Travel update #27 – Back home!

Here we are again: back in the Netherlands! That was a while ago, to put it mildly. Normally I write these stories about where I’ve been and what I’ve done, this time I want to try to write down what it’s like to be back, but also how I look back on my trip. We’ll see what I make of it, have fun reading anyway 😉.

I have been back in the Netherlands for more than a month now, and let’s start off with what it’s like to be back. That is a question a lot of people ask me. It’s quite difficult to give a good answer to that. In any case, it is a lot nicer to be back than I had previously thought. That may sound like I was thinking negatively about coming back, but that’s not necessarily the case. I thought I would need quite some time to get used to being back and so far it hasn’t been too bad. Most things actually felt familiar from the start. It was super nice to see my parents and friends again, and to continue seeing them so easily; I don’t have to plan phone calls while considering the time difference, but I can just send a text asking to come over. Or even better; I bump into friends without planning to do so. That is a luxury compared to before, of course. I was also able to play football again, something I really missed while traveling, so that was also very nice. And I also work 4 days a week, 3 of which are in the office. I’m happy with that too. I think it would have been more difficult if all my days were empty.

As you can read, I am already in the daily routine and that also makes it harder to get used to being back. I have now largely lost the freedom of living out of a backpack or camper and going where I want. I was particularly afraid that when I got back into a daily routine, it would feel like I never traveled. Fortunately that is not the case, several times a day moments from my trip come to mind and that is very nice. I can look back on that very happily, and fortunately I don’t have the thought “I wish I was still traveling”. It’s more like “I’m so glad I did that”. I also actively try to remind myself of my trip, I have put all the souvenirs I have collected in a cupboard in my room so that I look at them every day and I have had my debit card personalized so that I look at myself sitting on the campervan when I have to pay for something (which makes paying a bit more fun 😉). I am also busy making various collages with travel photos. I should have already finished that, but hopefully I can finish it soon because then I can hang it up. And I would actually love to make a booklet of all my travel updates. One to which I can add stories, because more stories will probably come 😊.

I do notice that I came back differently than when I left (both by plane, but whatever). No, I’ve learned a lot about myself over the past few years. For example, I have concluded that I am someone who really searches for routine. But once I get into that routine, it really irritates me. But I will continue with that routine. Quite contradictory, right? So now I’m trying to force myself out of that routine. And that can be in very small things. Driving a different route than I normally drive, or always sitting in a different place at the office. I understand that this may sound very fussy to some, but I think it is one of the most valuable things in life: understanding who you are as a person. Understanding what you automatically lean towards and what you prefer to stay away from, and why that is the case. And I must say that you can easily find that out while traveling. Your environment changes every 3 to 4 days and you have to try to make that place your own again and again. And that also with people who are constantly changing. Then you will find out for yourself what you like and don’t like. Traveling is sadly not the same as a holiday. I know it may seem that way to the people at home, but unfortunately that is not the case. In fact, in my opinion, traveling is harder than daily life in the Netherlands. When you travel, so many different things come your way, in all forms. You learn to be flexible, not to stress, to figure things out, to be social, to deal with changed circumstances, to be positive and so on. I feel that I have developed a lot and that can only be a good thing 😊.

Apart from things about myself, I have also learned many things about ‘the world’. The great thing about living in another country is that you automatically experience the culture and you can then take the nice things from it into your own life. I think that Australians, for example, have a very nice way of life, they approach a lot of things ‘laid back’. The amount of times I have heard ‘don’t worry about it mate’ is a lot. I thought that was a very nice way of life, I think that in the Netherlands we take life and ourselves a little too seriously sometimes.

In Southeast Asia, the classic thing you often hear is that everyone is always smiling even though they have much less assets than us. And that is indeed true. I think the main difference in mentality is that we often look at what we don’t have, while they look at what they do have. I think that’s also a good lesson to take away.

In addition, through the many things that have happened, I have also learned that everything will always turn out fine. A camper that breaks down 1 day before you need to sell it, being refused a flight so you don’t get to your friends on time or having to arrange everything at the last minute to get out of a country on time, it will all be fine. And at the moment it seems like a really big problem, but if you zoom out a bit, it’s not so bad. Hopefully I can continue to bring that into my own life.

