WHere?! Nomad Local Blog

“When I started overworking, I got really sick and they kicked me out,” I told my friends about my first long term volunteer job. “Now I realize I blamed them for my lack of knowledge of purpose and setting limits.”

When I began traveling at 23, I found myself in situations where volunteer work was essential. I needed to return to Prague to finish a research project after the summer. But my tourist visa only lasted three months so I had to leave the Schengen Area for other three to return. I had to find a way to travel during those months with limited resources.

After a last-minute search, I was accepted for a volunteer position in Bucharest, Romania by Workaway. The hostel offered accommodation and food in exchange for 20 hours of work a week. But they increased if I include social activities requested by the owners to create a community atmosphere. Sometimes, I felt like I was working up to 6 hours a day.

During a Cultural Travel, there are four Emotional Dangers. We can face: Demotivation,Tiredness (which can lead to physical exhaustion), Dissafection, and Guilt. In this article, I’ll focus on the first two.

Demotivation: The Traveler’s Loss of Direction

Speaking from my experience, I’m someone who put all my energy and enthusiasm into something I’m passionate about for months. But there comes a day when I’m no longer happy with what I’m doing, and with that comes demotivation.

I can continue doing what I do, but more slowly, and at some point, I end up abandoning it. Today, I know there’s a reason for this: I’ve lost direction. I’ve forgotten why I started doing it in the first place. Losing purpose is a danger in anyone’s life, and this applies to any type of Travel and Life’s Journey.

One reason we shouldn’t travel is when we don’t know why we’re doing it. Even if we know the reason, sometimes can’t be the best intention, like trying to escape depression.

If we try to solve our negative emotions with external solutions, we’ll never truly control them. Then our well-being can be temporary and dependent on time, place, and circumstances. In my Masterclass, I teach you everything you need to learn before embarking on your Cultural Travel. This includes emotional preparation as well.

Also in WHere?!: Cultural Travel as a Discipline: The Importance of Physical and Mental Training Before the Journey

When I started the volunteer work, I was even named Volunteer of the Month. They gave me a bottle of wine and a dessert. Everything was going well. After a month though, I began to feel that I no longer enjoyed going out with the guests every day. I felt working too much, and I wasn’t doing everything with the same energy. In other words, I felt demotivated.

This happened for two reasons: the first was that I had forgotten the most important reason why I was there. I started taking it as an obligation and felt selfish for seeking immediate satisfaction instead of viewing it as support and feeling gratitude about it.

“Losing purpose is a danger in anyone’s life, and this applies to any type of journey.”

The real reason was that I needed to return to finish my studies. This was the help I needed to achieve that; but I had lost sight of it.

In the end, I got sick because I wasn’t emotionally stable, and I was eventually fired. Demotivation got the worst of me, and I had to deal with the consequences. The secret to overcome demotivation was to keep the aim in sight and being thankful about everything what I had.

Physical and Emotional Fatigue While Traveling

Another factor that contributed to this bad experience was not knowing how to set boundaries. As I mentioned, it was important to keep the motivation through gratitude. By serving, they were helping me achieve my mission. Nevertheless, service is not slavery. It was also important to take breaks and communicate this to the supervisors, but I didn’t.

Overworking caused me physical fatigue, which led to emotional exhaustion. At first, I thought it was no problem if I had the strength to do it. Although, during a volunteer position, it’s crucial to rest because doing the job well is important. In the end, your stay depends on your work.

I highlight that making a Cultural Travel, every day is crucial. Figuring out where to stay always requires emotional and mental effort. Working eight hours as a volunteer can be taken as an usual job. Adding the emotional strain makes greater the impact though.

“Service is not slavery; it’s essential to set boundaries and communicate effectively with your hosts.”

The difference lies in the sense of security and comfort. On a journey, everything is uncertain. As I’ve said before, you can travel positively with hope, you always have to be in constant action. That’s why when you travel, you lose that sense of security, and more rest is needed (when possible).

At first, I blamed the hostel for the bad experience, but from the beginning, it was my responsibility for not speaking up. It was easier to blame others for my mistakes than to accept them. This is linked to Guilt, another emotional danger. But I’ll talk more about it in other articles.

Finally, to avoid these problems, it’s important to be aware of our intentions when volunteering. It can lead to emotional exhaustion and demotivation along the way.

We must be aware of our responsibilities and communicate assertively with the hosts if something demands more from us than we can handle. Honesty with oneself and others will always be the best path to any relationship. Whether between volunteer and host, or with everyone in the world.

To find a full prepartion for a Cultural Travel, you can get access to our Masterclass through the following link.