What a whirlwind the past couple of weeks have been! I’ve just got back home from a much needed break in Byron Bay, and boy did I need it! Sometimes you don’t realise how much you need a holiday until you get it, and when you do it’s like a great sense of relief washes over you, leaving you feeling fresh, pure and ready for more of whatever life has coming up for you.
The last couple of months have been an absolute rollercoaster for me. There’s been the typical trials and tribulations of everyday life as well as unexpected highs and happiness. Although, when tough times are put upon us it’s sometimes hard to rise above it and you become consumed by this false sense of negativity. I’m not supersonic and have definitely fallen victim to these ill feelings from time to time. I’m only human after all.
One of the things that I love most about travel (even if the destination isn’t very far in distance) is the sense of refreshment that you gain from being away from your regular life. Being given the chance to escape from routine, unwind and reflect is a wonderful thing. The clear perspective you gain when away, for me, quite often helps me in resolving issues that made me feel uncomfortable and reinforce some decisions that I’d have made prior to leaving, encouraging myself that I made the right choice.
As most of you will know by now, I have been a frequent traveller since the ripe age of 18 months. Outside of Australia, my home is in a small country town in Montana called Chinook, and beyond there, my home is the road. It’s where I am most comfortable and free to be myself without harsh (nay, any) judgement. It’s an unfortunate thing, but I’ve found in my returns from travelling that some people (even people who I called “friends”) have been quite cruel and have not held back what they thought of my constant moving. When I was younger this hostility would upset me immensely, but as I’ve grown older and travelled more, I’ve learnt to move past these negative figures. I accept that everyone is different, and that people are going to want to do different things with their lives, however I don’t have the space or energy for negativity in my life, so when someone is being particularly nasty towards me (especially when in regards to what I’ve been lucky enough to experience in my life) I let them go. My life is much brighter without these darknesses that seem to get a kick out of putting others down.
The reason that I am writing about this is that I have recently been reading on other blogs the struggles of some people who have just started travelling and are struggling with coming to terms with the hostility they are receiving from people whom they thought were friends. I know how isolating these peoples behaviours can make you feel, and I want to reassure you that these people are within a minority and that you are better off without them! While it sounds stupid, I can guarantee you that these peoples negative attitudes is 100% due to jealousy. Which is crazy!
When these events occur it can be pretty devastating, but there is an immense positive that comes out of them! You come to learn (and greatly appreciate) the true friends you do have back home, who are always encouraging of your crazy plans and are understanding of your constant moving.
Another positive from this minor drawback is the fact that by continuously travelling you are forever opening up your mind to new experiences, places, people and friendships. The friendships that you make abroad last a lifetime and the bond is unbreakable. The only sucky thing about this is that your dearest friends live so damn far away!
If you’ve been keeping up to date with my other blogpost’s you’re probably wondering what the heck any of this has to do with the motorcycle trip that I recently introduced you all to. While I was in Byron, the memories of the motorcycle trip were frequently popping into my head. When Henry and I were travelling around North America last year on our two-wheeled baby, we were astounded by the kindness of other people. Everywhere we went we were being stopped to have lengthy conversations with other motorcyclists, travellers and locals who were all willing to help us out in whichever way they could. We had discounted bike repairs, accessory offers, advice on great bike routes and even places to stay if we needed it! We were treated so kindly by so many people, which I guess is something that can sometimes be overlooked in everyday life.
I was reminded of this kindness in Byron. Byron Bay is a fantastic place that I recommend you all visit if you haven’t already done so! Everyone there was so friendly, it reminded the both of us of our bike trip. It was so nice to get away from our routine’s in Wollongong and enjoy being around easy-going, friendly, relatable people.
While this post is a bit off-field of the promised Motorcycle sequence, it has been something that has been on my mind that I’ve wanted to share. I will continue with the motorcycle trip posts and am also very pleased to announce that an Oceania album is going to be added to the gallery! Yay!
I hope that there is someone out there who has read this and are now feeling better. There are always going to be Negative Nancy’s in all fields of life, it’s just important that you learn to rise above them and don’t feel bad when you realise that they’re negativity in not needed in your life!
Like always, if you have any questions or would like recommendations feel free to contact me, I’d love to hear from you!
Happy travels,
Kachina 🙂
