CelsAway

My original plan of staying in Lisbon for three months is starting to unravel. After Spain, I hoped for something livelier and that is definitely what I’ve found here. However, it is not exactly what I had in mind when I started my journey. I’m a sociable girl who enjoys going out, and while I’ve met incredible people from all over, I feel like I’m living a life I could just as easily have had in Belgium (only the weather is better here).

The work at the hostel is not fulfilling like I had imagined volunteering to be. Of course, it’s because I’m working in a hostel now, and not yet in farms or schools like I plan to do when I leave Europe. Don’t get me wrong, working at the hostel is fun and the other volunteers are great, but I’ve done it now and don’t feel the need to do this much longer.

As a natural early bird, I hate waking up after 9:00, but the late shifts here have completely disrupted my sleep schedule. Even on my days off, I struggle to fall asleep before the next day has already begun. Back in Spain, my days would start at 7:00 and often stretch only 13 hours. Here, my entire routine has shifted by five or six hours.

Despite having a little break planned by going home, I feel like this responsibility-free life I’m living allows me to prioritise my well-being. If I’m not feeling great, I don’t have to force myself to keep going. One of the main goals of my travels is to find fulfilment and peace of mind. While I’ve had plenty of fun and met fantastic people, I feel like I need something different right now.

That’s why I am now considering taking another “side quest”. I still have a month before my flight to Belgium, and thanks to my travel insurance I can also easily cancel or change my booking.

Daisy, my friend and co-volunteer, is heading to Turkey before she goes home to Australia on the 16^th. What started as a silly suggestion has turned into a serious option. The flight is not too expensive, though staying in hostels wasn’t something I had factored into my budget. Daisy’s going as a backpacker rather than a volunteer, so I’d likely do the same, which would drive up the costs. But then again, should I really be worrying about that too much? Shouldn’t I just embrace this time and live it to the fullest?

Nevertheless, I looked into some Worldpacker volunteering positions. In Istanbul, like Lisbon, most options involve hostels, which I am trying to avoid. After digging deeper, I found some intriguing alternatives. One was about building an eco-sports village and there’s a beach volleyball field! I’m not going to lie, that does sound appealing. If I do that, I wouldn’t be traveling with Daisy, which defeats the whole purpose of going to Turkey in the first place.

As a budget traveller, my first instint was looking for the cheapest flight to wherever. Of course, that was either in Portugal or back to Spain. The third choice, however, was where I originally intended to go after Lisbon: Morocco.

After an unfortunate encounter with a Moroccan man a couple of days ago, I was a little held back on that idea. However, creepy men are everywhere, and unfortunately, that’s part of being a girl.

I was pondering about my options after my shift (sleep schedule so messed up that I can’t even go to sleep at 1:00 anymore), when I got a text from a girl I met in Spain. She was walking the Camino and had breakfast at the bar where we had a brief chat. Because she’d told me she wanted to travel more after finishing the Camino, I had asked for her Instagram to stay in touch. Coincidentally, she told me she’s traveling to Morocco next week, and I am welcome to join her!

The idea of going somewhere new is incredibly tempting, though I’m not sure how to break it to the hostel here in Lisbon. There are multiple options, which has never been my strong suit, and as impulsive as I am, I like to plan trips a little bit in advance. Wel honestly, I don’t care too much about that, but I do care about my responsibility to the hostel, and I don’t want to announce my departure the day before.

So that’s where I am right now – caught between several exciting options. I haven’t made any firm decisions yet, but if I do go on this side trip, it’s likely to be either Turkey or Morocco. On top of that, I need to decide whether to take on a last-minute volunteering role, or go a little crazy and spend money for my bed.

I’ll keep you updated!

-Cels