Life: A Daring Adventure or Nothing!

“The world is like an open book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine

Six years ago, when I told my dad I was moving out of his house to live on my own, he asked me where I wanted to go. I immediately told him I wanted to go overseas. His next question to me, as he took off his glasses, was why I wanted to go far away. My well rehearsed response to him was, “I don’t know daddy. I just want to see something different.” He looked at me and said, “Sail away. Explore and discover.” (My dad is a bit dramatic). That was six years ago and boy, I did see a lot!

I could write a few pages of the fantastic benefits of travel, but in this article, I am not referring to your regular summer vacation to the beach to get that golden tan or to party all night. I am talking about making the journey out somewhere you’ve never gone to before, to let life show you what opportunities awaits you that you could never have imagined before and how you will suddenly be required to navigate unfamiliar places, stare at maps, read foreign languages, make quick decisions, and choose new eating and sleeping habits. Our world is such a big place, with breathtaking landscapes and full of people you have never met or might never meet. When you travel, you are exposed to meeting new people, cultures, and lifestyles. Your mind opens up and you embrace a newness in your life. You are also opened to new insights, and you begin to see the world in a new light.

“Nobody comes back from a journey the way they started it.”

Six years ago, as a young woman, I was stuck on what my purpose in life was. I had just finished studying for a law degree and had landed a brand new job but still, I felt something in my life was missing. And so I decided I was going to ignore my society’s pressure to get married as quickly as possible and go travelling instead and that was the best decision I ever made. One of the first things I learnt was, some of the stories I heard and read about the world, ended up being very different from what I was told or conditioned to believe. I found out that though the world can be a dangerous place, there is also so much love, culture and diversity. You’ll meet far more friendly people on the road than you will under ordinary circumstances at home. Every place I went and everyone I met was different. I heard different accents, and I met people with different personalities and from different backgrounds. There was joy and laughter, tears and even disappointments. I fell in love, fell out of love, and understood the world around me better.

I met a girl who hated my guts for reasons best known to her, I met a little girl who had the most beautiful smile and voice and could light up any room when she sang, I met a traveller who was the fittest and most handsome man I had ever met and I liked him like I loved ice cream (but didn’t let him know), I learnt how to eat food from other cultures, how to dance like them and how to be in control of any situation I found myself in. I learnt how to manage and save more money, how to survive in harsh conditions and how not to get robbed! I found out that I could actually save more on my lifestyle expenses than I did living at home. I discovered my love for writing, Italian food, museums, libraries, and rum! There was a certain rawness and realness when I was out of my conditioned environment and this helped me gain so much confidence and sharpness of mind. Meeting people from vast cultures and societies provided me with an education that was impossible for me to get in any of the traditional schools I had previously attended.

Six years ago, I decided to sail away and explore and realised that life should either be a daring adventure or nothing at all. As I still travel and experience more of the world we live in, I am full of gratitude for all the beautiful moments I have experienced and the people I have shared them with. The more I travel, the more I have come to realise that home is so much more than the city of Lagos which I grew up in; I realise that my home is the world at large. I learn everyday how to embrace the love and forget the hate and become more conscious of how I can live in harmony and in connection with others.