I have also experienced that everyone is genuinely nice. Yes, you may prefer to hang out with certain types of people, but everyone has good intentions. I think it can be fun to keep meeting new people in the Netherlands because you don’t do that easily!

What are some things I’ve noticed since I’ve been back? The first thing I noticed when I landed at Schiphol was that I could understand everyone around me. That was quite crazy. And I wasn’t even happy about that because the Dutch complain a lot! I have to get used to that again haha. It also seems to me as if the same roadworks are still in progress. And what are those bikes that go so fast? Apparently they are called fat bikes, I had missed that memo. And when I wanted to open a bottle I thought I had become super weak because I couldn’t get the cap off. Oh apparently that’s how it should be, it should stay on. Fortunately, as you read, these are all harmless things. In terms of major changes, it’s actually not too bad, just enough has changed that I have the feeling that I have been away, but not enough has changed that I no longer feel at home. And I think that’s the perfect combination 😊.

In any case, I am very happy that I decided to come back in the summer. That may sound very sarcastic given the weather we’ve had lately, but it’s not. The fact that the days are so long honestly makes me a lot happier, which has also made adjusting easier. And don’t get me wrong, I do have moments where I think back wistfully about the trip or don’t like being back for a while. But that is also part of it, and fortunately I have enough people around me who are genuinely interested in how I am doing, so I know that I can always talk to them if I want to.

And then onto the bit of looking back on my journey. Because traveling for a year and a half is of course a really long time. The only reason I was able to happily keep it up for so long is because I was with Samantha for almost the entire trip. I couldn’t have kept it up for so long on my own. Having a home base in the form of a person has been very valuable to me and I am grateful for that. But let’s face it: the traveling was really cool, wow. That freedom I felt is very difficult to describe, but it was really amazing. I think I felt the most free when we were in Western Australia. That was so cool. We then traveled with Nick & Megan, they in their 4×4 car with roof tent and we in our old trusty large camper. Enjoy camping on the beach, make a fire, cook meat, and have a beer. And then on repeat for several weeks. Even the several times we had car problems felt like a fun adventure (easy to say afterwards of course 😉). Yes, that’s where I really felt the most free, very cool.

It was also really cool to have traveled in Southeast Asia with different people. In the Philippines we were with Montana & Johanna, in Singapore with Romina & Watson and in Vietnam with Nikki & Tobi. The change of countries and people also made the trip more enjoyable. The dynamics keep changing and you have some different conversations. But I have to say meeting new people was always fun. The nice thing about traveling with people you know is that you are not very ‘dependent’ on who you meet. When you are alone and want to be with people, you are lucky to meet someone with whom you really click. And if you are already traveling together, you can choose the really nice people. Anyway, you always meet people with whom you genuinely click, as I discovered again when I traveled alone for the last month 😊

And to answer the question of which country I liked the most: New Zealand! I don’t want to sell Australia short, because that was also very beautiful, but I would strongly advise everyone to take 2 months off somewhere in your life and go to New Zealand. Trust me, you won’t regret it. The country is so diverse and rich in beautiful nature. Yes, that was truly living in a natural paradise.

What does the future look like then? That’s a very good question. For now I’m enjoying being back in the Netherlands. Fortunately, I’m also going to visit my family in Italy again soon, so I’m really looking forward to that too. I have tentative plans to make another trip to Central and South America in 2025, but I still have to shape that plan in the coming months. At the same time, I also feel the need to really continue my life in the Netherlands, because that has been put on pause in recent years. Trying to get my own place somewhere in Utrecht does not make sense if I plan to leave again, but it is something I would like to do. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still doing well at my parents, but I think everyone can understand that after all that traveling I would want my own place. So yeah, we’ll see how it goes, everything will turn out fine in the end anyway right? 😉.

That’s it for now! I also said it in my previous update, but sincere thanks for reading and the responses I received during the trip, that made writing these stories even more fun. I have no idea whether I will write a new one in a while or whether I will wait for my new travel plans, we’ll see! In any case, lots of love 😊