Life Changing Travel Experience

[AlmostActualized]

Tell us somewhere that you traveled and you had a life changing experience.

My Travel Journey:

I went to Yosemite to go mountain biking with a friend who knows some good trails. I was following my friend up the mountain for a good two hours when he suddenly told me. “This is not the way we have to turn back around to the other trail we passed.” The trail is very narrow so I get off my bike, pick up the handle bars and start to turn the bike around. Then the side edge of the trail that I standing on suddenly collapsed, I immediately squeeze the brakes on the handle bars. The front tire and my balance was the only thing keeping me from falling 300 feet down this steep mountain side. Then my friend suddenly moves carefully towards me and starts to pull me back up along with my bike.

When the edge of the trail collapsed I never knew my brain could process so much information so quickly. It literally felt like I processed ten thousand thoughts in one second. These are just the main thoughts that went through my head: The pain before my death, my family, my parents grieving, all of my memories with them, all of my life memories, why did I come to this trail, f**** if I survived I wouldn’t be able to walk, wait I can survive, think, brake pads, squeeze.

There were honestly a lot more thoughts that went through my head. I just couldn’t believe that I was still alive.

Life Changing Experience:

I didn’t know my brain could process so much information so quickly.

Since then I now appreciate and see life completely different. I love my family a lot more and have forgotten about any troubles I had. All of my worries just went away and it just felt like I was cleansed. I now see life in a completely new way.

Right after being saved I felt thankfulness, love, no worries, appreciation of life, everything looks so beautiful, everything connected, and some other amazing emotions I can’t put words to.

[Thomas Taschler]

I had a similar experience when I had my motorcycle accident 2 years ago.

I was going on the main road and a SUV turned into me from a stop sign.

As soon as I registered the car to start moving time seemed to slow down to bullet time. I remember myself looking for ways to evade the car. "Left? Traffic. Right?. Hot dog stand. F***" and crash.

Before the accident I was like: Someday I will do [insert random thing]. After I changed my way I approach my so called to-do-list to actively planning them.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Thomas Taschler

[denselayman]

i have nothing so major/life endangering happen to me, instead when i travel, obersving and meeting new people bit by bit reveals to me small bits of insight that slowly accumilated intosomething tangible and useful. onlyveryrecently ihave  realised how much of help it was to travel around and gain these small bits.

change of environment helps to see life from different angles and meeting new perspectives from other people are also helpful in my own self-work. and i'm happy for that.

 

sudden events like two above make drastic improvements, for some they[improvements] come at safer price and over longer period of time. i should quit this longing for such[dangerous] events, and focus on using my small gains for bigger gains, rather than telling myself that they are not genuine because they  were not from extreme situations.

 

reading stuff on this forums, indeed helps not in one specialised way, but in grand total in the entire field of self-help =]

thanks for posting anyone!

 

 

[Navyissuedwife]

I myself believe I've learned thru experience maybe a lot more subtle.... Just going into areas of another culture than yours is very eye opening. I have been to several countries and the culture shock is just...life changing haha. Like seeing how the Japanese live compared to what I know is still very much mind blowing to me....so many new and unusual concepts that you don't see anywhere else.... I feel like travel can only make you smarter if you learn how to observe and appreciate your surroundings. Hell, just going from the south to the east of the U.S. Teaches me about culture and life and maybe about the kind of person I might want to be...if that makes any sense....

[Guest]

Yes, there is potential here.   It is the learning about self that is the key takeaway from experiencing other cultures.  Who is it that is the experiencer?  Can we see our own nature in some way as a reflection in the other.   The other is that which we take to be not me.   The other is the object of our observation, we being the subject.   As Jiddhu Krishnamurti said, and some quantum physicists are beginning to 'get a handle on' :

Quote

The observer is the observed. - J. Krishnamurti

Another great observation from Krishnamurti - It is also the title of a book of dialogues with Krishnamurti:

Quote

You are the World and the World is You. - J. Krishnamurti

joy

 

[Navyissuedwife]

This is very true, I love that quote. The observer is the observed, very true! I feel like my culture that I grew up in is very vague. Being a white American with no religion experience I'm left with essentially almost a blank page, I take away what I want from other cultures and I instill those values into my own life because I see that it is right for me.

