explain. 

When I embarked on this journey, I didn't expect this to be one of my main conclusions, though many people would say a similar thing after having spent a period of time abroad. Honestly, I'm quite happy about this conclusion. It tells me that I've already done a pretty good job at building a life for myself that fits my personality. It also tells me that a lot of what I want for myself is to have more time for my routine. 

Before I opened my laptop and typed this, I met a lovely couple from Australia the other day. They were telling me about the places they’d visited, what they’d done for a living and where they were going next. The usual traveller’s chit-chat.

As exciting as it all sounded, we also talked about the lack of routine. The reality is that when you’re hopping from one place to another, there’s a lot of mental planning that goes with it. If you’re like me and you’re booking flights and accommodation just days in advance, it adds exponentially to the overall stress level. I don’t complain too much about this because, firstly, it’s the direct result of my own actions and, secondly, it’s the way I choose to do it.

Why is that, you ask? As nice as the pictures on the internet look, the vibes don’t lie, baby. I like to feel the city, the room, the crowd and just be in a place for as long as I want. It would be a shame to leave a place where you feel comfortable just because “past you” had no chill and pre-booked a ticket to your next destination already.

I found Mexico as a whole to be a perfect place for this kind of slow travel. As a Swiss citizen, the migration was super easy and all they ask is that you leave the country after six months, that is if you don’t feel like filling out extra paperwork.

One pro-tip at this point: Mexico is big. Hence, the climate differs as well. Check the weather before you book your next domestic flight. (I know - “Duh!”) I ended up not using most of my clothes and buying jackets in what’s best described as Mexican Walmart halls just to get by.

Puerto Escondido was my first stop of my sabbatical. After seven weeks there, I decided pretty much on the spot to take a bus to Oaxaca City. That was on Christmas Eve. It happened to be. I didn’t want to be melodramatic about my departure and plan a Bridget Jones-esque leave from what I I would come to affectionately call my second home. I just felt it was time for me to leave. The fact that I could leave felt extremely liberating, to be honest. 

But here’s the thing; by the time I left Puerto Escondido, I had already created my own little micro-routine. I had my favourite coffee spots, my workout routine and my little community. I wasn’t travelling. I just was. Staying in one place for seven weeks allowed me to really absorb the place, make meaningful connections along the way and free my mind.

You know how they say “the only way out is in” or “change your thoughts and your reality will change too”. Though from an outside perspective I didn’t do much at all, my time in Puerto was probably one of my most productive periods in terms of taking the time to get to know myself better and smashing that pause button on self-destructive thinking (fun, fun, fun).

At this point I should probably add that the purpose of this sabbatical wasn’t to just go on a trip and then spend the rest of my life reminiscing about how fun those six months were, while changing absolutely nothing about the life I had created for myself, aka left behind. 

There was a reason for my desire to leave, and I honour that reason as best as I can. 

Lately, my travels have become a little too hectic for my taste. My mental capacity has been almost exclusively focused on my very shitty planning, which has resulted in me not feeling it super-duper anymore. Do I get to explore new places and meet new people? Yes. Do I enjoy having these new experiences? Absolutely. 

However! During all this haze, I came to a VERY important conclusion for myself, and that is that routines are good, they are cool, they help us work on and achieve our goals, and they are absolutely essential for our mental health.

As this is a first world problem in its absolute highest form, I also want to slip in how insanely privileged I am to be living the life I am and to be able to literally take a six month break like this. I am beyond grateful for this experience, and my conclusions should in no way suggest that I'm not enjoying this trip. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's move on to some more appreciations; My dear beloved flat, my coffee machine, my wardrobe, my nearby gym and my lovely forest within walking distance. I just wanted to say; I love you dearly. You fill my heart with love and gratitude and I'm so excited to finally be back in my little safe space.

But until then, I’m going to enjoy this sabbatical a bit more and do what I feel like doing.