Machu Picchu at sunset. Photo via Wikimedia, by Martin St-Amant (S23678)

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I’ve always wanted to go to Peru. Having spent over a year in Central America, it felt really weird to leave that part of the world without making the jump down to South America. But time and money and other opportunities aligned themselves in a way that made a flight home inevitable.

Re-adjusting to life in America has been an interesting shift, and I’ll write more about that later on, but right now I want to talk about Peru, a country I’ve never even been to.

This video came across my desk the other day from Marca Peru, and I have to say, it hit really close to home.

Check it out:

The idea is that 20 years after an epic trip to Peru, this man recieved a video from his younger self, reminding him about his trip – and reminding him what it was like to travel and be completely free. It’s an inspirational video, and at the same time, it’s a cautionary tale.

As I sit here in California, decompressing from my last few years of travel, I’m also thinking of the future.  At some point, we all have to settle down, right? We all have to work, and raise a family, and become productive members of society… right? I don’t know if that’s necessarily true, but I do know that I want success in my life. And I know I want to have a family someday. But both of those goals seems forever out of reach while traveling.

So, maybe it’s time to make some changes in my life. Or maybe 3 months from now, as the Summer fades into Autumn, I’ll once again be wanderlusting after foreign horizons. Either way, this video is a reminder that you should never forget Peru — whatever your Peru is. Never forget to live your life and to make connections with people and places as you go. Never forget what it feels like to be lost and alone in the world and to know that just around the corner, you’ll find your next best friend, your next lover, your next dream destination.

Keep traveling – even if you’re not going anywhere. It’s more about the spirit of the traveling life, than the actual movement from place to place.