Indonesia is the last country that Hannah and I traveled together. We had been go-go-go for 4 months at that point, and were quickly coming to the end of our journey together. I was off to meet Mickey in Australia, and she was headed to Spain to meet her boyfriend Ben, who was studying there at the time. So we spent most of those 10 days in Bali, doing whatever we felt like doing. We stayed at a 4 star villa that cost us collectively $22 USD/night, laid out at our (basically) private pool, got tacos at canteens by the beach, and came home and ate frozen Snickers bars and played cards late into the night. We didn’t see a bunch of sites, or go to a bunch of museums. Hell, we only even went to the beach ONCE. (And our hotel only a half mile away).
And, you know what? THAT’S OKAY.
I feel like there’s this weird, self-imposed, pressure that you need to be doing EVER-Y-THING while you’re traveling. Seeing every site, visiting every temple, signing up for every tour. And while that’s all well and good— great even! — to put yourself in places to learn and experience and do new things and to push your comfort zone, the pressure we put on ourselves to do ALL.THE.THINGS isn’t productive and isn’t, ultimately, enjoyable.
It’s like FOMO reaches a whole new level when you’re traveling. After all, you “might never be back here again!” But that mentality will run you ragged, and make you decide to do things that you, personally, might not find fun or exciting, relaxing or rejuvenating, just for the sake of “should.”
There’s no wrong way to travel. If you’re making memories and having fun, WHATEVER THAT ENTAILS-- in my book, you’re doing it right.
Our last day together, we hiked Mount Batur, an active volcano on the island, for sunrise. I cried like a baby when I hugged Hannah goodbye, and proceeded to sob in the Uber all the way to the airport. I was excited for what lay ahead, but I couldn’t help but feel completely overwhelmed with gratitude for what I had these last 4 months with my sister. We made enough memories to last a lifetime, and then 10 more lifetimes after that.
Next up: Australia (....with Mickey).
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