To document or not to document...

Hi there! 👋🏼

In my last email, I said you could expect something from me in your inbox every week.

And then I didn’t send anything last week…

It turns out that during the rainy season in Guatemala - and specifically polluted Lake Atitlán - lots of people get sick from a parasite 🦠 that hangs out in the water and on fruits and veggies.

I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say being sick in the van for 3 days was not fun. Anyhow, I’m almost 100% now thanks to some anti-parasitic drugs and a cocktail of probiotics. 🍸💊

Time for another email!

This week I want to talk about a subject that’s been on my mind for the past 6+ months: documentation.

When I sold all of my stuff after graduating college and moved to Portugal, I was traveling for a couple of years without documenting or sharing anything in an intentional way.

This was nice at first because I had never taken time just to do "nothing” and simply be, without worrying about accomplishing something or working towards the next goal.

The art of doing nothing is a wonderful concept that I think about a lot, shared with me by my good friend Emeric... but that's a conversation for another day.

That phase of my life was transformational in so many ways, but the time came to start creating again. For better or for worse, I find a lot of purpose in choosing to intentionally document my travels and experiences.

Why do I say “for worse”? Well, I feel somewhat lost when I don’t. For example, I just spent 6 months exploring Mexico from north to south by van, met countless inspiring people, and went on some crazy adventures.

But I didn’t document anything in a meaningful way. I don’t have anything to show for it. Sure, I took a lot of photos, but they will forever live on my camera roll and get lost in oblivion. The memories may last in my head for a while, but I’ll probably forget a good amount of what happened as I get older. My aunt always gives me shit about how bad my memory is already, and I’m only 28. 😅

When I look back at the adventures that I made a point to document (like posting about my bike trip from Vancouver to LA, making videos about the first week I lived in my van, or writing a mini story about taking an old racing sailboat from Italy to Greece with two strangers), the experiences feel much more real.

The memory is so much stronger when I have a final product to look back on and remember what I was doing, thinking, and seeing during those moments.

I know a lot of people believe that it’s easier to be more present when you can fully enjoy the moment without any other commitments.

I regularly used this argument as an excuse to not create articles, videos, and photos about my experiences. However, I find that when I devote myself to making something about an adventure I go on, I am much more present.

I appreciate the things that happen more. I’m more engaged. Life is more beautiful.

Perhaps the best consequence of documenting comes from the sharing part of the process. While sharing what you create isn’t necessary to intentionally document something, it adds a whole other layer.

Whenever I put something into the world online, I’ve made new connections with interesting people. For example, having a portfolio of documented experiences on my website about coffee in Brazil granted me the opportunity to spend Christmas with coffee producers in Colombia.

Hell, I’ve even received a few amazing replies from these past two emails from some inspiring people. Conversations like these expand my mind and make me think about life in a more open-ended way, questioning my beliefs and growing because of it.

So, over the next few weeks, I’ll be exploring more of how I want to intentionally document my travels. After all, the loose plan is to drive to Ushuaia, Argentina, then hop into Brazil… so I imagine I have at least a couple more years.

Where do you find meaning in creating? How do you choose to document your travels, adventures, and experiences? I would love if you hit reply and shared your thoughts.

I’m always inspired by people that choose to write books, maintain regular blogs, and create beautiful long-form content on YouTube.

Thanks for reading - I appreciate you.

Until next week,
Alex 🙃

[sent from my van in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala]