Traveling for a year. I must be crazy?
Mui Ne Sand Dunes, Vietnam; Jan 2020
Leave it to the unstable, twenty-something girl who moved to LA on a whim just one year ago to decide to travel the world for a year or more. I can’t even begin to try to explain how my brain works; just observing it for now. Anyway, yeah I’m moving on the trusty promise of a one way plane ticket to India and pretty much nothing else. But first let me explain how I came to this crazy conclusion.
First it must be known that this past year of living in Los Angeles has for sure changed me [for the better] and if you knew me before this move, you’d know I would never commit to a trip this huge. Lover of travel I’ve always been, but this is next level. Thankfully people change [referring to me] and I honestly couldn’t be more thankful for whatever transformations I experienced over the last year that has ultimately led me to this decision.
Chiang Mai, Thailand; May 2019
Okay so here are the facts:
I am 25 years old.
I’m a freelance graphic designer and work from my laptop.
My LA apartment lease is up.
I have no significant other, dog, fish, child, etc.
I love adventure & can totally live humbly.
Bonus considerations:
My company, Lala Letter, recently shut down & has left me feeling a bit lost.
I’ve been planning on going to India for yoga teacher training for awhile.
Traveling as a yoga teacher is a game changer.
While on a recent trip to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand these facts presented themselves to me, though they were obviously there all along. Suddenly a little idea began to creep into the empty crevices of my heart.
“Woah, Bella, dude, you could like travel all the time.” It definitely didn’t come from my brain, because she was not about it, and immediately objected. “Bella, chill, no that sounds like a trip for next year, you can think about that then.”
The thing about “next year” “next month” or “tomorrow” for that matter is that if you’re not careful, it never comes. We’ve all had those times in life where we promise we’ll meet up with that friend “next week” and two years goes by and you see them at a wedding feeling like a bad friend. Or we promise ourselves to cancel that subscription “next month” and then 4 months later you realize you’ve spent $100 on what exactly?
Tomorrow, next week, or next year isn’t good enough for me anymore. The only time I care about anymore is right now, today, this week, this month, this year—the future is very much not guaranteed & we all know it. So after letting the idea set in for a few days and even weeks, I realized I had to assign a date (just like I do for a design project), for my own sanity in order to assure I would honestly make a move.
At the time, I was currently 2 weeks into my 6 week trip through Vietnam & Cambodia and had no idea of what my next year was going to look like anyway, but once I let the seed plant, it began to sprout and grow roots immediately. I began planning, setting dates, creating exit strategies, budgets, trip itineraries and brainstorming ideas (such as this blog). I immediately knew this is what I had to do, not what I should do.
This trip is not for everyone; I know how unique my circumstance is and I’m beyond grateful for path that has been laid before me that has allowed me to take this journey, and I’m also more than proud of the bravery I’ve been able to conjure up to commit to a trip like this. I’m sure you’re wondering, “okay, Bella but when? where? how? why?” and I’ve creating this blog to slowly and thoughtfully answer those questions in an unashamedly honest and hopefully inspiring way… and more importantly show you first hand!
So I’ll leave you with this for now. I am beginning my journey June 2020—t-minus 3 months. In that time I will be documenting my life in Los Angeles, the process of selling my stuff, planning my trip, and finalizing all the logistics as well as enjoying every moment I have with my friends and fam. While I’m more excited than I could possibly imagine, I’m making a point to practice living in the present and so I will be doing that as much as I can while I am still stateside, and thereafter.
It’s huge, I know, thank you for coming on this journey with me. I don’t know how you ended up here reading this, but get ready for a crazy ride.
First stop… India!
#letsgowithbella
