This time, getting ready for the big change and life on the road is much tougher for me than ever before. I have to admit, it’s partly due to my age. As you grow older things seem to get more complicated. Not only do I worry about the road ahead of me, but I also struggle with the getting ready process. Probably like most of the older folks out there, I have accumulated a lot of possessions which makes the transition to life on the road more difficult.
I remember how easy it was when I was twenty. I quit my job, sold my car and stored my meagre belongings at my parent’s place before I ventured to far off Australia. All I took along was in my red suitcase.
Nothing was a big deal then.
When I settled down again ten years later I started off with the contents of my worn, red backpack which I purchased in Australia shortly after I arrived.
This time around, changing my lifestyle seems to be more complicated. Not only emotionally, but also the actual efforts involved in closing a chapter of my life and prepare for the next one.
At twenty, most people are free from emotional and financial baggage, just like I was when I was twenty.
It was easy for me to board a ship and travel to a far-off land to work and travel and hitchhike around the country, just as I pleased. All I needed was a passport and visa, a small backpack for my belongings and some money.
As the saying goes, “you should travel when you’re young” and I agree with that. I did. I lived the life of a nomad for ten years from the time I boarded the big ship in Italy and headed for Australia.
Most of us travellers will settle down sooner or later. It’s mostly because we get tired of life on the road and living out of a backpack; tired of constantly moving around and sleeping in a different bed every night.
We suffer from exhaustion after visiting dozens of countries, marvelling at the sights of hundreds of temples and churches, swimming in another lake, climbing another mountain. When those feelings make themselves known to a traveller, we know that it’s time for a break.
Once we settle down we start accumulating things we were living without for so long. We may want to live one of our dreams and buy a ranch in Canada with horses and other farm animals as I did. Others start a family, have kids, buy new cars and all the gadgets we think we need for a great life.
Years go by before we start thinking about serious travel again and we remember the long bucket list of places we haven’t seen. And finally, we decide that we want to be on the road again. But how the heck can we do it?
My biggest challenge to getting back on the road is being able to let go of everything I own; my home, my animals and everything I have put my heart and energy into for the past years. I never believed that it would be this tough.
In fact, it’s been a few years since I made the decision to travel again. I’ve been on many short adventure trips during those years; trips to Switzerland, a solo drive on the epic Dempster Highway to the Arctic Ocean, a shorter trip to the West-Kootenay and Canada’s Boundary Country to name a few.
These trips were fun, but they are not the same as living on the road for a few months at a time. That’s exactly what I want to do.
Once you own rural property in Canada it’s not just packing your backpack and leaving, it gets much more complicated. It often takes years until you’re ready to leave.
Being aware of my urge to travel, I have stopped buying new things quite some time ago and I’m glad I did. I’ve been decluttering and getting rid of things to slowly get my belongings down to the basics. It’s my way of becoming a minimalist and getting back to crap-free living.
Think about your travel goals and write them down. This gives your plan for a life on the road more purpose.
My travel goals are clear. I’m giving up my home, my lifestyle and most of my material possessions to be free to travel and be on the road again.
I’m taking on the challenge to discover the most off the beaten track places in Canada and write about what I find along the way.
Apart from keeping you entertained with my travel stories, I’m hoping to inspire you. I will pass on tips and information about places I will visit and things I will learn along the way.
Maybe I can motivate you to plan your own adventure.
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Are you planning a lifestyle change as well? What is your experience decluttering your household? Tell us about your emotions and struggles with it and leave a comment below!
Yrene lives in the Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada, and is the founder of BackcountryCanadaTravel.com. She was born in Switzerland, lived and worked on different continents and has travelled the world. Yes, that's me, an Entrepreneur, wilderness nut and animal lover who prefers off-the-beaten-track places. I write about things I love. Mostely.