So, I'm Going to Europe
Why I flipped 2023 on its head (again)
Hey friends,
One week ago, I made a life-altering decision.
To find out what it is, please enjoy this reflection I wrote last week:
Today is March 21, 2023.
I have 3 solid job prospects.
But I’ve decided I want none of them.
Instead, I’m going to travel the world.
Here’s why.
First off: I know I don’t have to explain myself to anyone.
This is ultimately the space for me to gain a bit more clarity around my own life and plans for the future.
I don’t expect anyone to read this. But if you do, you might gain some new ways of thinking about how to live your only life, true to yourself.
Today is the day where I decided to do a complete 180 on my new plans for 2023.
6 weeks ago, I dropped out of college. My plans for 2023 were the following:
Study at CU Boulder for the Spring
Work full-time in the Summer in Colorado
Study Abroad in Sevilla, Spain for the Fall Semester
Right before the tuition bill was due on February 5th, I dropped the bomb on my parents at IHOP and decided to leave the university.
Fast forward to now: in the past 6 weeks, I’ve applied for around 20 jobs, had countless interviews, and have learned a lot about myself and the interview process.
New Plans for 2023 After Leaving College (V1)
At the beginning of March, I created a new plan for 2023 that didn’t involve my past identity as a college student. My vision looked something like this:
Find a full-time job
Travel to Florida for our family trip at the end of April
Spend the summer with friends and family in Colorado
Go travel to Europe in September
Let’s address that last point real quick. Earlier this year, I read a book called Vagabonding that completely changed my view on travel and life.
Vagabonding is the concept of cheaply traveling the world for an extended period of time. It redefines travel through a philosophic lens: it isn’t about seeing all the museums and planning a strict itinerary.
No.
It’s about wandering, taking things spontaneously, living with just a backpack, and immersing yourself in the world. Slowing down and walking in a strange land until your day gets interesting.
Being a traveler, not a tourist.
After reading how travel completely shaped Matthew McConaughey’s career as an actor or how it changed 5x New York Times best-selling author Tim Ferriss’s life, taking a long-term trip not only seems fun, but a necessary rite of passage.
I’ve always wanted to travel to Europe. To speak Spanish in Spain, observe the smallest cultural differences, down pasta in Italy, and just study how people live and think about work and life.
I’ve personally never been outside of North America and have always wanted to explore Europe and see how other people live their lives.
On top of this, in 2020, our family trip to Spain was canceled, and last Christmas, our trip to Canada was also canceled. I have a deep desire for travel.
Back to my plans: I was planning on backpacking Western Europe for 30-90 days in September.
I figured I could work hard for 7 months and then leave my job. But lately as I’ve reflected in my journal, my subconscious kept bringing up travel. A few friends and family also threw out the idea a few weeks ago: “why not travel right now?”
I discounted this at first and decided to go later. I decided I’d work and earn some more money. Some of this, I realize, was a projection from my parents wanting me to stay (no offense Mom and Dad! Thank you so much for your support).
So for the past 6 weeks, I’ve been job shopping. It’s been fun, and I’ve learned a lot. With 3 big leads waiting for me, there was one small dinner-table question that changed it all for me:
We were talking about travel once again, and my brother casually threw out a question: “why not go now?”
But this time the question shook me. I was asked this question before, but this time I realized something: my decision to work now and travel later was due to our trip to Florida.
In other words, all of my plans for 2023 were anchored on one trip.
We had an awesome one week trip to Florida scheduled for the end of April. If I decided to go to Europe after that, no employer would hire me for 6 weeks.
On the other hand, I mostly applied for jobs around my passions and companies where growth in the company was possible (even without a college degree).
As I wait for job offers, I realized something: let’s say I get the job. There’s a very good chance I’ll like it and want to grow in the company. So going to work for 7 months and then dipping for 2-3 months would be unacceptable.
It would also be harder to strip myself from the flow of work. I’d be most valuable to a company when travel wasn’t at the forefront of my mind. If I traveled and then went to work, I’d be all in on being a great employee and growing in the company.
While there never is a perfect time for anything in life, I believe this is one of those rare cases where travel is perfect for me right now.
This isn’t impulsive. For my situation, it’s very practical.
While I’d love to go to Florida with my family, going on an extended solo trip around Europe is a much rarer opportunity. Once my brother helped me realize that I don’t have to go to Florida, that really shifted my perspective.
I’ve always dreamed of doing this, and I have plenty of savings to fund it.
There’s 3 other decision-making frameworks I kept in mind as I thought through this:
What would make a better story?
What would my 80 year old self regret more?
If this was my last year on Earth, what would I do?
Traveling right now is no doubt my best option.
Like leaving college as a 4.0 student, it feels surreal that I’m writing this right now. As I end one chapter of my life and begin a new one, it seems like there’s no better thing to do than travel to reinvent myself and explore the world.
I’m confident this trip will grow me as a person, give me a fresh perspective on the world, and help guide me on my pathless path.
I’m not traveling to escape my life but to enrich it. To learn. There's a world out there to explore. People to meet and learn from.
The key to Vagabonding is bringing as little as possible. I’m literally taking a backpack, a week’s worth of clothes, and a few other essentials. To spend more money on experiences and less money on things.
I’m also amazed at how cheap flights actually are. I used a website called Kiwi to find these flights (but not book):
Limiting Beliefs: Don’t Trust the News (Generally)
When I mentioned travel to my parents, they were supportive, but I could tell they were anxious. They voiced their concerns about a number of things:
What if you get robbed?
What if you get kidnapped?
There are bad people out there.
You better stay in a hotel: hostels are disgusting and dangerous.
Now clearly, I understand these concerns and will be vigilant. But as the travel-writer veteran Rolf Potts talks about in Vagabonding, all these things could happen to me.
Right here and right now, in Denver, Colorado.
Ok, maybe I sound a bit naive. Consider this passage from Vagabonding:
“A good rule of thumb, then, when watching news coverage of other countries, is to think about how the average Hollywood movie exports visions of America to other countries. Just as day-to-day American life is not characterized by car chases, gun battles, and unusually large-breasted women, life overseas is not populated by sinister or melodramatic stereotypes. Rather, it is full of people with values not that much different than your own.”
Rolf Potts, Vagabonding
As humans, we’re wired to look for the negatives. Of course there’s bad people out there, but I believe most are not thieves or terrorists.
The news just makes it seem like the world is a worse place than it really is.
In America, we’re taught that strangers are bad and scary. But from what I’ve gathered from previous travelers, European culture is incredibly inclusive and friendly.
I even learned from the established Broke Backpacker Blog that hitchhiking is often encouraged there.
As I’ve been thinking about lately, there seem to be many small interactions and pieces of the human experience that we might be neglecting in the modern world.
It’s no one’s fault.
But small things like talking, waving, or smiling to a stranger feel like they require effort and are no longer natural.
I guess we shall see.
I’ll still be reading and writing as I travel.
As I mentioned at the outset, I write daily, not because I have to but because I must.
It gives me immense clarity over my own thoughts, it boosts my confidence, and it gives me self-awareness that helps ensure I’m living a life true to myself.
Abrazos,
Baxter
Further Reading
If travel interests you, please enjoy the following resources:
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel. Even if you’re not into travel, this book will change your views on life.
The Broke Backpacker. This is the only blog you’ll need for budget travel tips. You’ll love their 2023 guide, “EPIC Backpacking Europe Travel Guide.”
P.S. Thank you for reading! If you liked this, you might enjoy my Twitter feed, where I share most of my ideas.