About Travel Fuels Life

A Journey to a New Lifestyle (THE STORY BEHIND TRAVEL FUELS LIFE)

By Drew Hannush

Some people love time, some people hate time, some people do a lot with time, some people never seem to have enough of it. Time is an interesting concept and we can choose to label it many different ways, but it remains there, regardless of whether we care or not.

It was my impression of time and it’s limits that finally got me motivated to take stock of my life and that lead me to this new journey I refer to as Travel Fuels Life.

When this all started, time was getting a bad rap. I had an age milestone weighing heavily on me. I was actually starting to feel frustrated with myself. I was restless and didn’t know why.

I felt like I was missing something important in my life.

I decided to focus on my home. After all, I had empty rooms to fill. So, quickly I filled in an exercise room, a music studio, a bedroom suite, and some chairs and a table for the front room. Yet when I looked around, the house felt full, but I still felt empty.

Worklife wasn’t much better. With 15 years in as a web developer, I had always been good at optimizing my business to make it more efficient and give the customer a high level of service. Now I was finding it was so efficient, I was wasting time on busy work so the boredom didn’t consume me. I soon learned, you can only reorganize your emails so many times before it becomes counterproductive.

Then an inspiration occurred.

To kill the boredom, I decided to start taking little trips. First, three short weekend trips to Vegas. I had learned to play Baccarat and I wanted to try my skills out at the tables. I also wanted to see how inexpensively I could travel. It was fun the first two times I went, but by the third time I was done with gaming and ready for something new.

Then I started up an Instagram account and started posting a picture here or a picture there of past trips. I had been to 48 states and 10 countries, why not share those photos and my stories with the world?

It was then the seeds of an idea started coming forward.

I wondered if I could start traveling a bit more, maybe blog about it, and post the pictures from my adventures. Maybe even write that great American novel.

I started taking bigger and bigger trips. I went to Philly in March, bookended by two Nor’easters and used my skills to get a great airfare and my flexibility and stress management to deal with the weather delays.

Then I planned a trip to Europe for 2 1/2 weeks to see if I could pack a very light carry-on and a laptop and work from the road without it affecting my business. It was a success. Maybe only one client knew I was out of the country. All of my attempts at subterfuge had worked, my staff had handled the overflow, and I was open to expand my travels.

What I had started to realize was that travel was reigniting my creative energy.

Silly me. I had been deferring travel, as most people do, until a sensible retirement. I started to question why.

That is when my eyes opened to a new paradigm. Just like when you buy a car and you suddenly start seeing that same car everywhere - my awareness for the travel lifestyle was becoming more acute. So many people, like Tim Ferriss (in his 4-Hour Work Week), travel bloggers, ex-pats, and digital nomads were all around doing what I had only dreamed of doing, but they weren’t deferring it. They were fitting their lives around it.

It was at this point I realized, time was no longer an enemy. In fact, I was now blessing that age milestone because it started me on my search for what was truly missing in my life. Time was simply the tap on the shoulder; the grist for the mill. I had a new way to look at life. And all it took was some inspiration, guidance, and a birthday.

So as of today, November 1, 2018, I start the next chapter of my life. A chapter fueled by travel.

And what good is all of that fuel, if you can’t take a few friends along to help inspire them?

Thus, I present Travel Fuels Life.

Like me, it's a little out of the ordinary. Rather than a brand, it is a statement of a belief I hold dear in my own heart. I chose it because it resonates with me. And everything I do around that name will show my love and my passion for the meaning behind it. Think of fuel as energy - that positive undeniable force that comes from doing what you love.

If the name speaks to you too, let’s take this journey together. Let’s foster understanding of the world, its cultures, and the people who inhabit this beautiful spinning globe. Let’s be open to trying new things. Let’s move past names and labels to get to the heart and motivations of our neighbors and ourselves. Travel can do that. I know, I have seen it, I’ve felt it, and I’ve loved every second of it (even when it sometimes goes a little awry).

And if you glean any other message from my story, pay attention to that boredom, or that ticking clock. Know it can just as easily be your friend as your enemy. Stop putting things off with excuses or diversions. Do a few things you love doing, like I did. Meditate and find your quiet space to hear that voice deep inside you. Learn a little. Start to experience the life you’re dreaming of, even if it’s with baby steps. The doorway will open if you put your love into it and fuel it with that energy.

Why wait? It’s the journey you live, not the destination. Love the journey and start now.

Happy travels!

Drew Hannush, creator of Travel Fuels Life

 

MY MISSION

My name is Drew Hannush and my mission with Travel Fuels Life is to provide a show that encourages, educates, and inspires people who tired of deferring their dreams and are ready to develop a travel lifestyle.

TFL PODCAST

Each week, I will invite guests to share their stories, travel lifestyle tips, and personal journey's in living on the road and developing their own travel lifestyle. If you or someone you know has a great story to share (blogger, photographer, travelpreneur, etc), just drop me a line.

TFL BLOG

Here I will show you some of my own travel experiences and share my own travel tips. Recent trips include searching for James Bond movie locations in Europe, learning about Kentucky Bourbon at the source, and enjoying ghost towns, scenic drives, and National Parks throughout the four corners region of the United States. The goal is to inspire you on to some great trips of your own.

CONNECT WITH DREW AND TFL