There will always be times of great strife on every journey. These are the times when you think, ‘Why am I doing this?‘ At that point, it is important to evaluate why you are putting yourself through such discomfort.
When I hitchhiked around Europe for half a year with a small amount of money, I had many difficult times. I didn’t give up on what I was doing because the positives outweighed the negative – I was trying to see the world without plans and without money. Of course there would be difficult times.
While living in Seogwipo on Jeju Island, South Korea, my tourist visa expired. To get a new one, I had to leave the country. Rather than flying, I chose to cycle and ferry, partly to save money (I didn’t have much), partly because I hate aeroplanes, and partly because I thought it would be a fun ride. During the ride, I feared for my safety – read the full blog post here. While this video shows more of the struggles with hills, my unhappiness stemmed from the inconsiderate drivers around me. I also got rather lost. As a result, was not getting my visa and I was not having fun. At this point, I realised that it was time to give up.
Giving up is something that I do not like to do easily. But it is also something that takes guts at certain times, because you have to give up on what you came for. I will always ask myself why it is that I am doing something and evaluate whether or not it is worth continuing with that endeavor. Most often, that little session of questioning will reenforce and remind you of why you are doing what you do. However, giving up my cycle ride across Korea on the occasion showcased above, was definitely the right thing to do in this instance.
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