一場(chǎng)說(shuō)走就走的旅行真的能讓你跳出沉悶生活的樊籠，到達(dá)理想生活的彼岸嗎？也許，一切并不像你想象得那么簡(jiǎn)單……

Around four years ago today， I was sitting in an office， staring out the window， dreaming of travel. Id finished university a few years earlier and instead of continuing to chase my passions， I had stayed put1）. I was trapped like a deer in the headlights of life. Paralysed and unable to do anything.

My friends all seemed to have gone on to better things. But me？ I still lived with my parents， moving between menial jobs， doing not a lot of anything. Just sitting in an office day-by-day. Staring out that window. Dreaming.

Always my dreams turned to travel. Adventure， excitement. I would get depressed at work wondering about why I wasnt on a beach instead. Or standing at the top of a mountain.

I was fooling myself. I didnt want adventure. I wanted to escape. To get out of the dull hole that had become my life. So I booked a one-way ticket to Canada and soon found myself on a working holiday.

In the weeks before leaving， a lot of co-workers， friends， and family started to fill my head with doubts. How are you going to survive?。?How will you manage？ I didnt know the answers. But I felt like I was barely surviving in England， so leaving didnt faze me. My life was about to change for the better. It had happened to so many others. Travel had changed their lives. It would change mine too. This was the start of my own inspiring story.

One Year Later

Exactly one year later I was in Canada. Sitting in an office much like the one Id left behind. Staring out of another window. Wondering what had happened with my inspiring travel story. I still had a job I didnt enjoy， most of my time was spent doing things I didnt care about. Still， now I had a counter-argument to these woes. They didnt matter because I was travelling. I was having an adventure. That was enough.

I reasoned that working a job I didnt love was worth the sacrifice. I was living in a new place， had good friends， eating in amazing restaurants， enjoying myself. I was gaining confidence and self-belief. Something Id never managed back home. For once I was free to do whatever I wanted， free from the expectations of others.

Two and a Half Years Later

Skip forward to now. Ive done a few more menial jobs Ive disliked. Lived in a couple more countries. Recently arriving in Australia.

When I arrived here， I was plunged into crisis mode. I could see my year and life before me. Id find another menial job， maybe explore some of Australia. Do that for a year. Go home， then probably fall back into the same dull routine. I came to the realisation that despite travelling， Im no happier than when I had left England. In four years， Ive learnt a lot， but nothing thats directly had an impact on my problems or life.

Many seem to think that travel is the cure-all answer to every problem. That by travelling， we will be starting our own inspirational story. Thats how I felt before leaving. I thought I would find myself. That I would be so completely changed by travel that every problem I had would be erased. But most problems I had at home remain with me still. I still have little self-belief， still experience anxiety and depression. Still stuck in those headlights of life.

After almost four years of travel， I finally realise that when I left to travel， it wasnt to solve my problems but to run away from them.

Will Travel Solve Your Problems？

A lot of us fall into the trap of thinking travel will solve our problems. But some problems can only be solved by tackling them head on. Travel wont make you any happier if it doesnt change anything that relates to your problems.

To illustrate this， lets imagine that your goal in life is to become an alpaca2） farmer. Youre stuck in a dead end3） job at home， not an alpaca in sight. Youre depressed and think youll never own that farm.

Youve seen all these articles online about travel and how it lead to so much happiness and wish fulfillment for others. Plus its so easy. All you need to do is leave. Pretty soon youre also thinking that travel will make you happy and fulfil your dreams. So you go away and travel and you have a great time.

Travel is so intense that it can dazzle you for months or even years. Youre experiencing so many new things that youre constantly in the now. The future doesnt matter when youre bungee jumping4） off an elephant. But soon things settle down and when you get time to think， your mind will soon drift back to that farm.

Travel becomes that menial job， the world becomes your office. You find yourself staring longingly outwards. Dreaming of alpacas.

Thats not to say your travel has been wasted. Maybe it will just show you what youve always known anyway. That you really need to focus on the alpaca problem. Maybe it will give you enough confidence to follow that alpaca dream.

But if you already know what your problems are， you dont need to travel to solve them. Travel may not even help！

The Positive Benefits of Travel

This isnt to say that travel isnt completely therapeutic5）. Travelling around alone can be great.

Many of us spend our whole lives on set paths that are more or less planned. We go to school， university， have the family and kids. We never leave this path or our bubble6）. Were constantly surrounded by others， their opinions and expectations.

By travelling， you can get off that path for a bit. For the first time in your life， there is no real plan and nobody else around us to influence our decisions. Its just us and nobody else. We have to rely on ourselves. Become completely independent. For once you will be truly alone and this can help you to learn more about your limits and needs. But will it make you an alpaca farmer？ Im not so sure.

