Leaving it behind: Why I Sold my Things to Buy Experience

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang 

During the fall of my senior (read: super senior) year in college, I decided that I wanted to try something different. I wanted to see the world—perhaps out of my own selfish desire—and connect with the world outside of one that I had become so attached to and familiar with. I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I was determined to get out of the US and experience the most fascinating corners of the world (for free). I did some research on international fellowships and was given one of the most (IMO) helpful books on finding opportunities at home abroad for young twentysomethings: Delaying the Real World by Colleen Kinder. 

After studying the book, which divides opportunities by interest—operating hot air balloons over the hills of France or becoming a scuba diving instructor off of the coast of Australia are all listed under adventure, while the Luce Scholars Program or Fulbright may be listed under travel, among other things—I further narrowed down my options. A thousand questions, hundreds of back and forth emails and a few interviews later, I became a Luce Scholar. 

Mission accomplished. I was moving to India. 

Graduation was fast approaching and I had an entire apartment full of barely and rarely used things, a closet and a basement full of clothes I had been compiling since high school, and furniture and furnishings I had to find a home for. A few ideas crossed my mind: 

I could store it until I get back. Nope, too expensive.

I could rent a U-haul, pack my things and send them to my mom's house. Maybe, but the garage at home is full.

I could...

I could..

The list was endless. I began to see that I was only making excuses so that, upon my return to the US, I could be met with something familiar. George Gissing once said that "It is familiarity with life that makes time speed quickly. When every day is a step in the unknown, as for children, the days are long with gathering of experience." It is with that notion, that I began to set the stage of a journey to un-familiarize, unlearn and rebuild. 

I began to go through my things and sorted through what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to give away or sell. One of my other friends was conveniently moving overseas to join the Peace Corps, so we decided to team up and do an international moving sale. The premise was simple: The sale, hosted at my apartment, was an as-is-sale. You know those cool walk-through yard sales where the house looks like no one is moving?  

We didn't move anything, we just put prices on everything.

Although the sale was a successful one, it symbolized something much bigger: A growing commitment to live with less and strive to buy experience instead. How did I do it? I just did it. Besides, it would be an opportunity to rebuild my wardrobe with different things from around the world, I assured myself.


I took a deep breath and let go of everything. It wasn't easy, but it was best. When I get back to the United States, I won't come back to much material familiarity, and that's ok. It's more than ok, actually. We've been taught to accumulate and hoard things that we can never transfer from this life. That mindset is one that should be met with some resistance.  

Listen, I don't have all the answers, but I do know this (points towards my twentysomethings):

• That corner office with all the gold trimmings, pension and paid vacation won't come without sacrifice. You may win on one end, but you will likely sacrifice hours and time away from the things that matter most in life. 
• This is the only time in our lives where we're free of the commitment required of careers, husbands/wives, children and mortgages. That six-figure salary can wait for a year—or two—while you set your priorities straight with some time abroad.

A nurse at a palliative care center in Australia who took care of patients at the very end of their lives, often asked them about their life regrets. Of the myriad of answers she received, there were five recurring ones:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Life can be quite comfortable, yes.. but at the risk of seeing your days travel right by you with lightning speed. If you woke up this morning, went through your day and by the end of the day, realized that this day was no different than the previous, something (if you so desire) has got to change.

The desire to live for a period of happy discomfort (at least for now) has to start from within. During my time here in India, I've seen quite a few amazing sights, grew tremendously in my relationship with Christ, soul searched and poised myself for the future. Most of the change I've undergone came during times of discomfort and isolation, and have ultimately made me a better contribution to society.

Life is good in the United States indeed; we can boast quite a few things—higher efficiency, guarantee of education, comfort, standard of living and certain securities—amenities that many developing countries haven't measured up to...just yet.

