Opportunity to travel...

[Illusory Self]

Currently been stuck in a rut for the last few years... doing the same routines ect but not achieving anything. I don't have any money, not exactly sure what I want to do with my life. I am 26. I know I want more direction but I feel hopelessly lost. My Dad said he would pay for me to travel somewhere in Europe, perhaps that will shift my mentantlity. I currently seem to think negatively on everything right now. Maybe this will get me out of my rut. I sometimes wonder why I consume so much personal development but yet fail to make any changes. I think travelling will be good for me. I need to find myself more I think. I find it hard to think in my current environment.

Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions on where to go/what to do? so that I could benefit the most from travelling. I have never really had much life experience.

 

 

[Maka]

Where are you now?

[Illusory Self]

18 minutes ago, Maka said:

Where are you now?

Living in the UK

[Maka]

Ah, do you live with your parents?

[Preety_India]

Everything begins with the mind. No amount of  traveling can soothe a mind that is grappling with chaos. 

Healing always starts from within, joy also starts from without. 

 

[Illusory Self]

10 minutes ago, Preety_India said:

Everything begins with the mind. No amount of  traveling can soothe a mind that is grappling with chaos. 

Healing always starts from within, joy also starts from without. 

 

I know that’s why I’m thinking of going to a retreat centre or something, so I can purify my mind 

I want to go & live a more simpler life for like 2-3 months just cut out a lot of the negative habits I have. Live in some kind of meditation centre or something. Unsure where to look though. 

Edited June 2, 2022 by Illusory Self

[Preety_India]

3 minutes ago, Illusory Self said:

I know that’s why I’m thinking of going to a retreat centre or something, so I can purify my mind 

That seems like a good idea. 

But to get the maximum out of your experience, you might want to do some contemplations at home so you don't waste time at the retreat feeling blank. 

Cheers. 

 

[gettoefl]

perhaps sign up for a vipassana retreat, plenty of places to choose from in the uk ... https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/locations/directory#GB

[Space]

On 02/06/2022 at 2:21 PM, Illusory Self said:

Currently been stuck in a rut for the last few years... doing the same routines ect but not achieving anything. I don't have any money, not exactly sure what I want to do with my life. I am 26. I know I want more direction but I feel hopelessly lost. My Dad said he would pay for me to travel somewhere in Europe, perhaps that will shift my mentality. I currently seem to think negatively on everything right now. Maybe this will get me out of my rut. I sometimes wonder why I consume so much personal development but yet fail to make any changes. I think travelling will be good for me. I need to find myself more I think. I find it hard to think in my current environment.

Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions on where to go/what to do? so that I could benefit the most from travelling. I have never really had much life experience.

I'm just finishing up a 3 month period of travelling around Europe. It's been a fantastic trip for so many reasons. Any sort of travel forces you to grow up and mature, particularly if you're travelling on your own. You have to make lots of logistical decisions and manage your life much more carefully than you normally do at home.

You're putting yourself into 'high tension' situations, which doesn't mean overly dangerous or scary situations, but rather just times where there is a bit more fear and anxiety than usual. This is what facilitates maturity and growth. So you should be actively looking to put yourself into higher tension situations all the time, and travelling is one fun and exciting way to do that.

If your Dad is gonna pay for your trip you have no excuse. Forget about 'direction' or not achieving anything. Just start planning a trip and do it. I'm telling you, you will not regret it. Planning a trip is actually very easy and quick thing to do, you just have to commit to it.

You're only 26 once. NOW is the time to do this. Not some time in the future, 'next year' or whatever, but literally today. Avoid overthinking this too much.

A 'rut' is just a routine. And i've been there, trust me. Travelling won't give you all the answers to your life, but it will 100% get you out of your current rut because you'll be forced to go into a new routine and figure out all the logistics of that routine. Changing your routine will induce new thoughts and ideas about your life. You'll get a new perspective on things but you'll still need to think hard about what it is you want to do in this life. YOU have to create that vision. 

An important point: travelling is a lot easier than you think! You literally just book a flight, book an airbnb and you're done. You can figure out much of the other logistics when you're in the new country. If you can travel with a plane carry-on sized backpack and a laptop etc, it's so easy and pretty cheap to get around europe. Going through airports without checked baggage is a breeze. But if you need to take a larger bag that needs checking in thats no problem -  having extra stuff, clothes, etc is really nice when you're travelling.

My suggestions for places to visit would be to just go to the main cities and countries that are popular and well known. I stayed in Barcelona for 2 months - it was incredible. I'm currently in Belgrade. But any of the major cities are fun places to visit; Paris, Berlin, Rome, Venice, Madrid, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Vienna, Budapest. Pick a few places that seem interesting to you and spend a week in each place. I'd recommend having days that are more relaxed and where you don't do too much. Walking around cities can be exhausting. Or pick one city and go there for 3 or 4 weeks. Staying in a city for more than a few days is a lot of fun. You get into a nice routine and get comfortable in the area, going to shops etc.

And of course you have the option between staying in an airbnb or hostel. Personally i've been staying in airbnb's because I need a place to myself to work and i've been staying in cities for long periods of time. If you're just in a city for a few days, a hostel is cheap but you do end up sleeping in a room with a bunch of strangers. So it all depends on your preference and your plans. But i'd always recommend airbnb if you can afford it.

Any questions let me know. Hope that helps.

[Yarco]

You can start off within the UK. It's pretty small and the train system is great. You can go up north to the Lake District one weekend and down south to Weymouth the next, and to Wales the next.

See if that is enough to get you out of your comfort zone first. It might just be a matter of getting out of your house, or town.

Most likely you're going to stay living in the UK for the rest of your life. So it's worth visiting a dozen or two cities and see which one you think you want to spend the next few decades of your life in.