The Ultimate Happy Ending: If I Die Traveling

Last week three young, energetic and happy travelers who are also from Canada died in Shannon Falls in British Columbia. I was shaken up. They were pretty well known in the travel industry as they were what we call “social media influencers”. In fact, a few months ago they were also in Bali (where I’ve been based since last year). They were part of the travel group High on Life. You can read more about this tragedy here.

Life is weird. A few months ago a friend invited me to participate in a big beach clean up organized by All About Adventures. The guys from High on Life were also there cleaning up the beach. I don’t think I met them directly but, I believe we were all giving a bit of our time to clean and take care of our dear planet on that day.

I was shaken up because we’re talking about a 29-year-old woman and two 30-year-old men.

I myself am 29 years old.

These three seem to be living their life to the fullest. When I was watching their last video posted about three months ago I was absolutely shocked. Life is weird, eh? (Click here to watch the video!)

It starts with a “What if you knew when you were going to die?” followed by inspiring thoughts encouraging everyone to live their life, to get out there and explore our beautiful world.

I truly believe these three had a happy life.

It got me thinking about my own life, lifestyle and choices. Last June was my travel anniversary. I’ve been abroad for 4 years now and there’s not a single day where I think I have made the wrong choice. Life is so fragile. I surely don’t take anything for granted. Even my health.

I’ve even made some bad jokes about it. Being abroad for so long doesn’t help me taking care of my health. I don’t do check-ups, I try to solve everything on my own and I don’t always make the right healthy choices.

Am I happy though? Hell yeah! And if I’m honest, I don’t think I’ll be living a super long life. I’ll be living though. I’ll try to make the most of every second because for now, I can.

 

It started with a crazy dream about traveling!

 

Photo by Or Kaplan

 

I wanted to experience longer trips. Holidays weren’t enough for me. Life in an office seemed more of a survival thing. It was not good enough for me. I needed more stimulation.  I needed to be out there exploring.

I asked myself what I would do if I wasn’t scared anymore. Everyone is scared of something. I was scared to take that leap of faith. What if I would run out of money? I simply wasn’t sure if I was willing for this big change, for this big risk.

The answer was right there though. The idea of not taking that chance was even worse. I wasn’t the happiest in that current stage of life. I needed a change. I needed to take a risk. I sold everything and went for it. Life is weird sometimes, eh? It wasn’t the right time. I got back to Canada a couple of months later, totally devastated and angry. Something had happened. A lot of things actually. Life was telling me to go home.

I’m stubborn. A year later, I left again. What was supposed to be a two-months holiday became a five-month holiday. Last June, it became a four years thing.

And if I do dare ask myself what I would do if I wasn’t scared, I simply smile. I give myself a huge smile and a big high five. There’s nothing I would change. I’d rather be broke once in a while if I can smile every day enjoying my freedom and what life has to offer. I don’t want to work 8 hours a day. I don’t want to be stuck in a traffic jam in the morning. I want to be out there living in the place I picked, living the life I want. Who would have thought I could earn a living abroad just by sitting in front of my laptop a few hours every day? I never thought I could actually be paid to travel further and to share my passion for the world with you guys.

 

What would you do if you knew how long you had left? Would you change anything?

 

Photo by Journey Wonders

 

I have no clue when my end date will be. It could while I’m abroad, it could be sudden. Life is too short to stay still. Life is too short to be driven by my fears.

I can’t always live with a catastrophe scenario in the back of my mind. It might happen, and that’s okay because that’s what life is about.  

It’s also possible that traveling isn’t your thing, and if that’s the case, perhaps, I can’t really understand it, but I can relate on how passionate you can be about something.

Life is temporary and somehow really short. If I only get one try at this I might as well do it for real.

I LOVE my life. I like how stamped my passport is. I like seeing people’s face when I tell them I currently living in Bali. I laugh when I visit Canada and my family proudly introduces me to their friends telling them how good of a world traveler I am. (If only they knew that I’m not that good at traveling, haha!)

I’m HAPPY. I never knew for a fact what I wanted to do with my life. I was 15 years old when I got my first job interview at McDonald’s. The young lady asked what I wanted to do with my life later on and I think I got it all right then. I proudly said something like “I want to do something that I love”.

My story is a happy one. I was privileged enough to experience different cultures, crossing some dreams off my list one at a time and I’m out there creating the next magical moment to remember. I’m not waiting for it to happen, but I know how to seize it when it shows up.

When I hear people telling me I’m living the “dream life”, I smile. This life I used to dream about is now mine. It could also be yours. It’s not all sparkling and shiny. It’s not perfect either, because life isn’t. Obviously, this is my dream life and I couldn’t ask for any better.

If I end up dying traveling, please know how happy I was. There was no better way to live to me. I hope I’d be doing something fun surrounded by breathtaking landscapes. And even if I’m not, it’s life, isn’t it?

I’ll be gone doing what I do best – I’d be going on a new adventure, wherever it might be. I guess this would just be another spontaneous version of the button “everywhere” on Skyscanner.

I love my life and you deserve to love yours too. We don’t always know what’s around the corner. You might as well take a deep breath and make the most of this minute.

If you look up wishing you would be on that tiny plane in the big blue sky, you might want to stop wishing and start doing.

 

 

Cheers to this beautiful life. Cheers to these fantastic three.

And cheers to the next adventure!

 

 

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READ MORE

 

‣ 10 Things I Won’t Tell My Parent About My Nomadic Life
‣ Why Settling Down Scares The Hell Out Of You
‣ 10 Signs You’re In Love With The World

 

BEFORE YOU GO

 

☑ Book your flight: If your flight isn’t booked yet – check out the flights on Skyscanner or via Google Flights. My top saving tip is flexibility. If you’re flexible, you should be able to find a cheaper flight.

☑ Book your accommodation: I always use Airbnb and Booking.com. If you’d rather stay in a hostel, you should take a look at the options on Hostelworld. If you click on the Airbnb link and you don’t have an account yet – you’ll get a $30 discount on your first booking.

☑ Protect your cute face: Oh, you may want to protect your cute face with a travel medical insurance. I would suggest SafetyWing as they offer the best rates, especially for long-term travelers. Otherwise, you can also take a look at World Nomads.

☑ Pack the essentials: You can consult this list when it’s time to pack your bag! Do not leave without a universal charger, a power bank and your passport!

☑  Do you need a visa? If you aren’t sure if you need a visa, it would be a smart idea to take a quick look before you go. You can use iVisa – it’s super useful and easy to use.

 

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