Flightster

Lost Souls Living in Paradise

• by Srinivas Rao
• on May 9th, 2011
• 1 Comment

When people take a vacation, it seems to be a temporary escape from the noise and nonsense of everyday life. But when people leave home and  join the ranks of expats, it’s a completely different experience.  Our very own Lauren rains even questioned if world travelers are running from something. Maybe we’re running from  a life that doesn’t quite measure up to our childhood dreams in hopes to find a way get back in touch with our inner child.  Maybe we figure we’ll find answers or the love of our life on the road. Whatever it is, it’s safe to say that there are many lost souls living in paradise.

When I decided to sell everything I own and leave the country in less than a month, I knew that my life would never be the same. The whole experience of my first two months  has been filled with days that test   patience and build character. But, I wouldn’t trade it for the world and I still believe with all my heart in choosing a life made up of experiences instead one made of possess ions. But in the words of U2, I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.  I haven’t met the love of my life and I still am not sold on this idea that I’m “living the dream.”

Friends seem to come and go, and just as they did with the soul searching travelers of the Pura Vida hostel, Friendships end as quickly as they started. Tourists come through and get their temporary fix, while expats and travelers are addicts in search of an answer, willing to go to the end of the earth in order to find it.  We don’t fill our bags with souvenir t-shirts and trinkets for the people back home because we’ve become ingrained in the mindset that minimalism makes complete sense for long term travel. Instead we seek out adventure, maybe even trouble in hopes of finding answer to one simple question. What’s our purpose? Is it to explore every corner of the earth, or is there something or someone we’re supposed to find?  After close to two months, several hundred waves and conversations with a handful of expats, during my quest to be stoked for life, I can only draw one real conclusion. There’s many lost souls living in paradise.

Srinivas Rao

Srinivas is an avid surfer and personal development blogger at The Skool of Life. He's also the host and co-founder of BlogcastFM, a podcast for bloggers.