Welcome to steemit Tina!
It was a pleasure to read this well written post and I'm looking forward to read more of these adventure you mention briefly.
Your story is recognizable and simular to many backpackers and travelers I met but I'm glad your not running from reality like many but have found your place in this world.
Thanks @pieter87
Everyone has their own reason to start travelling... :-) What is / was yours?
My reason to start traveling outside of Europe was a personal reward for graduation college. Did a trip to Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand back in 2012. I loved it and managed to pack my backpack and travel at least once a year outside of the EU since then.
I've had a lot of sleepless nights about going abroad for a longer period (work/travel@Australia, travel in SE Asia) but I never made the step. I've managed to get a nice job and was afraid my knowledge in the rapid changing IT sector would get outdated fast.
I regretted it every time I was backpacking for my 3-4 week holiday and talking to backpackers who were on the road for years but I also started to notice a dark side to it in a lot of them. When you had some deeper conversations a lot of them were running from a boring job, a bad breakup, ... And I started to notice they didn't enjoy a breathtaking view from a mountain, a beautiful sunrise, a postcard beach like I did.
I still sometimes wonder how my life would have looked like if I had taken that gap year but I'm at peace with myself now. I'm building up the typical 'boring' life here in Belgium with a passion for travel.
by the way, been in your neighborhood last September: Jogjakarta (Pramanan, Borobudur), climbing Semeru, Bromen and Ijen, Ubud and diving at Nusa Penida :-)
You are very right there... a lot of travellers have a bit of a baggage, and that's why they travel until a certain point. Until they found peace, until they have healed, until they have found what they are looking for! :)
Hey, you can still do the work & travel holiday in Australia (provided you are not 31 just yet) :) I started my work as a travel agent over there on my W&H visa... So if you have any question, just shoot, this is my territory! :)
Also, you don't have to stay in your country, especially if you are working in IT. More and more companies are being more open to let their employees work from home.... or anywhere else in the world, as long as they get the job done.
You have been around here, great! So you may have heard of the 'digital nomad scene'?
Nusa Penida! Nice! Did you snorkel with the mantas? Did you go to Angel's Billabong? How many days did you stay>
Agreed, Tina is amazing, and I was backpacking in Vietnam. I was in Hawaii, Canada. Love your name, Pieter. My grandpa was Peter from Amsterdam. Awesome. I'm Oatmeal.