1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:05,360 Hello and welcome to the Cosmic Nomad. 2 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:09,040 I'm your host, Bailey Rushlow, and this is a space for the 3 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:12,920 curious and the heartlet where we explore the human experience 4 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:16,400 through travel and nature, spirituality and real life 5 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,800 transformation through beautiful conversations. 6 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:24,320 As I discover my way of living what I call an inspired life, I 7 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:27,040 share the practices, stories, and perspectives that have 8 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:32,320 helped guide me back to myself. In today's episode, I'm going to 9 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:37,360 be sharing 6 things that traveling the world has taught 10 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:42,840 me about being human. OK, so we have been on a journey 11 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:47,480 in this podcast so far. Very internal through my 12 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:49,960 internal world. Hopefully mirroring your 13 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:52,920 internal world as well. Have been getting some 14 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:57,200 incredibly insightful and beautiful messages from you, 15 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,480 which I'm so grateful for. Please don't stop doing that. 16 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:04,840 Don't stop leaving comments and reviews, sending me DM, sending 17 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:06,800 me emails. I'm I'm loving it. 18 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:11,040 I'm loving seeing the reflection We've been on this inward 19 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:15,320 journey right of through the mind, through the subconscious, 20 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:17,960 through the cycles, through the body. 21 00:01:17,960 --> 00:01:24,760 And now we're moving out into the world of travel and it's 22 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,520 still going to be about, of course, our relationship with 23 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:29,400 travel and how that affects us internally. 24 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:34,800 But we have to, we have to go somewhere to experience the 25 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,440 world. Even if go somewhere means walk 26 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:41,600 out your front door, right? It's impossible to do these 27 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:43,960 things just from the comfort of your own home. 28 00:01:43,960 --> 00:01:48,240 It does require some bravery. It does require a leap of faith. 29 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,560 And I'm going to start today with a little story that 30 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,480 happened this week. So I was sitting on the beach 31 00:01:56,480 --> 00:02:01,400 last night with some new friends and one of the guys said to me, 32 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:05,280 travel is not a reward for working. 33 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:11,160 It's an education for living. And I looked at him and I said, 34 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,240 Anthony Bourdain because yeah, Anthony Bourdain, you how did 35 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:15,400 you know? And I was like, of course I 36 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:17,480 know. If you don't know Anthony 37 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:22,120 Bourdain, he's a world renowned chef, author, world traveler who 38 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:27,440 documented his journeys and I love his quotes and his 39 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,640 perspective about travel because that's exactly how I feel about 40 00:02:30,640 --> 00:02:32,880 it. It is not a reward for working, 41 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:39,280 it's an education for living. It's like a bomb for my soul to 42 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:42,360 hear these words. He also has another quote that 43 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:48,040 he said travel changes you. As you move through this life 44 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:51,080 and this world, you change things slightly. 45 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:56,600 You leave marks behind, however small, and in return life and 46 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:02,320 travel leave marks on you. Most people are taught to see 47 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:09,400 travel as a short escape, like a A1 week whirlwind trip somewhere 48 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:14,600 of of sightseeing and selfies and souvenirs and you return 49 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:19,120 home exhausted and then you end up with this quote of I need a 50 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,120 vacation from my vacation, right? 51 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:24,320 And there's nothing wrong with that kind of trip. 52 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,520 That kind of trip can be wonderful, and there's a place 53 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:31,920 and time for that too. But I also feel that travel can 54 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:36,400 be so much more than just a break from our routine. 55 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:41,720 And in this episode, I want to explore the kind of travel that 56 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:47,800 shifts your perspective, the kind that actually changes how 57 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,880 you see the world and how you see yourself in the world. 58 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:58,880 Since 2021, I have spent about 5 months of each year traveling 59 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:07,320 abroad, learning through experience and being humbled and 60 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:13,760 challenged and just cracked wide open in my heart and deeply, 61 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:17,760 deeply inspired. And I love when strangers tell 62 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:20,519 me I can tell that you've travelled. 63 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:25,880 And that reflection means so much to me because this path has 64 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:31,160 shaped me in a way that a classroom or a one week trip 65 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:37,440 somewhere never could. And I'm also speaking from the 66 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:41,080 point of privilege where I don't work a nine to five. 67 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:45,040 I have only worked 2 jobs for other people in my whole life. 68 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:52,200 And the rest I've built myself from my creativity, from courage 69 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:56,360 and a lot of self trust and from my music, from my art. 70 00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:58,440 My whole life is funded from this. 71 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:00,760 All of my travels have been funded from this. 72 00:05:00,840 --> 00:05:03,040 I don't come from a wealthy family. 73 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,600 I don't come from money. I don't have a trust fund. 74 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:11,600 Like my family always did well for themselves. 75 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:16,600 And we always went to beach vacations and little trips to 76 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,480 Dollywood. And you know, I'm so grateful 77 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:23,640 for that because it gave me a chance to see something outside 78 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:28,840 of my hometown. And I don't share any of what 79 00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:31,720 I'm going to share in this episode to brag. 80 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,920 I just want to offer another way of living. 81 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:39,400 And just a quick pause to share something really special. 82 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:44,200 I am reopening my Patreon this month, which feels like a full 83 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:47,000 circle moment because Patreon was actually the first platform 84 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,040 I ever used as a creator, back when I was just starting to 85 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:52,240 share my music and build something on my own. 86 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:55,200 And now I'm returning to it with a whole new energy. 