I Hate Travelling (And What It Taught Me Anyway)

Hey Beyonders! 👋 

You know that friend who keeps telling you to "just travel more" and "get out of your comfort zone"? Yeah, well, I'm writing this from a villa in Goa, and spoiler alert: it is not going well.

But let me back up a bit and tell you how I ended up here - and why this whole experience is teaching me something I never expected.

The Big Move (Literally and Figuratively)

We're leveling up at TownScholar! We're moving into a proper co-working space because frankly, working from home has its limits when you're trying to build something serious.

Here's the thing - we've set ourselves an ambitious goal: half a million dollars by January 2026. I know what you're thinking. "Epaphra, that's a pretty specific number." And you're right. It is. Because vague goals lead to vague results.

The coworking space isn't just about having a fancier address. It's about creating an environment where big thinking happens naturally.

Which brings me to why I'm currently not working from that new space, but instead stuck in Goa feeling absolutely miserable.

When Your Mentor Forces You Out of Your Comfort Zone

One of my mentors Ratheesh Krishnan aka Rats, basically told me I needed to travel.

Here's the thing about me and travel - I genuinely hate it. I'm the guy who thrives on fixed routines. Wake up at the same time, work on interesting projects, have my systems in place. Traveling feels like voluntarily throwing all of that out the window.

But I respect Rats, so here I am. Completely unplanned trip to Goa with two of my teammates. Nice villa, decent setup. Should be perfect for a working retreat, right?

Wrong. So very wrong.

When Everything Goes Wrong (And Keeps Going Wrong)

Reached here on the 28th.

Day 1: Got yelled at by some uncle for putting my feet in the swimming pool. Apparently, there are "pool etiquette rules" I wasn't aware of. Who knew?

Day 2: Our car got stuck in some random side road. Spent an hour figuring out how to get out of that mess.

Day 3: Car battery died. Just... died. Because why not?

And for the last two days? I've been sick. Proper sick. The kind where you can't think straight, can't work properly, and definitely can't appreciate the "beauty of spontaneous travel."

I'm lying here thinking about all the projects, I should be working on, all the progress we could be making toward that $500K goal, and instead I'm dealing with car troubles and feeling like I can barely function.

This is exactly why I prefer my routine. This is exactly why I don't travel.

The Plot Twist I Didn't See Coming

But you know what's funny? This entire disaster of a trip is actually teaching me something valuable.

Every single day I'm healthy, every single day I'm in my routine, every single day I can work on projects I love and push me and my team forward - those are blessings I've been taking for granted.

When you're stuck in bed, feeling terrible, in a place you didn't really want to be, you realize how good your "normal" life actually is. How valuable each productive day is. How much I actually love the work I do.

I'm not saying this to be dramatic. I'm saying this because sometimes you need contrast to appreciate what you have.

What This Really Taught Me

Here's what I'm learning: Maybe this whole experience isn't about learning to love travel. Maybe it's about appreciating the life I've already built.

Maybe Rats was right, but not in the way he expected. I didn't need to travel to discover something new about myself - I needed to travel to rediscover how much I value what I already have.

I can't wait to recover from this and get back to working on the projects I love. Back to the routine that actually serves me. This Goa experience isn't changing my perspective on travel - it's reinforcing why I love my regular life so much. And honestly? I'm okay with that.

Over to You, Beyonders

Am I the only one who thinks their regular routine is actually pretty amazing? Or am I missing something huge about this whole travel thing?

Maybe you're the opposite - maybe you thrive on constant change and new experiences. If so, I genuinely want to understand how your brain works.

Hit reply and tell me:

And if you're team adventure, convince me why I should give this whole travel thing another shot.

(But wait until I'm feeling better to read the responses 😅)

See you soon,
Epaphra

P.S. If anyone has tips for not getting sick while traveling, I'm all ears. Apparently, I need all the help I can get!