When I’m Gone
Time and time again I talk of travel here on 50ft and for good reason. I am addicted to it, simple as that. The rush of being somewhere unfamiliar and foreign is inspiring and always manages to put me in a creative mindset. I love this type of trip away from the tour busses and cruse lines, ones without schedules or places to be. Roughing it to get closer to where you are traveling is just a beautiful thing through and through and I encourage any of you who have not taken a leap into a trip of this variety to give it a shot. Have a sense of adventure, be willing to get lost. Jump in.
You can experience so much more that way. It’s so easy to do while still being smart and safe while traveling. Just be sure to do plenty of research on the area so you know what to expect. I am certainly not suggesting you go somewhere totally unprepared. Pick a place, buy a ticket, get some basic accommodation lined up (or not depending on how spontaneous your feeling) and get out and walk everywhere you go. Talk to locals in broken English, explore and soak it all in. What are you waiting for? You may hate it who knows, but there is an equal chance that it will change your life.
It doesn’t even have to be expensive. If you play your cards right you can travel easily on the cheap by staying at more rustic local places or even roughing it on the street for a night depending on where you are. Pack light and press on. I think everyone has some kind of buried desire to feel lost. It’s a basic human emotion. That little tinge of fear which only comes when you are not quite sure what you are getting yourself into. It’s beautiful! In fact, now is a great time to start researching a place. The fall and winter can be an amazing time to travel because its cheaper if you avoid the holidays and you will be missing the peak tourist season of the summer months for many places and often get a much more calm experience all around. Unless of course it’s somewhere where these months are the prime tourist season like India for instance.
All the same, I just wanted to take a moment while posting a new wallpaper to spark your imagination a little, get you thinking. No need to keep telling yourself it’s just not possible because you know it is. If you put your mind to it and push yourself to save a little money and pick a time to set aside (or even make that big change in your life you have been delaying and use a trip like this as the buffer). I find the number one thing stopping people from traveling for the first time in this way is simply fear of the unknown which is half the fun of it.
At any rate, enough trying to motivate readers to travel :) to download the above image as a nice big high resolution desktop wallpaper simply CLICK OR RIGHT CLICK HERE which will link you to a zip file also containing iPad and iPhone crops of the image and the terms of use. They state that there is no commercial use allowed and the image is for your personal computer decorating needs without permission. Thanks for understanding and enjoy!
iPad version direct download.
iPhone version direct download.
I found your site a few months ago (this is my first comment), and I must say I love it!
Your natural desktops are vibrant and lively. I have also downloaded you mix tapes which keep me company while developing software. Now I read every post, which are great fun and informative on many different topics.
This one in particular I agree with. Just after I have booked my trip to Australia in a camper van. No plan, just a pick up and a drop off date and a whole lot of road and unexplored territory.
Another wise piece of advice which can save dollars and get you closer to a culture is to have native friend to stay with in the country. I stayed with a Thai friend in Thailand and got to experience what it is like to live there, not in a hotel or hostel. It was also crazy cheap and we got a lot of local knowledge out of him.
Keep up the good work :)
Thanks John,…. That made me think.. I need to get out more and see places in this beautyful country,,.. I live in the state of Kansas,… and in the 5 years that I have been living in this country I’h been in only 3 different states of 50….that realy make me think that I need to take the risk of experience more, and here in the USA is eassy to do it,.., I will plan in one maybe for my birthday coming up in November…
Thank for your pictures,……
I have been moving my whole life, thanks to my dad being in the AMRY so I guess I’m already accustomed to what you just described. However, I am in my early 20s now and feel the need to get moving again.
Thanks for this wallpack and inspiring words. I’ve always felt like Japan is meant for me . . .
My comment is similar to Jacob’s. I found your website some time ago and got really surprised with the pictures, music and texts – some of them are responsible for many good feelings.
Your words are exactly what I expect when I think about traveling, and they ended up giving me more courage to do it, as since I was a kid I thought traveling like that would be really great, even though it was only a distant dream. Now some things have changed and I’m finally planning to travel like that – the feeling of having an entire “unknown” world to discover is something hard to explain – but i might find better words after january!
Inspiring post like many others, don’t stop!
I travel a lot to various places in the UK which I really enjoy. I think it’s important to see a lot of your own country, the UK has some amazing places I would never have visited were it not for photography.
‘The farther one travels the less one knows’ as George Harrison said.
I love traveling and soon I will visit southeast Mexico, an unbelievable place! You are totally right about the feeling of being lost :)
where will you go on your next trip?
I was unaware that we shared a similar passion towards the whole art of traveling.
I think getting away doesn’t end when you come off the plane, I always envision the moment you set foot on that tarmac as a metamorphosis that started when you booked the trip.
Traveling indeed means different things to different people and it’s not to say that everyone’s approach to it needs to be uniform but for me the best travels have been both exciting and educative.
Wow, its great to hear from you guys on the idea. Travel really is such an accessible thing these days and I love turning people onto the idea of just going for it.
Jacob, that trip sounds amazing! Im so jealous! You are SO VERY RIGHT about having friends around the world, it can be an amazing experience to know someone from the country you travel to in order to help get you settled in and show you around.
Carlos, yes! The US has so many wonderful things to discover, I would highly recommend getting out and exploring some more.
Paul, the nomadic life is an interesting beast thats for sure, It sucks you in and keeps coming back. Japan would be wonderful to explore one day and its been on my list to visit for a long long time now. I hope you manage to get out there!
Maia, thats great to hear, I wish you the best in your travels, embrace the mystery of it! :)
Neil, brilliant quote, really wonderful words came from that man, I think its a great idea to explore the country you live in. There is often more than many even realize hiding right under their noses. Its why I am planning a nice big road trip across the US soon. Cant wait!
Belinda, my brother recently traveled to Mexico and he loved it. That would be such a great place to go one day. Next up for me is a long long road trip across the USA. I am off to see some places I have yet to see within my own country and see it with fresh eyes and an adventurous mind.
Jorge, Oh yes, the last 5 years or so I have been traveling often twice a year and usually for at least a month at a time. Europe, India, Korea, and the US. Just cant get enough. I agree, the whole process is completely mesmerizing.
Hey John, another great post. Like for the others here it really describes how I feel about travel. In a couple weeks I’m looking to travel through Syria, East Turkey and then down into Northern Iraq for a couple days, which should be interesting but perhaps not always easy so it’s good to think of it as you state!
George, wow, sounds like quite an adventure you have planed, enjoy it and stay safe!