[Mkayl]

Ok so here goes my experience. I always get a little bit sentimental when I talk about it so be prepared.

My Travel Journey:

Last autumn I went on an outdoor-tip with a good friend of mine. One week of kayaking through the many rivers and lakes in the wilderness of Sweden with no human soul around for days. We only brought the essentials with us: A hammock, food, a fishing-rod, some spare cloths, some outdoor equipment and a Ukulele . We made our own food, having some fish if we got lucky, collecting some blueberries to make some sweet pancakes for breakfast. Chopping wood in order to get dry and stay warm during the night. Taking in the beauty of nature for hours on end. Shouting and laughing like crazy since nobody was around to care.
Being on your own for so long with bears and wolfs and whatnot around was an experience by itself.
We returned our Kayak and spent the last day in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Man... Everything about humans and civilisation seemed different to me than before. The first beer and food in a restaurant was like from a different world. Pretty much everything about civilisation seemed like an artwork. Knowing that nothing can be taken for granted at all and no matter how much we bend and design our surroundings, there is always the truth of nature present. I knew this before but during that week I experienced it deeply.

Life Changing Experience:

There is one particular moment I'll probably remember for the rest of my life. It was during the night, cold as fuck because the sky was clear, so we couldn't really sleep. The sky was full of stars and the milky way right above us. No light pollution around for miles so we had perfect visibility. There was a small lake nearby where I caught my first fish earlier that day. We decided to go there with our Kayaks to take in the view. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. It was in the middle of the lake which was smooth like a mirror, reflecting the whole milky way all around us. I probably spent a whole hour in the middle of that lake, just taking it all in. I've never felt that much awe for life. It truly felt like everything was one.

Edited February 11, 2016 by Mkayl

[DreamSpirit]

I will never forget trekking the Himalayas for my 30th birthday in Nepal!  I was just going to Nepal overlanding it from India because it was right next door, not knowing what there was to do in Nepal or what was there.   But I just so happened to see the Himalayas one day because the guesthouse I was staying at, the manager suggested we go up on the roof because it was a clear day.

 So, I went up there not knowing what to expect and I look up and suddenly WOW!!!! These massive mountains staring back at me with such STANCE and strength!  I was like OK, that's what there is to do in Nepal...the HIMALAYAS!!! The very next day, I went up for the trek, it took us 5 days to get up and acclimatize and 2 days to get back down.  

That experience changed me.  Just looking at the mountains touched my very soul!  I felt so strong and connected to nature.  And being up there breathing in that great energy; it was the freshest air I'd ever breathed in my life!  I felt rejuvenated!  

If you ever get a chance, visit Pokhara, Nepal and get to the Annapurna Base Camp 4130 meters!  Those mountains are alive!

[Guest]

Great pictures!

joy

 

[DreamSpirit]

Thanks!  It was the time of my life!!

[vitamin__vee]

My Travel Journey: I was 18 years old, immature, anti social and hard headed. One of my family friends said he was going on a trip to Spain for one month so that he can refresh his mind from all the drama that had occurred in his life over the past few years. He invited me to come along and experience what it was to travel. We booked a study abroad course in Barcelona where we "learned" Spanish. This was my first time ever traveling, especially for that long. One full month of being on my own, doing chores around the dorm, and doing homework without the stress. After a few days, I started opening up out of my shell: I began to socialize more and open my eyes to how other people lived. I was meeting people from all over the world, including the U.S. It shocked me that there were actually people who looked at life differently than I did. I did a lot of things I never expected myself to do and I challenged my values and belief system. I had nothing to back up everything I had believed in. With the kind people that I met on this journey, they were honest and kind enough to speak to me as though I was a human being and not judge me for being so closed minded. They gave me a chance and guided me in a direction to be a down-to-earth, sincere person. 

What I learned: After my trip, I took a look back on all the people I met, all the experiences I had and the memories I would never forget. These memories of my trip paved the way for me to be more conscious of my life and I began my journey to self-actualization. At the time, I didn't know what self-development was but as time went on and I started reading more and watching videos on YouTube, I came across the category of "Self-Actualization and Enlightenment". Had I not gone on that trip, I would not have matured at the rate that I did. I owe it all to my friend and my Spain trip for opening my eyes and helping me create a beautiful life for myself.