BONUS: Why do I feel different now after 1 year traveling

Here's an answer to questions some people ask rightfully and that I've been asking myself as well: how did this year of traveling changed me? In what matters does it make me a different person? What have I learnt?

These are not easy questions and there are no trivial answers but I'll try to find keywords and a short explanation for each one of them.

Let's start with what this trip made me 'MORE':

- PATIENT: Spending hours in the bus or the train, sleeping in airports, getting stuck somewhere for whatever reason. I learnt to be more laid back and not chase the clock all the time. - RESOURCEFUL: Facing problems, adjusting plans according to external events, dealing with people talking another language is a daily challenge. And I proudly made it through with creativity! - ADAPTABLE: Spending time with people from different countries, with different backgrounds ; exploring countries with a cultural gap ; forgetting old habits and embrace different ways to do things... all of this requires to be flexible. - SELF-CONFIDENT: I'm an introverted person but now I can say I'm proud I stuck to my idea of traveling despite my own anxiety and other people's judgment. - RESPONSIBLE: When you travel, the only person you can rely on is yourself. And I managed with my own tenacity and sense of responsibility to travel for one year. - SOCIAL: I don't like saying that I traveled alone because I met a lot of people on the way. I don't fancy being by myself all the time, and this gave me courage to meet people and be upfront. - CURIOUS: The more I discover the world, the more I want to learn about it. - OPEN-MINDED: Traveling broadens your mind and it helps you open your eyes. - INSPIRED: I wrote three books in a year! Very few people can say that I guess. Writing has always been a passion and I found the strength to embrace it.

Now let's move on to what this trip made me 'LESS':

- MATERIALIST: I don't need more than what can fit in my backpack. - JUDGMENTAL: French are often pictured as being proud. I think we are judgmental. But to fully enjoy, you have to let go and accept reality as it is, not as you want it to be. - DEMANDING/NEEDY: when you go to a country where people live with the minimum, and happily, how can you possibly ask for 'more'? - DEFIANT: Trusting people you barely know is a common thing when you travel because you have to. People are much kinder and more helpful that we might think.

Maybe you'll identify with this post, maybe not. Maybe you'll see the change in me, maybe not. But deep down, I know and I'm grateful that this trip has changed me more than anything before.