sacrifices the girls who travel don't tell you
an open letter
On the 1st February, I felt good. Everything seemed, under control. And I like things to be under control. My idea of going with the flow is fine as long as there is a flow chart to go with.
Life has a way of making you grow in uncomfortable ways, and that was deadly apparent that day. Life gave me a glimpse behind the curtain into the life I was once on the path for.
For a while I have wanted to do a postcard entry around what you sacrifice as a seafarer, which also tied across to people that travel for extended periods of time, or even full time.
As I write this from my window seat on another plane journey, I want to stress that we are (and if you’ll excuse the rhyme) very blessed. We get paid to travel in different capacities, and we see the world.
On the outside, it looks perfect. But on the inside, we do sacrifice things to live this lifestyle. This is an open letter to my fellow travel girls, I see you.
1. A STABLE BASE/HOME
One thing you will sacrifice when you choose to incorporate more travel into your life is your home. This depends at what stage in your life you choose to start your travel journey, but if you start it young, like me, you’ll often sacrifice getting your own place. And even if you do have a mortgage, or a place of your own, the guilt of paying bills for a place you don’t live in can eat you up inside.
Even the city you grew up in stops feeling like your home. You pick up elements of every city you grew to know and love, and a part of you will always reside there. It makes it difficult to find a place to call home after years of travel.
2. NORMAL DATING LIFE
I want to preface this by saying there are plenty of happy ever after stories of people that met through travel and created lives together. When you have an close knit lifestyle that doesn’t fit into the typical 9-5 mould, it can be easier to meet people. But it can also be difficult to keep these meetings from turning into relationships with longevity.
Like I said, there’s always a storyline where you can break the mould, but it adds an extra layer to the already complex tapestry of dating in your twenties.
3. missing your nearest & Dearest
This is by far the biggest sacrifice I’ve made since I started travelling full time. We are incredibly lucky to be able to utilise modern technology to keep in touch, but it doesn’t make up fully for in person quality time. Birthdays, school plays, housewarmings from your friends, it definitely is bittersweet. Luckily I have been able to schedule weddings around my contracts, but birthdays and new arrivals are hard to miss. This doesn’t mean we don’t love travelling, but it’s definitely something I miss.
4. STRUGGLES OF BEING MULTI-PASSIONATE
Travel can be all consuming at times. It has left me with epic stories to tell the grandkids, but it’s easy to get caught up in the bustle of discovering the world, meeting new people and taking new opportunities. And sometimes that can’t be missed, after all, that is the reason you chose to travel right?
It’s the struggle of making time to post that blog, or post that reel, or create that YouTube video that I find a difficult balance to strike in such a full on lifestyle.
5. THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE
A good cup of tea. My mum’s homemade stew. A takeaway from my local. A bubble bath. These are all little things that I miss. I wouldn’t change my lifestyle for the world, but in a lifestyle that isn’t the normal 9-5, one of the normalities of my lifestyle is the absence of home comforts. It does mean however, that first takeaway after months of travels hits hard like no other.
I wasn’t sure whether to write this entry, as I am so grateful to live the life I lead. But no one tells you these things when you consider a life travelling. Part of my mission in 2025 is to be more open, more individual, move to my own directive path. And that involves creating content to hit as close to these values as possible.
If there is anything I have missed, I’d love to know on my Instagram @thatgirladventures Living a life that isn’t conventional comes with its own sacrifices but I wouldn’t change it for the world.