Moving to a New Country

People always talk about “finding yourself” as a reason for traveling. Travel does change you, for better or worse. Moving across the world was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and although it had to be put on pause, I continue to draw on the experiences I had in the short amount of time and can’t wait to go back.

All too often we get caught up in anxieties about our future and what it holds. We get so focused on finding the perfect 9 to 5 job, the perfect husband, dream house, body, life that we forget there is an entire world out there to explore! For me, university was my safe space, but now what? I’m three years post grad and I’m finding myself asking what do I really want to do? Who do I really want to be? Travelling gives me space to process my thoughts and makes me realize that you don’t need to know what you want to do and who you want to be. It’s ok to just be. 

Whether you’re taking a gap year, volunteering abroad, or having a quarter life crisis (me), I thought I’d touch on the reality of setting myself up in a new country. 

So far since I moved to Melbourne, Australia, I’ve been that girl driving the wrong way down the street and on the opposite side, and I’ve also been that girl to park in not only one but two tow-away zones. YAY for big cities (#smalltowngirlprobs). A quick trip for milk here can easily be an hour-long endeavour. The good news though: it’s all an adventure. You live and you learn and you eventually download Google Maps so you don’t make it into a 2 hour trip! I’ve also been trying to maximize my time by listening to podcasts or audiobooks while stuck in traffic. 

Some things i’ve learned so far…

1. Say “yes” to as many opportunities as possible

Being open to new people and new experiences will not only help with getting to know the city better, but it will also help with growing your new network of friends. Whether it’s an outdoor concert (even a genre of music you hate 🙋🏻‍♀️), or spending valentines day at “the Dog” with friends and plenty of furry (and perhaps a little slobbery) kisses when you don’t even like animals 🤷🏻‍♀️, I’ve learned to say “yes” to as much as possible. 

2. You have to try new things

Whether you are staring at a menu realizing you have no idea what the items are, or jumping on a bus that you hope will get you somewhere familiar, travel is exciting. You have to do new things. It is all about getting yourself into situations and turning them into amazing experiences.

3. You find the value in getting lost

Really! Get lost in a city on purpose (or by accident, in my case) then wander around! The great thing is there are trams and trains all over the place and you can always dive into one (and get even more lost and further away from your destination, once again, in my case.. lol). BUT, there is so much to see and experience that is not in the guide books. Go off plan and get lost!

4. You get out of your environment

Every time I travel, I find that that I can view my life from the outside and find solutions or changes that I never would have seen if I had not gotten away from it all.

As we live our lives, we keep our heads down and we keep going. Any problems we have, we are in them. When you travel, you get outside of them and can solve them.

Although I still have no idea what i’m doing with my life, I have faith I will figure it out and it has been a lot easier for me to be present in each day and fully enjoy each moment and try not to stress so much about my future. 

5. You learn to forget the plan

When I travel, I make an outline but not a rigid plan. There are always things I want to see and do, but the last thing I want is to be a slave to a schedule. I try to leave lots of time to drift.

I am usually a 'type A' personality and while I still need a little structure in my life, some of my favourite pastimes now are to just look at the sky, watch the kids play in the water, think about dinner… relax and take nice long, deep breaths.

I could go on forever but I thought I’d stop at just 5 things I’ve discovered but I can’t wait to share more. If you’re contemplating traveling, do it and do it now! Get to know yourself better, figure out your strengths and weaknesses, what you like and what you don’t. Realize how insignificant you are in the grand scheme of things. We have such a short amount of time to explore, appreciate and make sense of this world. So get out there. You won’t regret it!

Sending so much love! 

xx Sarah