87 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:58,880 More intentional, more me. And if you've never heard of it, 88 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:02,000 Patreon is a membership based space where you can support the 89 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,960 creators that you love and receive exclusive content in 90 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,280 return. So on my Patreon, I'll be 91 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:12,120 sharing monthly guided meditations, private podcast 92 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:16,280 style voice notes, and behind the scenes glimpses into my 93 00:06:16,280 --> 00:06:19,360 creative world that I'm not sharing anywhere else. 94 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:23,320 So there are different tiers depending on what feels right 95 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:25,680 for you. And it's honestly such a fun way 96 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,360 to stay connected and help support this podcast and my work 97 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:32,400 as an independent artist. So if that feels like something 98 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:35,200 you'd like to be a part of, please check it out at 99 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:39,280 patreon.com/bailey in Rushlow. You can also find the link down 100 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:41,520 below. I really love to see you there. 101 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:44,840 OK, let's jump into today's episode. 102 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:51,160 OK, so let's dive into the first of the six lessons we're going 103 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:52,680 to talk about in today's episode. 104 00:06:53,880 --> 00:07:00,280 First thing is that people, people are mostly good. 105 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:03,600 People really are out here in the world just trying to do 106 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:07,680 their best. And you experience a lot of 107 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:09,440 different types of people when traveling. 108 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:12,960 But I will say that the amount of times I have been helped by 109 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:17,120 strangers is more than I could count. 110 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:23,760 From people giving me directions to giving me meals, helping me 111 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:26,200 out in situations where they they didn't have to. 112 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:30,640 They went out of their way to show me kindness in unexpected 113 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:33,160 moments. A few stories come to mind when 114 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:35,720 I think of this. So the first one is the first 115 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:39,200 time I ever visited the UK. I'm in Waverly Station, the 116 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:40,920 train station in Edinburgh, Scotland. 117 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:45,120 And this might sound funny to someone who has grown up taking 118 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:49,280 public transportation, trains and buses and whatnot, but I had 119 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:53,520 never, I come from a small Southern Bible Belt town in the 120 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:55,640 US. Like we don't have public 121 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:59,880 transportation. You don't walk places like you 122 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:02,120 have to have a car, you have to drive somewhere, right? 123 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:06,800 It's very, very different. So for me being in the UK, I'm, 124 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:09,560 I still am in an English speaking country, you know, but 125 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:14,080 it feels like I am in the, I'm in another planet. 126 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:18,320 Like there's a train and you have to read the 24 hour time 127 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:25,040 and it's all, it's so foreign. And I got really overheated in 128 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:29,200 the train station and I have my suitcase and my bags and my coat 129 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:32,840 and my just, I got really overwhelmed and I actually 130 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:35,080 started crying in the train station. 131 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:38,960 And looking back, I'm like, oh, poor, poor Bailey. 132 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:43,200 Because I thought that I had just barely missed my train. 133 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:46,720 And I was just like, Oh my God, this travelling thing is really 134 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:48,640 hard. And I don't know if I'm cut out 135 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,480 for this and I'm trying my best to show up. 136 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:56,160 I'm trying my best to be on time for everything, trying my best 137 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:59,880 to read this 24 hour time. I don't know how to subtract 2 138 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:02,600 and add 10. And I it's really over 139 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:06,280 complicating it. But this guy came up to me and 140 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:08,120 he was like, hey, like, are you OK? 141 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:10,280 And I was like, I'm sorry. I'm really embarrassed. 142 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:14,240 I just, I missed my train and I feel so silly. 143 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:16,560 And I he was like, are you American? 144 00:09:16,680 --> 00:09:21,400 I was like, yeah. And he loops his arm through 145 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:24,120 mine and helps me grab my suitcase. 146 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:26,720 He's like, come with me. And he helps me all the way down 147 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:28,600 the escalator. And he's talking to me and like, 148 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:32,000 really calm, really kind. And he walks me to the ticket 149 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:34,640 information booth and he goes, these people will be able to 150 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:37,480 help you all is going to be OK. And I was like, thank you so 151 00:09:37,560 --> 00:09:39,320 much. You're an actual Angel. 152 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:45,400 And he really was. I honestly, I was panicking. 153 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:49,320 So I get to the ticket station and the guy is like, what's the 154 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:51,280 problem? Like I here's my ticket. 155 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:53,160 I just missed it. I don't know if I can get a 156 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:54,680 refund. It's an expensive ticket. 157 00:09:54,680 --> 00:09:57,760 You know, I was going all the way up to the north, very north 158 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:00,680 of the country. And he's like, Oh no, honey, 159 00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:03,520 you're, you're 2 hours early. Like all is good. 160 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:09,360 And I let out this Oh my God, sigh of relief. 161 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:14,240 But I realized I was just not in the best headspace in that 162 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:16,440 moment. I was incredibly overstimulated. 163 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:21,840 But the kindness that this man showed me, it opened my heart 164 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,400 and my soul. And I really was like, wow, 165 00:10:24,680 --> 00:10:29,200 people are good in this world. And no one else in the station 166 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:31,000 stopped for me. I was just a random person 167 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:32,960 crying in the train. Happens every day. 168 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:37,560 But this guy saw me and responded and I was so grateful 169 00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:39,880 for him. Another example that comes to 170 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:44,720 mind of Philip and I travelling in the Philippines and we're 171 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:48,320 going way up north to this tiny island called Malapascua. 172 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:53,320 And we are on a boat that I am nearly seasick on. 173 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:59,360 It was, I mean side to side rocking and it starts pouring. 174 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:05,880 I mean pouring, monsoon pouring. And we get to the the island and 175 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,600 we are just, I mean, everything is soaked. 176 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:11,840 The bags are soaked, We're soaked, backpack soaked through. 177 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:14,640 Like, yeah. And I'm just worried about my 178 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:16,200 laptop. I'm worried about, I'm trying to 179 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:20,000 keep my phone dry. We get to where we're going and 180 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,000 we've the boat can't go to where it normally docks. 181 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:25,160 So it'd be easy for us to walk to where we're going. 182 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:28,320 It goes to the around the whole side of the island. 183 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:30,520 So we have to figure out how to get from where we are all the 184 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:34,640 way to our homestay. It's not a typical island where 185 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:37,400 there are like roads and streets and stuff. 