What I Have Learned On The Road
by Tim Travis
 Obviously,
traveling this many years (7 1/2 so far) is having profound affects on us but
not in ways many would think. These changes are not static but instead
happening slowly, as we experience more of the world and constantly reevaluate
our values. Peering deep into ourselves is the true journey instead of the
superficial line we draw on a map.
When we were on temporary trips the
simplicity and freedom of a bike tour was a vacation from our regular lives of
working, and surviving the rat race. Looking back at the years leading up to
our departure we wonder how we juggled all the complexities of modern life.
There were bills to mail, cars to fix, schedules to keep, bosses to impress, and
a million other things to get done before the end of the day, month, or year.
We used to say, "There aren't enough hours in a day to do all the things that
need to get done." Now we have far less things to worry about and feel like we
have all day to see what will come our way. After several years of living a
simple life on bikes with our possessions being limited to what can be carried
we have evolved into a very simplistic yet open minded way of looking at life.
Everything is beautiful in its own basic way and the great weight of worry and
stress has been lifted from our shoulders. We are free to explore, learn, and
drift.
Before this trip we needlessly complicated
the world around us by over analyzing everything until we found faults and
became angry. Traveling has caused us to make peace with our surroundings. For
example, in our own country, instead of seeing good and bad politicians and
political parties we see a democracy and a healthy debate. Instead of seeing
National Parks that need infrastructure upgrades we see pristine mountains.
Obviously if everyone were like us nothing would get done but we have never
wanted everyone to be like us. This is our dream and our reality; we have made
it as painless as possible.
Another big change we have noticed is our
growing freedom from "want." During the years on the road, visiting rich and
poor alike, the idea of "I want" will never be the same. We used to walk
through stores and fight the urge to buy all the things we thought we wanted
with that little piece of plastic in our pocket that promised immediate
gratification. It was stressful to want something, ponder the consequences, and
use restraint to deny the purchase or, give in to our desires and buy it and
often feel guilty later. So many people in this world live on a fraction of
what citizens of developed countries consider the bare essentials and yet find
far more happiness in their lives. The most content people we have met in our
travels all have a clear sense of the difference between want and need. After
riding in their countries and staying in their houses we have learned to open
our minds to new perspectives.
 The
answer is not to make or borrow more money in order to have more possessions
because acquiring material things will never satisfy wanting more. There will
always be something else to want. The secret to happiness is to be content with
what you have and not want things you can not afford. It is much more
fulfilling to feel fortunate when your work has earned enough to cover all your
real needs and have something left over for extras. It is a shift in perception
from agonizing over wanting something like a new TV to being excited when the
household's finances have gone so well that you can have something extra. The
TV is no longer wanted every time it is passed in the store but rather an
unexpected reward for a job well done.
This many years on the road have taught
Cindie and me to throw away the big list of things we would like to own and be
content with what we have. We now find happiness in the simple pleasures of
life and don't seek our identities in the things we own. It sounds so simple
and idealistic but the results have been monumental.
You can experience the places we have been
to with thousands of pictures, Cindie’s daily journal, videos, and learn how our
future travels unfold by visiting our web site
wwww.DownTheRoad.org
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