Before I began traveling long-term, I thought I knew what purpose looked like. I thought being busy meant being valuable. My days were scheduled down to the minute — productivity was my badge of honor. But the more I moved from country to country, the more my tightly held beliefs began to unravel. And in that unraveling, I found something more meaningful.

Travel changed my relationship with time. In places like Portugal, I watched how locals embraced slow living — taking coffee breaks without glancing at their phones, closing shops for long lunches, and strolling instead of rushing. I realized I had spent so much of life sprinting that I’d forgotten how to walk. Travel gave me permission to move slower, to pay attention, to let moments unfold.

My sense of purpose also shifted. I used to think purpose had to be a career goal or a title. But while volunteering in a small school in Cambodia or helping a hostel owner redesign her menu in Mexico, I felt more useful and connected than ever before. Purpose, I discovered, wasn’t something you chase. It’s something you give. It’s showing up, being present, and offering what you can with a full heart.

And then there was the question of “home.” I had always equated home with a location — my apartment, my neighborhood, my routine. But after months of traveling with just a backpack, I learned that home isn’t a place — it’s a feeling. It's the morning sunlight filtering into a cozy café in Croatia, the familiar laughter of a friend I met in Colombia, or the peace of journaling under a tree in Kyoto. Home is wherever you feel seen, safe, and at ease.

Travel didn’t just expand my passport — it expanded my understanding of what matters. It helped me release control, embrace uncertainty, and fall in love with simplicity. It taught me that success isn’t always loud and shiny. Sometimes it looks like being present, being kind, and following what truly lights you up inside.

If you’ve ever felt like life is moving too fast or you’re unsure of your direction, I invite you to pack a bag, step outside your comfort zone, and let the world reflect back to you what’s been inside you all along.