186 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:42,240 Like there are alleys and pathways, like foot pathways. 187 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:45,760 These guys come up to us on motorcycles and he's like, where 188 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:47,800 are you guys going? Like we'll give you a ride. 189 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:50,040 And we're like, for real? Are you sure? 190 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:53,720 Like screaming through the rain? And they're like, yeah, hop on. 191 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:58,000 We got on the back of their motorcycles with all of our 192 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:00,000 stuff. And I mean, I don't even know 193 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:04,600 how we managed it, but we told them we were going and they 194 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:07,600 start driving us. And I mean, we are driving 195 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:13,040 through people's backyards like chicken coops and, and go boots 196 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:17,480 and in the monsoon. I mean, it was, it was a whole 197 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:19,760 journey. I can barely see. 198 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,680 I don't know how the guys driving the motorcycles are 199 00:12:23,680 --> 00:12:26,600 seeing. We're driving through inches of 200 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:30,800 rain and, and mud. And we finally get to where 201 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:32,760 we're going. And, and I turned to them. 202 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:34,560 I was like, thank you guys so much. 203 00:12:34,560 --> 00:12:38,240 And I just pulled whatever money I had out in my wallet and gave 204 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:40,200 it to them. And they were like, oh, like, 205 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:43,240 surprised that we would pay them. 206 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:46,120 And I'm thinking, of course we would pay them. 207 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:49,640 Like, they just went out of their way, picked up two total 208 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:54,040 strangers on a beach and drove us halfway across the island. 209 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:56,320 Like, not going to not pay you, you know? 210 00:12:56,680 --> 00:13:00,560 They were so surprised. This is also such a testament to 211 00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:05,080 the kindness and sincerity of the Filipino people. 212 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:10,360 Truly, they are wonderful. And we were so blessed by these 213 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:14,080 guys. So people really are mostly 214 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:16,960 good. I've also had experiences that 215 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:19,560 were not so good with people who were not so kind. 216 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:24,920 People who robbed me, people who broke into my place of living 217 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:27,880 and stole things from me. People who broke into our van, 218 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:32,000 ransacked our van side of Barcelona. 219 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:36,640 I've had things overpriced and cheated and bargained and all 220 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:41,560 that stuff too, of course. But the goodness and the 221 00:13:41,560 --> 00:13:46,840 kindness of the people that have helped me far outweighs the 222 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:50,520 negative experiences. And Contrast is an incredible 223 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:55,280 teacher. OK, the lesson #2 connection. 224 00:13:56,080 --> 00:14:00,040 Connection doesn't always need a shared language. 225 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:05,280 Some of the most meaningful moments of my travels have 226 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:10,920 happened with people I couldn't fully speak to, and eye contact 227 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,600 and laughter and presence speak so much louder than words 228 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:17,880 sometimes. When I first came to Mexico, I 229 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:21,320 rented a little place that was right on the water. 230 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:26,160 So every morning it was like a ritual for me to wake up, make 231 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:31,560 my coffee, go downstairs and onto the sand where I could sit 232 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:34,360 and watch the sunrise. Oh my God, what a dream. 233 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:38,000 I had never experienced anything like that at this point. 234 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:41,560 And it was, it was magical and it was, it was such a ritual and 235 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:46,360 it was, it was so mine. And every morning when I'd go 236 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:50,000 out really early, I would see the local fishermen going out on 237 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:53,760 their boats and we learned each other's names. 238 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:58,680 We'd say hi to each other, Hola get that, you know, And it was 239 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:01,840 so wholesome. And I remember 1 morning they 240 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:07,320 came back with a huge tuna, like massive. 241 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:10,520 I was like, Oh my God, that is a huge fish. 242 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:13,080 And we, we do not speak each other's language. 243 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:17,360 Like there is no English spoken. There's a few words of Spanish 244 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:21,720 folk from my, from my end. But, and I, I just just like, 245 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,640 wow, like really big, you know, holding my hands up, went on my 246 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:26,600 walk down the beach like I normally did. 247 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:29,640 And by the time I came back, fish was gone. 248 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:33,360 I was like, Donde, I was like, where's the fish? 249 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:36,920 And they said oh, oh, oh, wait, wait, wait, wait here and went 250 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:44,480 and brought back a Tupperware. And in the Tupperware was fresh 251 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:47,720 made ceviche. And when I say fresh, I mean 252 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:53,040 that fish was brought back on the boat an hour ago and it was 253 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:59,280 chopped up with tomato, red onion, jalapeno with lime 254 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:01,640 squeezed on top of it. And that was it. 255 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:05,960 Fresh tune up. And I'm like, OK, it's a little 256 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:11,280 early to be eating raw, raw fish, but I got like 5-6 257 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:14,040 fishermen with a, with a thing of Tupperware handing me the 258 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:15,520 topos. They handing me, handing me 259 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:17,360 chips that are like, try it, try it. 260 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:20,480 You know you'll like it. I'm like, I got to try it. 261 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:24,360 This is an amazing moment. I would be sad looking back if I 262 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:29,080 said no to this. So I took a big bite and it was 263 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:35,800 one of the best things I have ever had, the best of EJ by far. 264 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,680 But like one of the most quintessential Mexico moments 265 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:42,000 that lives in my heart just rent free. 266 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,120 And they watched me so carefully, like, does she like 267 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:48,160 it? Does she like it? 268 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:51,520 And I was like, and they're like, yeah, she likes it. 269 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:55,640 It was. It was just so wholesome. 270 00:16:56,040 --> 00:17:01,760 And no language was shared, but food was and smiles were, and 271 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:06,119 connection was. And it really shows you that the 272 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:09,359 presence speaks so much louder than words. 273 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:12,880 And you don't have to be in another country to have 274 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:16,920 experiences like this. It is just easier to have 275 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:21,720 experiences like this because you are out of your normal 276 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:25,760 comfort zone. You're not in your routine. 