Now that I've bored you all enough with my story, I want to help you create your own. Below are a few steps, misconceptions and books to read to begin your journey:

1. I'm not really comfortable traveling anywhere without my friends/significant other

Understandable. You don't want to experience traveling in an unfamiliar place without the familiarity of a friend. They make every situation better, can help you remember where in jungles of Cambodia you all were last summer and can be an awkward (because there are many awkward situations abroad) situation buffer. To this I say that each journey is a deeply personal one; you grow by yourself and ultimately have to deal with aspects of your life that no one else may see. Although it's one thing to enjoy the company of a friend (as I do), it's another if the sole reason you don't want to travel is because you're afraid of experiencing life without your boyfriend, girlfriend, friend or a group of friends. You will miss out. There is no better feeling upon returning stateside than knowing that you conquered the world—solo. 

I've learned the most about myself when I've traveled by myself. The above photo was taken on an abridged thinkweek I took in Kanyakumari, India.

2. Money, money, money, money....Money!

But of course. The only hinderance of mankind—money. There is one pretty cool thing that I learned a few months back that I now apply to just about everything funding related: money will always be a problem. You'll never have enough money and you'll always want a little more. If you've heard of Mint.com, it's a pretty dope site that consolidates all of your banking information, reminds you by text when your bills are due and helps you set goals—more specifically—travel goals. It'll let you know how much you should deposit into a savings account every month in order to meet your travel goal. If money is still a huge hinderance, look up ways to travel for free!  

• Delaying the Real World by Colleen Kinder is a great start.  STA Travels sponsors a few World Travelers a year and rewards them with an all expense paid 30-day intense tour of Europe. 
• Google is your friend. Be specific in looking for opportunities. "Fellowships abroad" is too broad, and similarly, you shouldn't Google "Fellowships in seed planting in Nova Scotia" if you have zero interest in seed-planting or Nova Scotia.
• Does something specific interest you? Try looking for targeted funding options (researching in another country for 3, 6 or 12 months), apply for the Fulbright, or look for other opportunities in Colleen Kinder's book.
• Teach English! Teaching in Asia yields the most money; recent grads can make a salary of about $40,000 just to teach English in Japan or Korea. 
• Use universities to your advantage. When looking for fellowships, I just went to university websites (their scholarship and fellowship office website) and looked through their options of work or fellowships abroad. Cuts your Google searching time (efficiency!)

3. Understand Why We Travel

We travel because we want to learn, we want to experience. Somewhere deep down, we want to feel the connection amidst the difference of culture, location, opinion and lifestyle. We want to know that we are still human; we still cry, fear, laugh and hope (albeit in different languages) and furthermore, we still belong to each other. We are all sisters and brothers. This article, adds an inexplainable depth to the reason people travel. I read it when right before I left for India.

4. Only a Plane Ride Away

There is something exhilarating about knowing that a flight as little as 6-7 hours can take you to a place so different, you'd have to strain to recognize it—your social cues will be assaulted, you will have to resort to your preschool English (and like it!) much of the time, and you'll be in a constant state of grasping for your bearings. The magical thing though, is that once we step off the plane and we escape the place where we've spent the most time, we suddenly become more aware of the ideas we may have suppressed and become innovative thinkers, applying what we see to problems back home. We are introduced to newer ideas in ways that would have never occurred if we stayed where we were! 

This is just behind where I currently live in Dharamshala, India.

5. You (or your employer) Won't Regret it

Sometimes we need a break. A break from the mundane life we lead back home. When was the last time you ever heard someone say that they regretted traveling, or an employer state that he/she didn't hire someone because they traveled too much? If I had two identical resumes, the applicant who took a year off to volunteer in Honduras or worked on a round-the-world cruise ship would win my vote. 

Travel diversifies your experiences, it better positions you to work with (and be more accepting of) others, and makes you more creative. 

Lehrer once stated that we don't spend 10 hours lost in the Louvre because we like it, and the view from the top of Machu Picchu probably doesn't make up for the hassle of lost luggage. (More often than not, I need a holiday after my holiday.) We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret tonic of creativity. When we get home, home is still the same. But something in our mind has been changed, and that changes everything.

Traveling makes all the difference. Our thoughts are shackled by the familiar. Take a chance, breathe in and let go. Opt to buy experience. You'll thank yourself later.