Travel can solve some problems. Maybe your only problem is that you lack confidence or youre socially anxious. Travel can help you to overcome these things. Being in new places can push you to your limits and really test you. But Im not sure it can help too much when it comes to those deep existential problems.

Quitting Your Job to Scoop7） Ice Cream

One story that has been making the rounds is about a woman who quit her $95，000 a year job to scoop ice cream on a tropical island. Many have been inspired by her story， but I scoff in their direction. I think people are romanticising her story. Scooping ice cream on a tropical island. Watching beautiful sunsets every night. We can see ourselves wanting the same， especially when we compare it to our own lives. Sitting in an office all day， staring out the window hoping for more. Shes escaped that life. We think her life sounds perfect.

But its not perfect. Were not looking at the reality. After six months of ice cream scooping， I would be ready to kill myself—as would most of us. It sounds cool， but how many of us would actually be satisfied with scooping ice cream for a living， regardless of where we were？

Im sure it worked for her because for once in her life she was alone without expectations. Nobody around to judge you. The only person you know is you. Everybody you know is so far away that they see your life through a lens. Whoa， shes on a tropical island selling ice cream. Her life is a dream.

This tropical dream could be a nightmare though. Stuck on an island thousands of miles from our friends and family. Still working in a low-waged job where we can barely afford to live. Our creature comforts gone. Wed all be satisfied for a year or two， but eventually wed start to question our existence. Because again our surroundings have changed but we havent. Our problems arent solved just put to the background for a bit. Travel for many is a short term solution to a long term problem.

The narrative of travelling to solve our woes sells newspapers though， so well keep on hearing it and keep on believing it. Just remember， that doesnt make it true. If you already know your problems， you dont need travel to solve them. You can tackle them head on at home. Maybe you do need to get away from your surroundings， family and friends to help. But if you travel theyll still be there when you get back， along with all your problems.

大概是四年前的今天，我正坐在辦公室里，凝望窗外，夢(mèng)想去旅行。在幾年前，我完成了大學(xué)學(xué)業(yè)。那會(huì)兒我選擇了安穩(wěn)，而不是繼續(xù)追尋夢(mèng)想。我像一頭牢籠中的小鹿，在生活大燈的籠罩下，呆若木雞，又對(duì)一切無(wú)能為力。

我的朋友們幾乎都繼續(xù)去追尋更好的生活了，可我呢？我還跟父母住在一起，先后做的都是卑微的工作，一事無(wú)成，就這樣日復(fù)一日地坐在辦公室里，呆望窗外，做著白日夢(mèng)。

我總是夢(mèng)想去旅行，冒險(xiǎn)探索，驚心動(dòng)魄。我會(huì)對(duì)工作打不起精神，為自己不能徜徉在海灘或屹立于山巔而疑惑。

我那是在自欺欺人。我并不想冒險(xiǎn)，而是想逃避，逃避無(wú)聊的生活境況。于是我訂了一張去往加拿大的單程票，并且很快發(fā)現(xiàn)自己在一邊度假一邊工作。

離開(kāi)前的幾周里，許多同事、朋友、家人開(kāi)始向我提出各種懷疑。你打算怎么生存！？你怎么處理各種難題？對(duì)答案我一無(wú)所知。但我覺(jué)得在英格蘭實(shí)在熬不下去了，所以離開(kāi)不會(huì)讓我驚慌失措。我的生活會(huì)變得更加美好。這在許多人身上應(yīng)驗(yàn)過(guò)。旅行改變了他們的生活，也會(huì)改變我的生活。這會(huì)是我勵(lì)志故事的開(kāi)端。

一年后

整整一年后，我住在加拿大，坐在辦公室里——跟我已逃離的那間辦公室?guī)缀跻粯印僖淮文巴猓@異于我那勵(lì)志的旅行故事到底怎么了。我仍做著一份自己不怎么喜歡的工作，把大部分時(shí)間花在我不感興趣的事情上。然而，現(xiàn)在我對(duì)這些不開(kāi)心的事有了不同的辯解理由。這都不算什么，因?yàn)槲以诼猛局小Ｎ以谶M(jìn)行一場(chǎng)冒險(xiǎn)之旅。這就足夠了。

我說(shuō)服自己，做一份不喜歡的工作，這種犧牲是值得的。因?yàn)槲易≡谝粋€(gè)新地方，有好朋友，到好吃的餐廳享受美食，享受生活。我獲得了自信，那是我在家時(shí)做不到的。至少這一次我可以隨心所欲做我想做的事，不用活在他人的期待里。

