On Listening to Myself, and a Ticket to Argentina

For the last couple of months, I have been traveling around Europe, knowing that I can legally only stay for three months. The Schengen area is tricky; Americans are only allowed to travel within the area on a tourist visa for three months out of a six month period. That means there are no visa runs (going out for a day or three and then coming back in to renew). It means, get out and stay out for at least three months, which forces the question, “Okay, where to next?”

Part of the process of finding myself on this trip and becoming comfortable being alone has been really, truly, listening to myself. Not asking what other people think about where I should go or what I should do, but listening to where I want to go, and what I want to do. If I continue to depend on others to influence my decisions, I will never gain the self-confidence and contentedness that I am seeking.

I feel like I’ve been waiting for an opportunity of some sort to present itself and determine where I would go after my three months in Europe.

But, nothing was happening. Finally, I closed my eyes and asked myself, “Work and people aside, where do I want to go for me?” The quickness and clarity of my answer surprised me: Argentina. This made sense. Argentina is a place that for years, people have been telling me how much I would enjoy, and for years, I didn’t want to go until I had ample time to spend there, to explore, to live. Coupled with a few opportunities I may have in South America in the coming months, it made even more sense.

Argentina is one of the cheapest destinations for American expats, it has a flexible visa (Americans can stay three months, then go out and come back in to renew), they speak Spanish (I speak Spanish), and much of the country was settled by Europeans, so it has a great European influence (I love Europe). Because of all these things and more, Argentina has hovered near the top of my bucket list for a while now, just waiting for the right opportunity to head down and stay for a while.

The time has come.

Newly invigorated by my answer, I started researching further about where I should base my life for the next few months, because ultimately, what I’m seeking are places to call home all around the globe. I found a helpful, objectively written article about different places to live in Argentina and zeroed in on Bariloche. As an outdoor enthusiast and athlete who thrives in the mountains, I think Bariloche looks like Heaven on Earth.

I kept the idea to myself for a few days until I found a flight deal that I couldn’t pass up, and I bought it on the spot, without asking anyone’s opinion of what I should or shouldn’t do. One step closer to trusting that I am enough for myself. I leave at the end of January from Spain, and now that I have the flight booked, it can’t come soon enough. I am so excited to move to Bariloche for a bit and get to know the Argentinian side of the Patagonia that I have recently come to love.

My plan is to relocate to Bariloche for a few months, and allow myself to take trips to other cities and countries in the meantime. If Bariloche is as good as it sounds, it could end up being one of my recurring homes. If it ends up not being the right place for me, then at least I will have given it a fair chance.

For now, I will be traveling for three more weeks around Germany, Austria, and Spain until it’s time to complete my first global circumnavigation and take the flight to my 50th country, by myself, because that’s where my self wants to be. A milestone indeed.