Travel Won't Solve Your Problems | Daily Quote #482

Take the advice from me. Take it from Seneca. Travelling won't solve your problems...

“How can novelty of surroundings abroad and becoming acquainted with foreign scenes or cities be of any help? All that dashing about turns out to be quite futile. And if you want to know why all this running away cannot help you, the answer is simply this: you are running away from your own company.”

Seneca, Letters from a Stoic (Letter 28)

Take it from someone who has been fortunate enough to travel in Australia for the past four weeks: travelling won’t solve your problems.

I cannot begin to say how fortunate of a position I am in to have been able to travel for this period of time. There are many people who would dream of doing what I have been able to for the past month or so. So for that, I must make it clear that I am incredibly fortunate and grateful in that respect.

With that said, I do not think I would do a trip like this again. There have been benefits. It has honestly created a line in the sand between my university and Covid years (ironically, I have had Covid for this last week of my trip!); given me a break and some distance to reflect on life; and ultimately made me appreciate what I have back home.

I think some form of travel and distance can be beneficial, as it has been for me. Everyone is different, of course, but there are people who go travelling for years. For some people this will be great. If, however, you are like me, travelling won’t solve your problems and magically give you the life you want.

My aims in life revolve around building a life; it is difficult to do that when you are constantly moving. When your mind is constantly distracted by new sights, sounds, smells, people, and activities. How are you meant to dedicate time to finding a meaningful project to pursue? How are you meant to build lasting, close, relationships? How are you meant to put down solid foundations?

I think there is a balance. A holiday every now and again gives you distance. Like an artist stepping back from the easel to check the proportions and composition as a whole. By going travelling for several months or years on end you end up running away from the easel so far you can’t see it anymore. This is ultimately why I have decided to return home after 5 weeks, instead of the potential year or two I could have stayed for.

I am hoping to return home safe, to see my loved ones, and hopefully to begin to lay down those foundations.

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