兩年半以后

快進(jìn)到現(xiàn)在。我已經(jīng)又做了幾份不喜歡的無(wú)聊工作，又多待了幾個(gè)國(guó)家，最近來(lái)到了澳大利亞。

一到這兒，我就陷入了危機(jī)模式。我可以預(yù)見(jiàn)到今后的日子和生活。我會(huì)找到另一份乏味的工作，也許會(huì)到澳大利亞的某些地方探險(xiǎn)。就這樣干上一年?；丶?，然后可能再次陷入同樣單調(diào)的日常生活。我意識(shí)到自己盡管在旅行，但并不比當(dāng)年離開(kāi)英格蘭時(shí)更快樂(lè)。四年里，我學(xué)到了很多，但都沒(méi)有對(duì)我遇到的問(wèn)題或?qū)ξ业娜松a(chǎn)生直接的影響。

似乎很多人覺(jué)得旅行是解決一切問(wèn)題的靈丹妙藥，覺(jué)得旅行會(huì)幫我們開(kāi)啟自己的勵(lì)志故事。沒(méi)離開(kāi)英格蘭時(shí)我就是這么想的。我覺(jué)得我會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自我。旅行會(huì)讓我發(fā)生翻天覆地的變化，所有問(wèn)題都會(huì)迎刃而解。但是大部分我在家時(shí)的問(wèn)題依然存在。我還是沒(méi)什么自信，仍會(huì)焦慮抑郁。在生活大燈的籠罩下，我還是呆若木雞。

外出旅行近四年之后，我終于意識(shí)到當(dāng)年離家出游并沒(méi)有解決我的問(wèn)題，我只是在回避問(wèn)題。

旅行能解決你的問(wèn)題嗎？

我們中有許多人都落入了圈套，認(rèn)為旅行能解決我們所面臨的問(wèn)題。然而有些問(wèn)題只能用直接面對(duì)的方法來(lái)解決。旅行如果沒(méi)能讓你的問(wèn)題有所改觀，是不會(huì)讓你更快樂(lè)的。

為了說(shuō)明這一點(diǎn)，讓我們來(lái)想象一下，你的人生目標(biāo)是成為一名養(yǎng)羊駝的農(nóng)場(chǎng)主。而目前你在家的工作陷入了死胡同，看不到養(yǎng)羊駝的希望。你消沉沮喪，覺(jué)得永遠(yuǎn)不可能擁有那樣的農(nóng)場(chǎng)。

你已看遍了網(wǎng)上所有關(guān)于旅行的文章，見(jiàn)識(shí)到旅行是如何讓別人獲得那么多快樂(lè)、如何讓別人如愿以?xún)數(shù)?。而且，這是如此簡(jiǎn)單。你所要做的就是離開(kāi)。你馬上也會(huì)覺(jué)得旅行會(huì)使你變得快樂(lè)，會(huì)幫你實(shí)現(xiàn)夢(mèng)想。于是你來(lái)了場(chǎng)說(shuō)走就走的旅行，并享受了一段曼妙的時(shí)光。

旅行太刺激了，以至于你為此興奮了幾個(gè)月甚至幾年。你在體驗(yàn)眾多新鮮事物，時(shí)時(shí)活在當(dāng)下。當(dāng)你從大象身上縱身一躍蹦極時(shí)，未來(lái)不再重要。但是不久，當(dāng)事情都恢復(fù)正常，你又有時(shí)間思考時(shí)，你的思緒很快又會(huì)飄回農(nóng)場(chǎng)。

旅行變成了那份無(wú)聊的工作，世界成了你的辦公室。你發(fā)現(xiàn)自己又開(kāi)始熱切地向外張望，夢(mèng)想著羊駝牧場(chǎng)的遠(yuǎn)方。

但這并不是說(shuō)你的旅行是徒勞無(wú)益的。也許它會(huì)讓你明白自己已經(jīng)知曉了什么，讓你明白自己真正需要關(guān)注的是羊駝這個(gè)問(wèn)題?；蛟S它會(huì)給你足夠的信心來(lái)追尋養(yǎng)羊駝的夢(mèng)想。

但是如果你已經(jīng)明白自己的問(wèn)題是什么，你就不需要通過(guò)旅行去解決了。旅行可能根本毫無(wú)幫助。

旅行帶來(lái)的益處

這并不是說(shuō)旅行一點(diǎn)益處都沒(méi)有。獨(dú)自一人旅行也是不錯(cuò)的。

我們中許多人一輩子都按照特定的路徑生活，而且路徑或多或少是規(guī)劃好了的。我們讀書(shū)，上大學(xué)，成家立業(yè)，生兒育女。我們從未偏離軌道或者擺脫這不靠譜的規(guī)劃。我們一直被他人包圍，被他們的想法束縛，并活在他人的期望里。

