Do you feel stressed at your day job?  Do you feel this sense of “tolerable anxiety” sometimes?  Maybe it’s because you know deep down you’re not following the desire to travel the world, not following that fire inside your heart and soul that’s telling you to buy that one-way ticket.

Or maybe, you’ve already made the leap of faith.  You’ve taken the time off to do some long-term traveling.  You’re feeling excited, but also a little nervous and stressed out about traveling abroad in foreign, unknown lands.

For many people, this is a reality, whether traveling or not (as it applies to the fears and challenges of everyday life).

BUT…

It doesn’t have to be!!

I’m here today to show you how budget travel can give you more inner peace and less stress in your life.

I’ve been in your shoes, in both of those scenarios.  I was stuck in a job that wasn’t fulfilling and yearning for something more in my life.  I also understand what it’s like to be the nervous traveler, afraid of the uncertainty that comes along with living on a budget and long term traveling.

My name is Joe Metcalfe.  I’ve been backpacking and traveling around the world for the last 18 months.  I quit my job of 11 years in real estate back in October of 2015.  I sold most of my worldly possessions, and bought a one-way ticket to South America, and haven’t looked back since.

I went from stressed out business guy always chasing “material success” to a traveling author, but more importantly someone who started prioritizing inner peace in life.  And travel was big reason why I moved into this direction.

Let’s get into how traveling has given me more inner peace and less stress:

1.Travel gives you the ability to unplug and can alleviate burnout. 

Burnout occurs when we put so much pressure on ourselves to produce results, whether that’s for work, or it could even be within relationships.

Traveling is introspection.  It gave me space to look at my work and life priorities.  It slowed me down.  I thought about my potential doing other things (which was writing for me).  Travel allowed me to reflect in a deeper, real way that I couldn’t have done in my busy, “material success” driven lifestyle.

Even if you are just traveling short-term (a couple weeks to a couple months) and returning back to the same job, it’s an amazing way to recharge the batteries.  You will gain many new perspectives to bring back to your job and life at home.

2. You learn to keep things simple and live with less.  

Life is peaceful when it’s simple.

Even if you are coming back home after few weeks or a few months, you learn to live with less in your everyday life.  You might find that you don’t need as many household items.  You might realize you don’t need to own two cars.

It might translate into what I like to call a “career minimalist.”  Not in a sense of lacking work ethic, but by simplifying things at work.  Through the travel mentality of living with less, you start to eliminate all the unnecessary gossip at work, or figure out ways to ask your boss to eliminate the responsibilities that aren’t your highest and best use.

3. You realize you don’t need all the luxuries anymore.  

When you’re traveling on a budget, you have to sacrifice some luxuries.  I’ve lived in hostels for a good portion of the last 18 months.  I was hesitant at first, but I quickly learned it’s not as bad as it seems.

For one, you appreciate the luxuries much more when you do treat yourself.  Also, I’ve made amazing connections and relationships with people from all over the world by staying in hostels.

Things might not always go your way.  If you’ve trained yourself to be uncomfortable sometimes you have a higher tolerance for “tough luck.”  When external events don’t go your way you don’t seem to mind, and you’re off on the next adventure.

4. It will ingrain a stronger sense of gratitude.  

You may see some countries that are beautiful, but also have a lot of poverty.  This will keep you humble and keep you grateful for the things you do have.  Gratitude equals peace of mind.

5. It will promote no complaining in your life.  

This is closely related to #4.  If I am seeing what other people are going through in poorer countries, and I come back home to the United States, I shouldn’t be complaining about the traffic, or another petty problem.

I try to be aware of this and catch myself complaining.  I’ve heard the phrase, complaining is draining.  It’s so true.  I have more peace in my life when I’m not complaining.

6. Traveling to a new country and seeing a new culture is like learning a new philosophy.

 Each country has its own customs and philosophies.  If you become aware of these philosophies, they can benefit you.  While I was living in Vietnam (a predominantly Buddhist country) for 6 months, I noticed Vietnam to be a “yielding culture.”

They were very friendly and I didn’t get the sense of confrontation among the people.  In fact, I witnessed a minor motorcycle accident between two people, and there was no hostility or fault finding, but a general concern for one another.

If you have an open mind, these cultures/philosophies become a part of your inner being.  I am working to adopt a more accepting, yielding and nonreactive sense of self, which is emphasized in the Vietnamese culture.

7. Traveling helps you live with fear.

Notice I didn’t say overcome?  That’s because fear doesn’t go away.  I realized this, but I also realized I don’t go away either.  I can live with fear.  You can too.

I was so afraid to quit my job before traveling.  I felt guilty leaving a good boss and good company behind.  I was uncertain about the safety of traveling in “third world” countries.  I brooded, I toiled.  It was agony.  Indecision and fear followed me around like my shadow on a sunny day.

When I finally made the decision to quit my job, I realized all those fears were laughable.  They were illusions.  My boss supported and even embraced my decision.   Traveling overseas has been nothing but pleasant experiences with people from many different countries.

Learning to live with fear, and experiencing that fear is just an illusion will give you more inner peace and less stress in your life.

So remember when you are making that decision to travel, you are actually making a decision to invest in your own inner peace, which is the best investment you can ever make in your life.

Joe Metcalfe is the author of The Inner Peace Experiment. He’s been traveling around the world for the last 18 months. He’s traveled through South America and Vietnam, and he plans to explore Italy and India for the rest of the year.

Joe was in real estate investing and sales for 11 years before quitting his job to travel. He’s been writing on his personal blog, joemetcalfe.net for over five years where he strives to help others through his writing. He writes about his adventures not only in travel, but also self-improvement, mindfulness, and ways to overcome stress to find more inner peace.