The hardest thing about traveling

Izmir, Turkey

I'm back in Izmir for the second time now. And not for the city, there's really not too much here. It's just a big city with a lot of university students. But the people here. The people here are worth a second visit and many more after.

It's a hard thing to explain, the connection you can make with a place without even realizing it. It's also pretty rare in my traveling experience but Izmir, a place I originally never intended to even go, has created a strong one. And the reason is all because of the people.

Before I left people often asked, "are you scared traveling alone?" "Aren't you worried?" etc etc. The answer was always no. I always said people are people are people. They're the same everywhere. As they say in Vietnam: "same same but different." Turns out I was right. At least for Europe. I've had no problems and have had only excellent experiences.

Someone asked me a few weeks ago (I think it was Jurgita!), "what's the hardest thing about traveling alone?" The answer is meeting others. Not the meeting itself, that's easy. Too easy. I've always been good at creating relationships and now I am even better. But meeting all these wonderful people in different places around the world and then leaving them after only a few short days, now that's hard. Even the leaving wouldn't be so bad if you were coming back, but you're not. Chances are good you'll never see them again. Since this trip started I've added more than 60 people to my facebook account and they're all fantastic. I've met a dozen people that could be best friends. I've even met a few girls that would definitely be keepers if I lived in the same place. Almost all of them I will never see again.

I know never is a long time and anything can happen between now and then. And I'm certain to see some of them. But it's true. The world has gotten smaller but it's just not possible to maintain a close friendship with so many people accross so much space.

Fortunately, there are some good things that come out of it as well. When you know you only have a few days with someone(s) than you make the best of it. You don't waste time because if you do (even though it sounds cliche) you'll never get another chance. It teaches you to let go and enjoy the moment because if you don't, you'll always regret it, even if it's just a coffee at Starbucks.

It's possibly the most important thing I've learned so far and I'll be taking that lesson with me the rest of my life. Unfortunately saying it and explaining it in words doesn't do it justice. All I can say is next time you go traveling, don't stay in secluded hotels and take taxis into the city center to enjoy a nice dinner for you and your traveling companion. Meet people. Meet everyone. Because even if a person is kind of dumb, everyone is smarter than you'd think.

I'll post some more about some of the places I've visited since Fetiye soon.

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