We were sitting in a hostel kitchen in Byron Bay the other weekend. It was quite busy, people were discussing their traveling plans and dried up pasta was laying on the floor. The kitchen had a faint smell of burned food mixed with cheap tomato sauce and fried onions.

A thought crossed my mind while we were eating after a full day of exploring. We’re not exactly 19 anymore and a lot of people at our age are going out for nice dinners etc. Instead, we are sitting in Australia while eating instant noodles (I don’t like cooking in hostels) and sharing a $5 bottle of wine. A bottle of wine that we were even drinking straight from the bottle, because it’s a hostel and almost everything is a little dirty.

At first, I felt a feeling of dissatisfaction and jealousy. Then I realized how perfectly that it actually highlights the difference between us and some of our other peers. It was not a fantastic dinner, but not every dinner has to be amazing. The truth is that we are currently living in Australia, the other side of the world, thanks to the sacrifices and life choices that we have made. The only reason for why we can travel and do all the things that we do is thanks to prioritizing. By cutting the cost on less prioritized things/experiences, we have more money to spend on things that actually matters to us.

It’s thanks to the sacrifices (and kickass researcher skills) that we can afford to travel the way we do. Not everyone would prioritize in the same way and be prepared to do the same sacrifices. That’s OK, but I would much rather have a crappy dinner in a hostel than a fancy restaurant dinner if it meant that I could see and do more of Australia.

How would you prioritize?