277 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:29,520 You're not in your day-to-day, you know, this is what I do and 278 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:32,280 this is how I do it, and this is how I drive to work, and this is 279 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:34,880 the route that I take and then I come home and then I, you know 280 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:39,080 it. It's like you're not in the same 281 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:44,120 game anymore and you're on a totally different, totally 282 00:17:44,120 --> 00:17:47,520 different rules. There is so much I could say for 283 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:51,240 this one, so many stories I could share, but I want to move 284 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:57,160 on to #3 which is that joy. Joy is so simple. 285 00:17:58,120 --> 00:18:03,720 How many times I have teared up and smiled, recognizing the 286 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:08,080 simplicity of the joy of watching kids play football 287 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:12,640 together in alleyways barefoot, buying a coconut for a dollar on 288 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:19,200 a beach somewhere in Thailand. Travel reminds you that joy is 289 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:26,160 usually free and it's widely available when you choose to be 290 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:29,360 present. I remember sitting on the beach 291 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:32,960 few years ago and watching 2 little girls play in the water. 292 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:36,080 Two sisters, they're probably three and four years old, and 293 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:39,520 all they have is a plastic bag. That was it. 294 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:44,120 No fancy beach toys, no expensive sandcastle making 295 00:18:44,120 --> 00:18:47,320 stuff. Plastic bag like a zip lock. 296 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:50,760 And they would take turns filling it up with water and 297 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:55,320 pouring it on each other's heads and covering each other in sand 298 00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:58,160 and then washing it off with the zip lock full of water. 299 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:04,600 They probably did that for an hour or more. 300 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:07,880 And their parents are chilling, you know, back in the beach, 301 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:12,840 just just watching them. And it's so beautiful how simple 302 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:16,680 things can be, especially in other cultures where they might 303 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:20,600 not have access or funds and finances for all of these 304 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:25,160 expensive toys and gadgets and things that we have electronics 305 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:29,960 and the, the life is very simple in a lot of places. 306 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:33,360 I remember being in the Philippines somewhere else. 307 00:19:33,360 --> 00:19:34,920 Where was it? Quran, I think. 308 00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:40,120 And we were staying in a, a really rural part of town, not 309 00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:43,120 touristy. We're staying around the corner 310 00:19:43,120 --> 00:19:46,960 from the water pump. And in this town, the water pump 311 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:51,680 is where everyone goes to bathe to wash their clothes. 312 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:55,720 And it's basically it's a water pump that's that simple. 313 00:19:56,360 --> 00:19:59,200 But the houses don't often have running water. 314 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:02,840 So you go to the pump to fill up buckets of water, bring it back 315 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:06,040 to your house, or you just stand there in the street where this 316 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:10,400 pump is and you shower, wash your body, wash your hair, wash 317 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,480 your kids hair, wash your clothes and. 318 00:20:14,120 --> 00:20:18,160 Every time I would walk past, I would just be like, wow, like 319 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:24,240 these kids are so happy and they have so little in comparison 320 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:27,560 with the Western world standards of having a lot. 321 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:34,120 And what we have is just, it's so normalized to have the newest 322 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:39,840 things and the newest, you know, iPhone and car and clothes and 323 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:41,440 all this stuff, which is also fine. 324 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:46,480 It's great if you if that's your thing, but like joy can be 325 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:49,720 experienced with a zip lock bag of water too. 326 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:54,080 And when we bring it back down to the basics, we remember being 327 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:56,960 kids ourselves. And I mean, when I was a kid, if 328 00:20:56,960 --> 00:21:01,640 I had like a stick and a Frisbee that I could turn upside down 329 00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:06,240 and make mud pies in and like use the stick to like, you know, 330 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:09,480 attach pine needles to it and make a broom that I could sweep 331 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:13,600 my tree house out with. I mean, like, it's you need so 332 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:15,720 little. You need so little. 333 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:20,800 One of my favorite things is trying different foods and 334 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,880 fruits, especially fruits in other countries because there 335 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:28,080 are so many that do not exist where like I'm from. 336 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:31,800 Like eating tropical fruits typically need to be imported, 337 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:33,440 you know, to the States and blah, blah, blah. 338 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:37,120 But living and, and going to, you know, Asia for example, and 339 00:21:37,120 --> 00:21:40,160 you're eating fruits that I have never seen in my life. 340 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:44,440 I'm like, what is this? What, what is this fruit? 341 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:48,640 It's so weird, like mangosteen, you know, it's like this hard 342 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,520 purple shell that you crack open inside. 343 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:58,280 There's 5 white pieces of like this really tender, super sweet 344 00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:02,640 fruit. What I ate my weight in mango 345 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:05,760 scene and was like, I was so happy. 346 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:08,120 Anytime I would see a street vendor, like we have to go, we 347 00:22:08,120 --> 00:22:09,680 have to go over there, we have to get mango scene. 348 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:14,800 Just the joy that comes from those little things really 349 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:19,400 lights you up. I find so much joy in watching 350 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:26,760 local life unfold like elders chatting on the front stoop and 351 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:31,360 laundry waving in the breeze, hanging from a, you know, 352 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:37,280 building to building and just remembering how simple and and 353 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:39,560 sacred the human experience can be. 354 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:43,920 I love journaling. So I love to take my my journal 355 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:48,080 different places, maybe under a tree or by the ocean or in a 356 00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:52,240 little courtyard and just writing down my thoughts. 357 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:55,000 And I always write where I am in the journal. 358 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,280 So when I look back through them, I see like I'm in the 359 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:03,200 grass in Saint Dunstan in London, or I'm sitting on a 360 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:07,160 beach in Thailand, or I'm sitting in a little pub in 361 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:12,840 Edinburgh watching it rain, looking up at Edinburgh Castle 362 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:17,920 towering above the city. Or I just drank a mushroom shake 363 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:20,760 on Gilly Tea Island off Indonesia and I'm about to go 364 00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:26,440 swim with sea turtles. And like, I mean, there are some 365 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:31,040 incredible journal injuries that I have with some amazing places 366 00:23:32,360 --> 00:23:36,280 titled, you know, where I was when I, when I wrote them. 367 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:42,200 And I had a really cool experience in the Philippines 368 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:50,760 when I was journaling in the cafe and I heard myself singing 369 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,800 on the radio. I took out my headphones and I, 370 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:58,920 Oh my God, I'm playing in this cafe and I'm here. 371 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:02,680 It's happened to me a couple of times before, but this was my 372 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:06,280 first time being on the other side of the world and hearing 373 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:10,680 myself. And I ripped out my phone really 374 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:13,840 quick and I took a little video and I started tearing up in the 375 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:16,000 video. And I will remember that 376 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:18,760 forever. The joy that I felt hearing 377 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:23,160 myself play on an island in a country on the other side of the 378 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:25,560 world is a is a pretty crazy feeling. 