The Irony of the Rat Race Escape
By Janis Tscharner | Graubünden, Switzerland
What are your current goals/dreams you are working towards? What made you take this path?
I want to work towards more freedom. Freedom of time and location. Ironically I have to sacrifice both of them to achieve it. That sounds negative but it is famously part of the process and I am at peace with it.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Although I am pretty young, I am proud to say that I have never experienced something close to depression. Until now, negative times never lasted for a considerable while. And the few times that I didn’t feel good, I changed things in my life and became happy again.
Has traveling shifted your perspective on the world? If so, in what ways?
There is an old saying that says: You learn the most about your country when you are outside of your country. And I can confirm this. A lot of things that I took for granted while living in my Swiss bubble were different when I left. For the good and for the bad.
For example, the money difference between Switzerland and Spain is huge. Spain’s cost of living is way lower than in Switzerland, but on the other side are the salaries lower as well. This might seem obvious now. But I didnt learn that until I lived it.
What is your most memorable travel story?
It doesn’t make sense to rank them so I will talk about the first one that comes to my mind.
When I was in Vancouver Island, we just changed from the east to the west coast and when we arrived, we decided to go for a walk along the coast. In the first few minutes, we already saw two whales swimming very close to the coast. They accompanied us for the whole walk. And even if it’s nothing rare to see whales in this area, it was an unforgettable moment for my whole family.
Name an encounter with someone you met while traveling that had an impact on you.
I have never really encountered any of them, but I have to say that watching all the surfers was pretty impactful. Their patience and perseverance always fascinated me. Needless to say that I want to do it myself as well one day.