你可以借旅行稍微偏離一下軌道。人生中第一次沒(méi)有具體的計(jì)劃，也沒(méi)人在我們周?chē)笥椅覀兊木駬?。只有我們，沒(méi)有其他人。我們必須靠自己，完全獨(dú)立自主。這一次你會(huì)是真正的孤身一人，這樣會(huì)幫你更多地了解自己的極限和需求。但這能使你成為羊駝農(nóng)場(chǎng)主嗎？我不太確定。

旅行能解決某些問(wèn)題。也許你唯一的問(wèn)題就是缺乏自信或者有社交恐懼癥。旅行能幫助你克服這些缺點(diǎn)。待在新環(huán)境里能讓你直面自己的局限，面臨真正的考驗(yàn)。但我不確定的是，當(dāng)你面對(duì)的是那些深層次的事關(guān)生存的問(wèn)題時(shí)，旅行能幫上你多大忙。

放棄工作去賣(mài)冰激凌

曾經(jīng)有個(gè)廣為流傳的故事，講的是一個(gè)女孩辭掉了年薪九萬(wàn)五千美金的工作到一個(gè)熱帶島嶼上賣(mài)冰淇淋。這個(gè)故事激勵(lì)了許多人，但我卻對(duì)人們的盲從嗤之以鼻。我認(rèn)為大家把她的故事理想化了：在一個(gè)熱帶小島上鏟著冰淇淋，每晚欣賞著美麗的日落。我們會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，我們自己也想擁有同樣的生活，特別是當(dāng)我們把這場(chǎng)景和我們已有的生活對(duì)比之后——整日坐在辦公室里，呆望著窗外，渴望更富有激情的生活。而她卻已逃離了這種生活。我們覺(jué)得她的日子聽(tīng)起來(lái)相當(dāng)不錯(cuò)。

但是這并不完滿(mǎn)。我們沒(méi)有看到現(xiàn)實(shí)。如果我鏟了六個(gè)月的冰淇淋，想死的心都會(huì)有了——我們大多數(shù)人可能都會(huì)那樣。在小島賣(mài)冰淇淋聽(tīng)起來(lái)很酷，但事實(shí)上，無(wú)論在哪兒，我們中又有多少人會(huì)滿(mǎn)足于靠賣(mài)冰淇淋謀生呢？

我敢肯定，這么做之所以對(duì)她行得通，是因?yàn)檫@是她人生中第一次獨(dú)自一人，不用考慮他人的期望。沒(méi)人在周?chē)u(píng)頭品足。了解你的人只有你自己。每一個(gè)你認(rèn)識(shí)的人都離你那么遠(yuǎn)，他們只有透過(guò)鏡頭才能了解你的生活。哇哦，她在一個(gè)熱帶小島上賣(mài)冰淇淋。她的生活就像夢(mèng)一樣。

然而，這個(gè)熱帶夢(mèng)想也可能是場(chǎng)噩夢(mèng)。困在一個(gè)離朋友和家人數(shù)千里以外的小島上。還做著一份收入微薄、幾乎無(wú)法糊口的工作。我們的物質(zhì)享受沒(méi)有了。我們可能會(huì)為此心滿(mǎn)意足一兩年，但最終我們會(huì)開(kāi)始質(zhì)疑自己的生存狀態(tài)。因?yàn)橛忠淮?，我們周遭的環(huán)境發(fā)生了變化，可我們自己卻還是老樣子。我們的問(wèn)題懸而未決，只不過(guò)稍稍放到不引人注意的地方而已。對(duì)許多人來(lái)說(shuō)，旅行是針對(duì)長(zhǎng)期存在問(wèn)題的短期解決方案。

可是，那些說(shuō)旅行能幫我們擺脫困境的文章卻讓報(bào)刊大賣(mài)，所以我們會(huì)繼續(xù)聽(tīng)到此類(lèi)說(shuō)法，并且還會(huì)繼續(xù)相信。只是要記得，這些說(shuō)法不會(huì)變成現(xiàn)實(shí)。你如果已經(jīng)明白自己的癥結(jié)所在，就不需要用旅行去解決。你可以足不出戶(hù)，面對(duì)問(wèn)題，直接解決。或許你的確需要跳出周遭環(huán)境，離開(kāi)家人和朋友，以促進(jìn)問(wèn)題的解決。但是如果你來(lái)一場(chǎng)說(shuō)走就走的旅行，回來(lái)時(shí)，不僅周遭人事不變，那些問(wèn)題也還在等著你。