379 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:31,720 Jumping into #4 home is a feeling. 380 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:36,960 It's not a place. The more places that you go, the 381 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:43,720 more you realize that home is an essence that you carry with you. 382 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:50,680 It's in your body, it's in your rituals, it's in the people that 383 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:58,520 you meet along the way. And I think we always will have 384 00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:01,360 this longing for home. As humans, we are always 385 00:25:01,360 --> 00:25:05,240 searching for something because I think we know that we've 386 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:08,440 experienced so much more than just life on this earth. 387 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:13,560 I believe our souls have traversed many lifetimes and 388 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:18,680 many places, and we spend a lot of time looking for what home 389 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:22,720 really is. And when you're on the road, 390 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:25,960 you're travelling, you're experiencing new places and 391 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:28,520 cultures and people and language and all of things. 392 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:34,120 Home can sometimes feel really far away and you almost feel 393 00:25:34,120 --> 00:25:39,680 homesick, but maybe for a place you've never been, or you could 394 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:43,560 feel like you found home within yourself. 395 00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:48,800 I seem to kind of oscillate between the two, between feeling 396 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:54,520 homesick but not really for a place and feeling like home is 397 00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:58,480 within me. And it's an interesting 398 00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:03,080 dichotomy. But I've learned that it's not 399 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:08,600 about the geography, it's it's about how my body feels. 400 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:15,080 It's about safety and, and feeling alive and presence and 401 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:22,120 sometimes home can feel like cooking your own favorite food 402 00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:28,160 in another country or maybe meeting someone that you have a 403 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:32,360 friend in common with from your hometown, you know, or I mean 404 00:26:32,360 --> 00:26:33,560 that that literally happened to me. 405 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:38,840 I was, I was again in Scotland, a lot of Scotland memories. 406 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:45,960 And Day 1 I had just arrived and I sat down at this cafe. 407 00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:48,160 I was like, can I just get a table? 408 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:50,640 And they're like, sorry, all we have is the community table. 409 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,720 Like great. The community table, you know, I 410 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:56,760 wasn't really into that at that point in my, my travelling days 411 00:26:56,760 --> 00:26:58,960 was day one of my first ever solo trip. 412 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:01,080 And I was like, I just want to sit at a table by myself. 413 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:04,760 I just got off a 10 hour flight. I'm tired, I'm jet lagged. 414 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:06,840 It's 6:00 in the morning. You know, they're like, well, 415 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,280 the community table has some spice spaces available. 416 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:12,240 So sit down at this table across from this woman. 417 00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:14,560 We start conversation. She tells me she's from 418 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:20,920 California, I'm from Tennessee, and we somehow discover that my 419 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:26,200 neighbors are her clients. I'm not even kidding you. 420 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:29,720 The people that live like across the street from me in my 421 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:35,840 hometown are clients of hers. And I, I couldn't believe it. 422 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:39,360 And we, we started this beautiful friendship and she was 423 00:27:39,360 --> 00:27:42,360 leaving Scotland that day, but she took me around and showed me 424 00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:45,800 some of the some of the Old Town and we walked the Royal Mile 425 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:49,720 together and it was just, it was beautiful and it made me feel 426 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:56,520 like home in that moment. Home was an essence, an energy 427 00:27:57,200 --> 00:28:01,600 and we Co created it together. And I see it when my partner 428 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:07,640 meets someone from Bavaria or even from his specific, you 429 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:12,120 know, town and region and dialect that knows specific 430 00:28:12,120 --> 00:28:14,960 German words that nobody else in Germany would ever know. 431 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:18,080 Even people from a few, you know, kilometers away might not 432 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:22,880 even know it, but they do. And it's like they speaking in 433 00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:24,480 code. I mean, it's so cool. 434 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:28,800 And, and it really is this sense of, of home and, and rough 435 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:31,680 remembrance. And I love that. 436 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:37,000 I think it's very cool to be out there in the world and knowing 437 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:42,200 that you could find home in all different places and people and 438 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:48,120 faces and memories and foods and most importantly within yourself 439 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:54,360 #5 is you are more adaptable than you think. 440 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:59,800 This takes me back to what we're saying earlier with normally we 441 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:03,520 live our lives on autopilot. You know, we make the same 442 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:08,520 routes through our life, going to work, going to school, going 443 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:11,240 to church, going to whatever. It's the same thing over and 444 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:14,360 over and over and over again. And we're just living on on 445 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:19,280 autopilot, you know? And when you travel, your brain 446 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:22,280 is constantly exposed to new stimuli. 447 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:28,240 So unfamiliar languages, foods, smells, landscapes, cultural 448 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:34,400 norms that you're not used to. This is a crazy activator of 449 00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:36,720 neuroplasticity. We learned about neuroplasticity 450 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:40,760 a few episodes ago, the the brain's ability to change, to 451 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:45,400 grow, to heal. When you're travelling, you are 452 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:49,960 forcing your brain to build new neural pathways instead of 453 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:53,720 relying on the familiar ones that you usually have in your 454 00:29:53,720 --> 00:29:57,520 daily routine. We see this when we are making 455 00:29:57,520 --> 00:30:01,920 decisions in new environments like which train do I take in on 456 00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:06,760 the subway or even ordering food in another language, which helps 457 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:09,600 to strengthen your problem solving skills. 458 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:14,840 But it teaches you to be present because it is unpredictable. 