Key Takeaways
- At the end of 2020, I wrote about trying to recover what I called “the lost year” — the year in which I got COVID, saw all my businesses collapse, too
- As the year wound to a close, I needed a mental break, so I went to Mexico with friends, with a plan to rent a house and stay in the Tulum/Playa area.
- This year, the vaccine became available, many countries reopened their borders, and I headed back out on the road. I always describe travel like a bat
At the end of 2020, we wrote about trying to recover what we called “the lost year” — the year in which a team member contracted COVID, multiple revenue streams collapsed, emergency loans were taken to sustain operations, and long-held life plans (buying a home, joining community groups, building local relationships) were indefinitely paused.
As the year wound to a close, a mental reset was needed — so a trip to Mexico followed, with plans to rent a house near Tulum and Playa del Carmen. Over seven weeks, the team fell deeply in love with the country — especially Oaxaca. (Tulum didn’t resonate, so plans shifted quickly.)
This year, widespread vaccine access and border reopenings reignited global mobility. Travel felt like recharging a battery left fully charged after more than a year offline — energized, eager, and unrelenting. There was no hesitation, no compromise — just momentum.
The team gave up their apartment, embarked on a U.S. road trip, spent several months across Europe, returned for domestic exploration, experienced Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, visited Strasbourg’s Christmas markets, attended a wedding in Aruba, explored NYC, and prepared for South America.
Friends joked that full-time nomadism had returned. “We knew the ‘settling down’ phase wouldn’t last.”
Without the pandemic, it likely would have.
Those grounded aspirations — stability, community, routine — remain meaningful. But after months of nonstop movement, energy levels are shifting. The South America itinerary has already been shortened, and recent travel intensity is prompting deeper reconsideration of pace and priorities.
Yet as the year closes, it’s clear: 2021 was never truly lost.
This not-so-lost year revealed profound truths about balance. Life rarely lives at steady equilibrium — especially when navigating extremes. For years, it was either constant motion or total stillness; now, there’s intentionality in the middle ground.
Three core priorities now coexist: travel, work, and cultivating roots in Austin. The pull toward distant destinations remains strong (“India? Only feasible for six months — time to let go of the apartment again!”), but experience has taught that shorter, more sustainable trips allow space for both adventure and belonging.
Anxiety — previously documented — resurfaced early in the European leg, accompanied by physical symptoms like eye twitching. Work-travel imbalance emerged within days. So a deliberate pivot was made: upgrading accommodations. Switching from budget dorms and hostels to thoughtfully chosen guesthouses and hotels transformed daily rhythms — reliable Wi-Fi, quiet workspaces, restful sleep, and notably lower stress.
The arc went from immobilization to overextension — and landed, deliberately, somewhere in between. As ancient wisdom reminds us: the middle path isn’t compromise — it’s clarity.
In that sense, the pandemic became an unexpected catalyst for recalibration. Looking back, this year delivered deep personal growth — greater calm, richer presence, and renewed appreciation for rhythm over rush. The crisis remains devastating — but its forced pause offered rare space to rebuild with more awareness.
As they say, it’s always worth looking for the light — even when the path gets long.
Before closing, we want to sincerely thank everyone who reads routeforless.com, shares our insights, and helps build a more thoughtful, grounded approach to travel.
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