My 8-month stay in Egypt comes to an end in 10 days. I suddenly realized I’ve been on the road - technically with no home - for almost four years. The goal was not to become a perpetual traveler, but to take the time to experience cultures that call to me, to go on a creative pilgrimage and stay at different places around the world long enough to make them feel like home.
I got glimpses of this dream 17 years ago, when I first read Tim Ferriss and Rolf Potts, and got acquainted with the vagabonding world: a world not only possible, but somewhat common place.
I got lucky. I started my journey at a time when digital nomads roam the planet, each a micro-experiment on a dream of traveling on one’s own terms, combining work, learning, adventure, and life experience.
As I walked the ruins in Saqqarah, I realized these ancient walls were made about a 100 generations ago, when people were settling all around Egypt. But if we go deep in our past, we’ve been wandering the world for 10 thousand generations. Sagan’s quote echoed in my head: “We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still.”
When we settle, we make magical things. When we travel, we discover which magic can be made.
Today, people of all ages and walks of life are rediscovering the spirit of travel, following the steps of our wandering ancestors. They share tales and blueprints on how they do it: taking those steps to the attic, that long way home, that weekend trip to a beach town, that Summer abroad, that world walk-about. If you listen closely, their stories may hold the key for you to find new journeys to take, and maybe most importantly, new things to do with what has been done to you.
Beyond the sweetness and sorrows of distant and familiar lands, of times together and apart, here is something I’ve learned as I joined the traditions of ten thousand generations before us:
Travel is a gym for the human spirit. But it is only when you learn that you can exercise anywhere, that the true power of travel reveals itself to you. And here is the ironic secret: true exploration can happen no matter where you are.