459 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:21,240 When you are in a new place, you have to look up, you have to ask 460 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:25,760 questions, you have to pay attention, you have to look at 461 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:28,440 the street signs, you know, you have to watch where you're 462 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:31,800 going. It feels like your senses are 463 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:39,040 awake again for the first time. It feels like your body is alive 464 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:44,480 in real time, and it's kind of humbling and it's refreshing and 465 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:47,520 it's something we don't really do a lot when we're just at 466 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:50,000 home. Everything is regular. 467 00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:55,960 It pulls you out of autopilot and into presence. 468 00:30:55,960 --> 00:31:02,320 A few years ago, I was living in Malta and I wanted to fly to the 469 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:06,120 UK to go to Stonehenge and spend the summer solstice there 470 00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:08,040 because there's a huge celebration. 471 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:11,080 And it's one of the few days of the year where they actually 472 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:16,080 remove the rope barriers and let you go next to the stones. 473 00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:19,760 Like you can touch the stones and be right there next to them. 474 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:22,120 And I was like, I have to experience this. 475 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:25,400 So I thought, I don't know how I'm going to get there though, 476 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:28,920 because I, I don't know. I'm, I'm going to fly into 477 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:32,600 London and then I want to be, you know, at Stonehenge for 478 00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:35,120 sunrise and it's hours away from London. 479 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:37,680 I have no idea how to do this. But I also want to go to 480 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:41,520 Glastonbury, this other beautiful, ancient, incredible 481 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:45,520 portal in the UK. And it's, it's not that far from 482 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:47,120 Stonehenge. It's still like, you know, hour 483 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:50,040 and a half, two hour drive, but I'm going to figure this out. 484 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:54,160 And so I literally got on Instagram and was looking up 485 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:58,800 posts of people who had been in the previous years. 486 00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:03,000 And I saw a post from this one woman who was like, Stonehenge 487 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:05,000 is incredible. You know, I love going every 488 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:06,880 year. I love living in my van, blah, 489 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:10,840 blah, blah. I was like, OK, she seems cool. 490 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:16,600 So I literally sent this stranger a message and said, hi, 491 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:20,000 I'm interested in going to Stonehenge for the solstice. 492 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:22,200 Do you have any recommendations on how to get there? 493 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:25,560 She's like, well, I live in my van, so normally I just drive 494 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:29,480 there and you're welcome to come with me if you want to. 495 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:35,320 I was like, you know what, 100% new opportunity, new adventure. 496 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:41,640 I'm adaptable, I can do this. So I flew to the UK, took a 497 00:32:41,640 --> 00:32:46,720 train to Glastonbury, spent a couple days there, met up with 498 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:52,880 this girl in the middle of the night, her and her friend, and 499 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:57,280 we drove all together out to Stonehenge and got to see the 500 00:32:57,280 --> 00:33:03,160 sunrise between the stones. And it was absolutely magical. 501 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:05,160 There were people drumming, there were people of all 502 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:09,200 different nations and cultures and languages singing in, 503 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:12,240 welcoming the sun, welcoming in the longest day of the year, 504 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:16,040 welcoming in a point when our ancestors would have been 505 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:21,880 celebrating for millennia. And I just had this moment of 506 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:25,120 standing there with these thousands of people in 507 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:28,760 celebration of this beautiful day, celebrating the earth. 508 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:36,240 And I thought, wow, if I hadn't taken that risk and been 509 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:39,400 adaptable, I might not be here right now. 510 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:43,560 And you know what we did? We spent the rest of the day 511 00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:49,040 going to different stone circles around this part of England. 512 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:55,720 And we also found my very first crop circle, which is one of the 513 00:33:55,840 --> 00:34:00,120 coolest things I've ever seen in him history of ever. 514 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:04,000 It was otherworldly. It was larger than life. 515 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:10,360 It was a massive sun shape that was carved into this field. 516 00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:16,320 And when I say carved, I mean no human made machine could have 517 00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:20,320 done what we found and what we walked into. 518 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:24,800 The way that the wheat was laid down in this pattern in a 519 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:28,920 perfect spiral, in a perfect swirl, like it would have taken 520 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:34,480 a human weeks to do what we found that popped up overnight. 521 00:34:35,679 --> 00:34:38,679 Otherworldly, magical, taught me to be adaptable. 522 00:34:38,679 --> 00:34:43,560 Laying in the center of a crop circle on the solstice in 523 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:48,080 England with two strangers that are not my friends. 524 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:55,239 That is some crazy stuff, and a lot of my travels have been 525 00:34:55,239 --> 00:34:59,680 made-up of memories like that, and I would need a much longer 526 00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:01,480 podcast episode to tell you all of them. 527 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:07,480 But this leads us to the last and final one, Number six. 528 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:14,000 The world is both bigger and smaller than we can imagine. 529 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:18,560 It's crazy to realize how vast this planet really is. 530 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:22,400 I have so many languages, so many landscapes and customs and 531 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:25,000 histories that you've never even heard of. 532 00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:30,120 And yet at the same time you really see how deeply connected 533 00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:32,560 we all are. Because we all want the same 534 00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:35,720 things. We all want love and safety and 535 00:35:35,720 --> 00:35:40,520 purpose and belonging. And sometimes you meet strangers 536 00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:47,000 who feel like old friends and, and sometimes you meet strangers 537 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:51,680 who feel like old friends, which is weird when you have old 538 00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:53,640 friends who now feel like strangers. 539 00:35:55,360 --> 00:36:01,000 And the world really stretches your imagination and it 540 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:09,040 minimizes your sense of separation because separation 541 00:36:09,240 --> 00:36:12,360 really is an illusion. We are all connected. 542 00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:17,440 Everything's connected and it's crazy how things can be true at 543 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:18,720 once. You know? 544 00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:21,360 Like two things can be true. You know? 545 00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:24,920 You could feel alone, but not lonely. 546 00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:28,280 You could feel like you missed the sense of home and yet you 547 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:33,320 are home in your own body. Or maybe you wish you just knew 548 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:35,680 where to go and where to walk and not have to look at your 549 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:40,880 maps all the time. But then also, that's the fun of 550 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:44,160 it. Getting lost, finding yourself 551 00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:48,320 in a weird part of town and realizing this is Paris, baby. 552 00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:51,120 I can, I can go anywhere, I can do anything. 