Travelling Thoughts

They say that when you ask, “What’s the last thing you learned?” you should expect a neat little life hack or a piece of trivia with a playful call to action like “grab a coffee and read on.” But lately, life hasn’t been giving out trivia; it’s been giving out hard, cold, stark reality.

The last few weeks have taught me that we are living in a world where the geopolitical tempests and the local squalls are all designed to keep us in a state of fog.

What is the last thing you learned?

Geopolitics is a Travel Expense

One of the cruelest lessons we can learn is that the so-called “global events” are never actually “somewhere over there.” Learning that indifference is paving way for injustice towards yourself in the future, is frightening.

The newest US and Israeli waged war, this time against Iran—what many are rightly calling a targeted disruption of ordinary lives—has hit great many people, and our “Open Road” exactly where it hurts: the wallet.

One of the things we have seen in the news, a lot, is how passengers are stranded in the Gulf area, but also in different locations across the world, as their flights transiting at the Gulf states have been cancelled.

For us, this adds a layer of uncertainty as well. As I have mentioned before on several occasions, we are in a process of planning a relocation away from Finland. And if we choose Malaysia as our destination, a continuing war in an area where our likely flight path would be, is… complicated.

But it is not just about the cancellations on the air transportation. Almost immediately, energy companies used the chaos as an excuse to hike transportation costs. It’s a clear showcase of corporate greed, proving that while ordinary people lose their peace of mind, the elite never miss a chance to profit from the panic. And, if what the companies say is true and the reserves of oil run immediately so low, should we be worried that the global supply chain is this vulnerable?

Personally, I don’t know, which option is more frightening—corporate greed or vulnerability on a global scale.

Envy as a National Sport

Another painful lesson that I knew was coming is right here, in my own backyard. I am talking about a specific, uncomfortable facet of Finnish culture where people tend to gloat when a neighbour fails rather than rejoicing in their success. It is so ingrained in the Finnish culture that we even have a proverb about it: “Finns are happy to pay 100 euros to prevent their neighbour from getting 50 euros.”

For me it can be seen in things like when I published my first-ever book, the “Buried Hearts“, available at Amazon, and now, again, after opening up our Poodlies store on Etsy.

I am not trying to say that everyone should rush in to make an order. Instead, I am wondering how different the cultures can be in their approach to support.

Back in 2014, we started a food business in Malaysia, and from the word go we had orders flooding in. After a few days we started to feel overwhelmed already as the word of mouth was so effective, and people were supportive of our fledgling business. And now, here in Finland, you could hear crickets, and trying to get even one person to share your promotional posts… let’s not go there.

“System Reset” Pause

On a much more positive—if slightly gross—note, I learned that my body is smarter than my ambition. A brief but brutal stomach bug forced me into a total shutdown, which is also why I have been silent here at HaveStories.com for several days.

For the first time in what seems to be months, the work-induced brain fog seems to have finally lifted.

As I was forced to recuperate, the chronic cortisol levels from the highly demanding ward finally leveled down. It turns out, sometimes you need a “physical strike” from your own immune system to remind you that you really cannot pour from an empty cup.

Navigating the Costs

As you can see, we are still planning that escape to the place on thr map marked with an X. Even though the world feels like it’s on fire, the mission at HaveStories.com remains the same: Trust the process.

If you’re traveling through these turbulent times, and maybe stuck somewhere with flights on hold, save where you can. Use my Saily Affiliate Link for your e-SIM. It’s one way to keep your connectivity costs down while the energy companies try to push them up.

When you go through my link above, please, please remember to put in your coupon code ROADTALES10 to get 10% off of your data package. You’re welcome.

Also, if this post resonated with you, or helped clear your own brain fog, consider Buying Me A Coffee. Your support—even just a “digital high-five”—means everything.

What was the last hard thing you learned? Share your “sandpaper” lessons in the comments. Thanks so much for reading! Have a great weekend, everyone!