Long term travelling has a majority of pros because it is the best way to soul search and to become proficient in composing self-happiness. There is something so rewarding and incredible about travelling because it provides the chance to meet all different types of people. That said, having the mystical gypsy blood through your veins has its cons and the number one downfall is sometimes not talked about within the nomad community. It is the meeting of incredible humans, creating genuine memories together and then having to go to your next destination because both your current life paths don’t match. Meeting the “1%” is the type of person who would be apart of your friend group at home and it is clear they are a pure and true person. The rarity of finding these types of individuals in life is infrequent and it is refreshing when you do. There is an unfluctuating amount of honesty and acceptance within your bond with the “1%“. Do you know how heartbreaking it is to leave someone after making a genuine connection filled with passion, enjoyment and chemistry? It happens more often than not when you’re on the go exploring the world and unfortunately it becomes easier and easier to handle. I am a firm believer in meeting people for a reason, whether your experience with them was positive or negative. With each person who enters your life and leaves footprints on your soul, they teach you something new about yourself, life, love, friendship and humankind.

I think the hardest transition from being a “normal” person to a nomad is the fact you have left your comfort zone where all your closest friends and family are around at any given moment. When you’re on the road your path comes across a number of transient people. This concept is hard to digest when you are first starting out travelling. Daily occurrences of meeting strangers happen each day and making contact with short-lived acquaintances is now an everyday circumstance. With constant passing of people, there is only a small percent (the 1%) of individuals who you automatically click with you and share the same mindset on morals, interests and overall align with you mentally. The experience you have when you chat is “I feel like I have known you my whole life” and “this seems so natural”. It ‘s amazing having deep conversations with this person who is on your level; it is easy to open up about your inner thoughts and feelings and you find yourself telling them information you’ve never shared with another soul before. There is an instant attachment and the start of a blossoming friendship is in the works. I believe this genuine connection with a quality person is rare to find like mentioned before and I have been lucky enough to meet a few of these humans on my travels.

So many travellers will mention they feel their best when they are on the move seeking new places. It is incredible the different types of people you meet being a wanderer and learning all the amazing stories people tell you about themselves and their life. Some stories make you laugh, some make you cry and some teach new perspectives. After many moments of knowing this new stranger (the 1%) who has made a strong impact on you, they start to write a story in your own chapter of life. You both are noticing there are qualities in each other you admire and you both want to learn from each other. In addition, they may see something in you no one else has noticed in you and recognizing this may lead you to explore something deep within yourself. Meeting this special person who is leaving behind something significant in your heart will unwaveringly continue in the aide of self-growth. The possibilities are endless when meeting people on the road.

When the time comes to depart from each other because both trails are not continuing along the same path, it is time to remember a few points.

• Be incredibly grateful you met this person who awakened things from your spirit not many people have done before.
• Whether you see them again or not, forever cherish your time spent together and the memories created.
• You can always stay in touch thanks to the wonders of social media.
• The fact and lesson in life is you make more meaningless connections with people than sincere and honest encounters. Be thankful for each heartfelt one. The evidence there are exceptional humans out there to meet from time to time is incredible to know.

A tip to take away is to consciously set out positive intentions with all your actions and the universe will constantly reward you with amazing experiences and encounters with people who can touch your soul in ways you have never experienced before.

By: Olivia Goheen