553 00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:58,360 I can be anyone. The dichotomy is crazy, and I 554 00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:04,320 think this is what helps expand our awareness of ourselves and 555 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:07,640 of the world. I'll never forget a few years 556 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:10,320 ago I met a woman on the beach and we were wearing the same 557 00:37:10,320 --> 00:37:12,560 bikini and she came up to me and was like, hey, we have the same 558 00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:14,320 bikini. I was like oh hey look at that. 559 00:37:14,920 --> 00:37:16,760 The next day we went on a road trip together. 560 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:20,000 The next day we got tattoos together. 561 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:23,280 A few months later we got certified in scuba diving 562 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:28,320 together. In my normal Bailey life, that 563 00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:34,160 shit would never happen. But traveling opened my mind and 564 00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:37,680 opened my perspective to that being a totally possible 565 00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:40,720 timeline for me. And when I say it to someone, it 566 00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:43,560 might sound insane. When I tell it to a traveler, 567 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:49,160 they're like, yeah, cool. They're not even fazed, not even 568 00:37:49,360 --> 00:37:52,040 not even like, wow, that's a little crazy. 569 00:37:52,040 --> 00:37:55,960 I'm like, no, that's just, that's just experiencing. 570 00:37:56,360 --> 00:38:00,560 That's just adventuring, right? So I'm curious if any of the 571 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:03,240 stories or any of these things that I've shared about travel 572 00:38:03,240 --> 00:38:06,800 have inspired you, made you question something, made you 573 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:10,320 remember something from your travels, giving you a spark of 574 00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:14,560 life. I want to give you 3 mindset 575 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:19,680 shifts that you can incorporate into your life to travel deeper 576 00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:24,200 and also cheaper. So I had someone asked me this 577 00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:26,600 week, they're like, how do you afford to travel so much? 578 00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:30,040 Like how, how and why and where and how do you choose where to 579 00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:32,040 go? And just all the things I said. 580 00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:36,960 The first thing is to shift your mindset from escape to 581 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:40,520 immersion. So instead of asking just where 582 00:38:40,520 --> 00:38:45,720 can I go on a vacation, think where can I go to expand myself? 583 00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:47,640 Where can I stay a little longer? 584 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:52,160 Where can I learn from locals who are going to give me more 585 00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:55,840 experience than a resort ever could? 586 00:38:57,080 --> 00:39:00,640 There's nothing wrong with going on a vacation to relax. 587 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:04,360 That is awesome. If that sparks you and makes you 588 00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:08,160 feel alive, go for it, enjoy it, enjoy every moment. 589 00:39:08,760 --> 00:39:11,720 But if you're looking to travel, like what I've been talking 590 00:39:11,720 --> 00:39:17,960 about in this episode, deeper immersive experiences, it's not 591 00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:21,200 about escaping your life back home. 592 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:27,600 It's about how can I expand and activate my mind, my body, my 593 00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:30,240 heart? How can I say yes to every 594 00:39:30,240 --> 00:39:32,520 opportunity that feels aligned with me? 595 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:38,640 And the second thing is you don't need to be rich, you just 596 00:39:38,640 --> 00:39:42,800 need to be creative. OK, so for example, I wanted to 597 00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:45,240 live in the UK. It's very expensive to live in 598 00:39:45,240 --> 00:39:46,920 the UK. Here's how I did it. 599 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:49,680 This idea came into my world of house sitting. 600 00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:54,200 What if I could go somewhere not pay rent, not pay for 601 00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:58,160 accommodation, Airbnb, cleaning fees and all this other stuff 602 00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:02,640 and just I could house sit or pet sit for someone who already 603 00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:05,720 lives in the place I want to go to and they're on a trip? 604 00:40:06,160 --> 00:40:07,960 And I can stay in their house for free. 605 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:11,960 That sounds like a plan. So I got on this website called 606 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:14,360 Trusted House Sitters. This is not an ad, I'm just 607 00:40:14,360 --> 00:40:17,040 sharing literally what I have done around the world. 608 00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:19,520 I have travelled to many different countries doing this. 609 00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:22,880 It's an amazing experience. And I'm also going to put a link 610 00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:27,240 in the show notes where you can get two months for free off of 611 00:40:27,240 --> 00:40:32,720 the membership fee. So that's my only plug, but 612 00:40:32,720 --> 00:40:36,360 that's an amazing way to expand your awareness. 613 00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:38,360 I wanted to go to the UK and live there but it's too 614 00:40:38,360 --> 00:40:39,840 expensive. What if I house it? 615 00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:44,560 So I literally house that for months, months, back-to-back to 616 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:47,920 back-to-back all around England. And it was amazing. 617 00:40:47,920 --> 00:40:50,960 And I got to do it for free. You're not getting paid for it, 618 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:54,720 but you're getting to stay in someone's home in exchange for 619 00:40:54,720 --> 00:40:57,800 watching their pets. It's such a great travel hack. 620 00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:01,600 You can also travel to countries with a lower cost of living, 621 00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:06,800 like Southeast Asia or Portugal. You know, rather than going 622 00:41:06,800 --> 00:41:09,760 somewhere that's really expensive and overpriced, travel 623 00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:12,120 somewhere that has a lower cost of living. 624 00:41:12,680 --> 00:41:14,880 This will cut down on your expenses a lot. 625 00:41:15,480 --> 00:41:21,040 Also flying with budget airlines or tracking flight deals with 626 00:41:21,040 --> 00:41:25,920 tools like Google Flights using DuckDuckGo to look for flights 627 00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:30,880 that doesn't track your history, so you're able to search for 628 00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:33,200 flights without the airlines jacking up the price. 629 00:41:33,200 --> 00:41:36,480 If you're just looking for flights on regular websites, 630 00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:40,040 it's storing all of that information of your searches and 631 00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:42,840 it's actually raising the prices when you go back to look at 632 00:41:42,840 --> 00:41:45,320 flights next time. So avoid that. 633 00:41:46,280 --> 00:41:51,800 I just booked a flight from New York to the UK for $260.00. 634 00:41:52,600 --> 00:41:57,160 So like direct nonstop. Another option, if you're a bit 635 00:41:57,160 --> 00:42:01,880 more flexible, is doing programs like Work Away or World Packers, 636 00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:05,320 where you volunteer in exchange for housing. 637 00:42:05,560 --> 00:42:08,640 My partner Philip did that, living in New Zealand for nine 638 00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:13,040 months, working on random projects and farms and all kinds 639 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:14,200 of stuff in exchange for housing. 640 00:42:14,240 --> 00:42:19,520 New Zealand's expensive and having to pay for nine months of 641 00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:23,120 accommodation there would cost a lot of money and he was quite 642 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:25,480 young when he went there, so it would have been impossible, you 643 00:42:25,480 --> 00:42:27,240 know, for him to go as a student. 644 00:42:27,240 --> 00:42:29,680 But he could go volunteer in exchange for housing. 645 00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:33,640 You will be shocked how far your money can stretch when you stop 646 00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:37,240 needing luxury. You don't need to stay in the 647 00:42:37,240 --> 00:42:41,240 beachfront place. You can stay in town and walk or 648 00:42:41,240 --> 00:42:42,360 take a taxi. Right. 