One crucial lesson I learned travelling without money

So you can get what you want

Disclaimer: it’s going to be underwhelming.

It’s asking.

Also, yes, I did travel without money. It’s like business. Once you’ve done it, you realize it’s not that complicated.

Anyway.

I was living in the South of France then, and I left with all my stuff (3 bags) on my bike and 20 euros.

I knew a bunch of people along the way but also got hosted by strangers. So France was fine. But when Italy came along, it brought another set of challenges. At some point, I had zero money.

That’s when it started getting to my head. You see, asking for water is fine. You can find a fountain in a park or go to a bar and simply ask, “Hey, can you refill my bottle? I’m travelling on my bike.”

But asking for food is weird. Especially in a language you barely talk.

I remember after a long day of pedalling, the night was coming around the corner, and I had nothing to eat. I kept coming across grocery stores or other places selling food.

I would be too scared to stop and ask. I was just too scared to speak Italian, but on top of that, to be rejected in Italian.

One grocery store passed. Then another one. Another one. The sun was furiously setting. Those stores were about to close.

I started panicking and getting resentful. I started thinking weird shit like, “They see I’m travelling. Isn’t it clear I need help, and I’m struggling? Why are they not stopping me and asking if I need help? Why would they not approach me?”

I was boiling. I was so furious.

But man, when you think about it, it’s such a stupid mechanism to avoid confronting fear and just asking. Being resentful of people is a very convoluted way to procrastinate and avoid growth.

I’ve seen this in myself but in so many other people. They get so pissed off at people because they are too scared to ask and try to get what they want.

The thing is asking is a craft.

The first thing you’ll do when you conquer the fear is ask for something vague. You need to be specific so that it’s easy for the other person to know what the next step is for them.

The second is getting rejected on the first try and going back into your shell. Like everything, there is a conversion rate, and it should be expected to ask many people and be rejected.

At some point, I was in Milan, and I couldn’t pitch my tent anywhere. I tried to go into the countryside, but the suburbs are enormous there. So, I asked people for hours on end. I got rejection after rejection until 2 am, when I stumbled upon a fellow traveller returning to his apartment.

You get the point. Practice is a crucial part of asking. The longer we delay practicing, the more we’ll have to catch up, so we better get started as soon as possible.

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What’s one of the things you’ve been delaying asking for? Share in the comments on Substack or reply privately to this email.

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3 juicy links of the week

1. How to measure domain name value

   1. Domain name valuation has always felt esoteric to me. But this guy laid out a very pragmatic way to determine their value based on facts.

2. The 4 Levels of Entrepreneurship

   1. I always enjoy an entrepreneur trying to extract phases out of their journey. It doesn’t mean everyone will have the same path, but it sheds light and paves the way!

3. From solo freelancers to agency

   1. Harlan’s journey is super inspiring. He built his business on Fiverr. Then hired a team to scale it. Once he had more time, he started Upwork from scratch and has been killing it ever since. He’s been documenting his progress on Twitter. I highly recommend you check him out!