5 Reasons to Travel When Recovering from Addiction
Your travels start the day you leave your rehab center. Your road to recovery begins as many journeys do, with friends (in this case, the rehab staff and fellow addicts) wishing you “bon voyage,” and telling you to look after yourself. Yes, it's your last day. Your next step is literally just that -- one simple step out of the rehab center's front door, and out into the world. To paraphrase U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong upon walking on the surface of the Moon, “That’s one small step for a man, but one giant leap for the new, reborn me.”
If you are struggling to overcome an addiction that saw your life turned into something you couldn’t live with anymore, I suggest you travel. You don’t need to spend your whole life traveling the world to exotic destinations. Just do it enough to be able to experience new places, new faces, different cultures, and different landscapes.
How do I know? I’ve been there. Through addiction and everything it brought. Until one day, I lost all hope. And I mean all hope. Rehab saved my life, as perhaps it has done yours. As addicts, we all lived a limited life, waiting on the next bottle or the next fix, focused only on ourselves and our escape from reality. Traveling, on the other hand, is a very real experience.
5 Reasons to Travel When Recovering from Addiction
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”- Lao Tzu
This article, based on my own experiences of what traveling has given me, gives you 5 reasons why it could be a good experience for you too, as you make your own way down the road to recovery.
1. A Transformed Perspective
One of the many benefits of traveling is finding a new perspective on what’s around you and what is over the horizon. It will certainly give you a new perception of the person you are now, post-rehab and post-therapy.
My point of view was utterly changed, first in my rehab treatment, and then through the joy of travel. I went from being the only important person in my life during my days of addiction to someone who realized that I was just a tiny, virtually minuscule part of this world. Talk about taking the pressure off.
2. New Discoveries
Another benefit of travelling is the countless discoveries you will make. You will learn about how other people live, and how they find happiness, even in conditions much harsher than those we knew as addicts. Sometimes the lessons about how they just survive from day-to-day will serve you well as you make your way down the long road to recovery.
Wherever your travels take you, you will find new and different landscapes and environments, sights and sounds, all guaranteed to transform your perspective. My own travels even brought me to live on a completely different continent than the one where I was born.
3. A More Open Mind
As an addict, your narrow, selfish life did absolutely nothing to open your mind to new experiences. The medical staff in rehab did their best to give you a healthier way of thinking, and traveling will build on this therapy. Travel literally forces you to become more open-minded about yourself and your daily experiences. It is true self-help.
4. A New Passport for Life
Your passport will get many stamps from the places you visit -- I always insist on the immigration officials giving me my stamp! The good thing is that your passport will not have a stamp for the hell you visited as an addict. Your new passport for a life well-experienced will be your record of how you took life, gave it a firm handshake, even a hug or embrace, and then took it some place new.
5. A Direction
When you left rehab, your direction was unclear, and there weren’t exactly signposts to guide you on your way. Travel will present you with a path, and signs in whatever language is spoken in the country you travel to. Travel itself could even become your new road to recovery.
The Road Goes On...
My journey to recovery continues, as will yours. Sometimes the road is hard, even treacherous. But it is your road, and you should never forget that. In time, it will take you where you need to go.
Here I shared my 5 reasons to travel when going through recovery: perspective, discoveries, open-mindedness, a passport for life, and direction. If you too have stories of how travel has helped you with your own recovery, please feel free to share them with a comment below. Safe journey to you all.
Military Dad Defends His 4 Little Daughters When Strangers Make This Rude Remark
Military Dad of 4 Daughters Defends His Girls When Strangers Make This Rude Remark
Austin von Letkemann is the military officer strangers feel "sorry" for — and the reason is infuriating.
Whenever the devoted father leaves the house with his four children, strangers can't help but notice the officer in uniform is holding hands with 4 adorable little girls. They will tell the traditionally "masculine" and "all American" dad they feel sorry for him, because he has no sons. This dad makes one thing very clear: They are his daughters, they aren't a burden.
In a passionate video, von Letkemann took to Instagram to share with his followers that the only thing that's "difficult" about being a girl dad — is clapping back to these sexist remarks over and over again.
They Mock His Daughters To Their Face
When strangers approach Austin von Letkemann and his four daughters, they don't always realize that their comments are being overheard. They seem oblivious to the fact that his girls understand every word. Von Letkemann describes how people will approach him and, without thinking, make remarks like "I'm sorry" or even joke about his lack of sons. What they don't realize is that these comments, intended to be light-hearted or humorous, can be deeply hurtful to his daughters. These strangers are not just disrespecting von Letkemann's choices as a father; they're also sending a message to his daughters that their presence is something to be pitied. It’s a message that von Letkemann won't stand for, and he's speaking out to defend his girls from these insensitive remarksSaying "Get Your Shotgun" Isn't Funny — It's Sexist
Another common comment that Austin von Letkemann encounters is the old "better get your shotgun ready" trope, often delivered with a smirk or a wink. This line is typically intended to suggest that a father with daughters should be on high alert to protect them from potential "suitors," implying that they are objects to be guarded rather than individuals with agency.
Von Letkemann finds this line of thinking outdated and sexist. In his viral Instagram video, he points out that these jokes are not just stale — they're damaging.
By suggesting that his daughters require armed protection, the joke reinforces the idea that women are inherently vulnerable and need to be shielded from men. Von Letkemann argues that instead of promoting this narrative, society should focus on teaching respect and consent, challenging these sexist tropes at their source.
Watch Austin von Letkemann's Video:
"If I Had A Fifth Child, I'd HOPE It Was A Girl" — One Dad's Message For Other Parents
Despite the constant remarks about his lack of sons, Austin von Letkemann is clear: He wouldn't trade his daughters for anything.
In fact, he told his Instagram followers that if he were to have a fifth child, he would hope for another girl. This declaration isn't just about doubling down on his pride in his family — it's a pointed response to those who see fathering daughters as a misfortune.
Von Letkemann's stance is a powerful one, rejecting the notion that a family is incomplete without sons. He encourages others to question the assumptions behind these comments and to appreciate the joy and fulfillment that his daughters bring. By sharing his story, von Letkemann hopes to create a more inclusive perspective on fatherhood, one that values daughters just as much as sons.