649 00:42:45,320 --> 00:42:47,680 OK. And now the third and final 650 00:42:47,920 --> 00:42:52,920 piece of this episode is that home can move with you. 651 00:42:54,600 --> 00:42:57,600 I see a lot of people waiting to travel until they have 652 00:42:57,600 --> 00:43:00,080 everything figured out. Like, you know, I don't have to 653 00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:03,040 have the perfect amount of savings in the the perfect plan 654 00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:04,720 and I need a partner to do it all with. 655 00:43:04,720 --> 00:43:08,080 And what about my cat? And what about, OK, what if home 656 00:43:08,080 --> 00:43:13,600 wasn't a fixed place or the perfect setup, but something 657 00:43:13,600 --> 00:43:16,440 that you can carry with you? You know, when you know how to 658 00:43:16,440 --> 00:43:21,400 create comfort and ritual and grounding wherever you go, then 659 00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:26,600 you stop waiting for the quote right time because that doesn't 660 00:43:26,640 --> 00:43:28,840 exist and you just start living now. 661 00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:35,600 I think this mindset absolutely changed my life and freed me up 662 00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:40,520 to travel more slowly, more meaningfully, more often. 663 00:43:41,320 --> 00:43:44,840 A lot of people have no idea how I could travel for half the 664 00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:47,080 year. I don't even know how I could 665 00:43:47,080 --> 00:43:50,120 drop for half the year. I actually don't think I'll be 666 00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:54,160 doing that anymore because that is too long for me. 667 00:43:54,320 --> 00:43:56,960 I think like 1-2, even three months is good. 668 00:43:56,960 --> 00:44:01,240 And then I'm like, OK, I'm good. I'm ready to go back into a 669 00:44:01,240 --> 00:44:06,320 place where I can have my my projects. 670 00:44:06,320 --> 00:44:07,520 That's a really big thing for me. 671 00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:11,480 So like, I make kombucha and I want to make banana bread and I 672 00:44:11,720 --> 00:44:15,160 want to have my sewing machine and I'm making, you know, clay 673 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:17,560 art and painting in my music studio. 674 00:44:17,560 --> 00:44:21,320 And like, there's all these things that are harder to travel 675 00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:23,160 around with. And I have done it. 676 00:44:23,160 --> 00:44:26,760 I have. But having done that for a long 677 00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:29,680 time, living on the road, doing these things, I'm really 678 00:44:29,680 --> 00:44:34,960 enjoying this season of being in one place and getting to live 679 00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:38,600 and and record and sit in my home with my cat and make this 680 00:44:38,600 --> 00:44:41,160 podcast episode. And after this, I'm going to go 681 00:44:41,160 --> 00:44:45,000 make some dinner and probably hang out with a friend and watch 682 00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:49,720 This Is Us and sleep in my bed. And that is really, really nice, 683 00:44:50,800 --> 00:44:54,200 especially from having been on the road for for a while, you 684 00:44:54,200 --> 00:44:57,480 know. But I can say that because I 685 00:44:57,840 --> 00:45:03,000 have already experienced what it feels like to be on the go for 686 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:06,080 many, many months at a time in many different cultures and many 687 00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:09,000 different languages. And now this is my season to 688 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:11,800 create stillness and softness and slowness. 689 00:45:12,440 --> 00:45:15,160 And do I do that on the road? Yes. 690 00:45:15,160 --> 00:45:16,520 Is it possible to do on the road? 691 00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:18,920 100%. I would not have survived if I 692 00:45:18,920 --> 00:45:20,560 couldn't have done that on the road. 693 00:45:21,040 --> 00:45:23,600 I'm not like going, going, going from place to place to place. 694 00:45:23,680 --> 00:45:26,640 You know, I'm taking it slow. I really love slow travel. 695 00:45:26,640 --> 00:45:30,440 That is a big thing to me. I don't like to get to a city 696 00:45:30,440 --> 00:45:31,960 and go, OK, I've only got 3 days. 697 00:45:31,960 --> 00:45:33,480 I have to figure out everything I'm going to do. 698 00:45:33,480 --> 00:45:38,160 No, I like to fly to a city and know that I have a week, two 699 00:45:38,160 --> 00:45:41,240 weeks, however long I want. Maybe some things are booked and 700 00:45:41,240 --> 00:45:43,400 prepared. Most of the time I don't like to 701 00:45:43,400 --> 00:45:46,440 book anything in advance, which was not the case for me when I 702 00:45:46,440 --> 00:45:48,880 first started travelling. I was like, I need a plan. 703 00:45:48,880 --> 00:45:52,160 I need to know the flights, I need to know the details and the 704 00:45:52,160 --> 00:45:54,480 hotels and all that. I need a full itinerary. 705 00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:55,880 I need everything on a Google Doc. 706 00:45:55,880 --> 00:46:00,320 Like I was so prepared. And then I met Philip, World 707 00:46:00,320 --> 00:46:03,400 Traveller, who took his first flight by himself when he was 708 00:46:03,400 --> 00:46:08,840 four years old, who does not plan anything. 709 00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:11,320 He books his flight and that's it. 710 00:46:11,320 --> 00:46:13,200 He's like, I'll figure the rest out when I get there. 711 00:46:13,200 --> 00:46:15,720 And he met me, who has everything on a Google Doc. 712 00:46:15,720 --> 00:46:19,200 And I was like, OK, we don't have to do the Google Doc thing. 713 00:46:19,200 --> 00:46:23,000 But I also cannot just show up to a city and not know anything. 714 00:46:23,000 --> 00:46:25,440 Like, he didn't even know where he's going to stay that night. 715 00:46:25,440 --> 00:46:27,240 And I was like, OK, we need to compromise. 716 00:46:27,920 --> 00:46:29,440 Like a meet in the middle, you know? 717 00:46:30,120 --> 00:46:34,360 So he actually helped me so much loosen up my grip on what I 718 00:46:34,360 --> 00:46:38,360 thought travel had to be. And I helped him create a little 719 00:46:38,360 --> 00:46:41,760 bit more structure in his travel to optimize his time. 720 00:46:42,120 --> 00:46:44,720 And I think we balance each other out really well. 721 00:46:45,000 --> 00:46:48,920 So we travel really well together and it's nice to have 722 00:46:48,920 --> 00:46:51,680 someone like that that you do feel confident and free to 723 00:46:51,680 --> 00:46:54,800 travel with. So although I am a huge, huge 724 00:46:54,800 --> 00:46:58,160 advocate for solo travel and I definitely think everyone should 725 00:46:58,280 --> 00:47:03,720 if you can at some point, if you're able to, but I also love 726 00:47:03,880 --> 00:47:06,480 being able to travel with someone that you feel so 727 00:47:06,480 --> 00:47:09,080 confident with, that you feel comfortable with, that you can 728 00:47:09,080 --> 00:47:11,040 totally unmask with and be yourself with. 729 00:47:11,040 --> 00:47:13,720 And it's going to be aware of you if you get over stimulated, 730 00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:16,640 if you feel overwhelmed, if something is not the right 731 00:47:16,640 --> 00:47:19,840 environment for you, that you can agree that you're on the 732 00:47:19,840 --> 00:47:22,680 same page. And I think that's also really 733 00:47:22,680 --> 00:47:25,720 important when you're traveling. Also, traveling in groups can be 734 00:47:25,720 --> 00:47:30,720 really fun, but you have a lot more variables that way with 735 00:47:30,720 --> 00:47:33,000 what different people prioritize, what different 736 00:47:33,000 --> 00:47:35,840 people's schedules are, and needs and preferences. 737 00:47:35,840 --> 00:47:38,920 So it might take some trial and error to figure out what you 738 00:47:38,920 --> 00:47:41,400 like and what you want in your travels. 739 00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:45,160 But if anything, I would really recommend if you do have the 740 00:47:45,160 --> 00:47:47,880 opportunity to go somewhere by yourself, do it. 741 00:47:48,200 --> 00:47:53,680 Sit in the Cafe alone, sit in that park by yourself, Go to 742 00:47:53,680 --> 00:47:58,360 that ABBA Disco night and dance. Speaking from personal 743 00:47:58,360 --> 00:48:02,680 experience, take the train breakdown in the train station 744 00:48:02,680 --> 00:48:04,280 if you have to. Everything will be OK. 745 00:48:04,280 --> 00:48:06,320 But if you need to feel it, you know, feel it all. 746 00:48:06,840 --> 00:48:10,840 Laugh with the kids playing football in the streets and 747 00:48:11,080 --> 00:48:15,880 breathe in all of the smells and all of the foods and all of the 748 00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:19,360 people and all of the love and all of the romance and all of 749 00:48:19,360 --> 00:48:27,440 the joy that awaits you outside of your autopilot normal 750 00:48:27,880 --> 00:48:32,760 everyday life. Because you will learn so much 751 00:48:32,760 --> 00:48:37,200 about yourself. And I'm excited for you. 752 00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:42,160 I really am. Thank you so much for taking the 753 00:48:42,160 --> 00:48:45,760 time to be here with me today. And if today's episode spoke to 754 00:48:45,760 --> 00:48:48,920 something in you, please feel free to share it with a friend 755 00:48:48,920 --> 00:48:51,600 who you think would also resonate or leave a review. 756 00:48:51,760 --> 00:48:54,720 It helps more than you know. And if you want to support the 757 00:48:54,720 --> 00:48:57,840 podcast and go deeper into the work that I'm sharing, you can 758 00:48:57,840 --> 00:49:01,000 now join me on Patreon. Each month, Ioffer guided 759 00:49:01,000 --> 00:49:04,760 meditations, private voice notes, and little glimpses 760 00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:07,160 behind the scenes of my creative world. 761 00:49:07,760 --> 00:49:09,400 It's a really beautiful way to stay connected. 762 00:49:10,080 --> 00:49:12,640 So I'll be back next Tuesday with another episode. 763 00:49:12,720 --> 00:49:16,160 And until then, open heart, open mind. 764 00:49:16,800 --> 00:49:17,800 Stay curious.