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40th Hadith - Be in This World As a Traveler (Bukhari: 6416)

الحديثُ الأربعون  

عَنْ ابْنِ عُمَرْ رضي الله عَنْهُمَا قَالَ : أَخَذَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِمَنْكِبَيَّ فَقَالَ : كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيْبٌ أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيْلٍ. وَكاَنَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا يَقُوْلُ : إِذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الْمَسَاءَ، وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ لِمَرَضِكَ، وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ لِمَوْتِكَ

[رواه البخاري]

40th Hadith - Translation

On the authority of Ibn Umar (R.A.), who said: The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) took me by the shoulder and said:

"Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a traveler/wayfarer."  Ibn Umar added:   "When evening comes, do not expect (to live till) morning, and when morning comes, do not expect (to live till) evening. Take from your health (a preparation) for your illness, and from your life for your death."   (Bukhari: 6416)

Brief Narration

There are so many verses in the Quran that make comparisons between the worldly life and the Hereafter. The priority and emphasis is made on the Hereafter where it is described as the real life and the worldly life as a life of nothing but entertainment and amusement. Allah says in Quran::

“And the worldly life is not but amusement and diversion but the home of Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah. Will you not then reason?"  

(Surah Al-An’am: 6:32)

And in Surah Al-Ankabut (29:64) , Allah expresses the same meaning. The same meaning is also expressed in other ayahs such as in Surah Muhammad (47:36) , Surah Yunus (10:26) , Surah Al-Kahf (18:45-46) , SurahFater (35:5) , Surah Al-Ala (87:16-17) and Surah Al-Isra (17:18-19) .

In all of the above mentioned ayahs, Allah draws the attention of the believers toward the Hereafter to remind them that it is the final destination and the real life and enjoyment of the believers. Allah also comments on this life as nothing but amusement and diversion. It is a life of a test and trial. It is a life used as a means of getting us forward to the Hereafter.

Following are the impact of this hadith on the life of Muslims:

• To increase the sense of responsibility in terms of our duties towards Allah, the Prophet (S.A.W.), relatives, and the community members (ummah). 
• To motivate the Muslims to enjoin what is good and to forbid what is evil. 
• To be closer to Allah at all times. 
• To minimize  weaknesses, shortcomings and sinful acts. 
• To maximize  self-accountability and self-reckoning. 
• To emphasize  'Taqwa' and fearing Allah the Almighty. 
• To be safeguarded from being misled or enslaved by self-interests, desires and worldly temptations.

One of the portion of the hadith means that today you may be healthy, but you never know about the future. It is then wise and better to perform good deeds and to be closer to Allah now before being unhealthy or before dying. This meaning has been stressed by the Prophet (S.A.W.), in other hadiths where he asks us to utilise our time and to do beneficial things whether in this life or in the Hereafter. We can relate to Imam Nawawi's other hadiths that have been previously mentioned in which certain charitable acts have been emphasised. 

Some Muslims throughout history misunderstood this hadith. Consequently, they misunderstood the Islamic teachings regarding dealing with life. They understood it in a negative way. We also find other Muslims who are affected by the challenges of modernity and the excessive tension that is given to this life. We find minimum levels of good deeds. They are overwhelmed by the advancement of technology and end up with little “iman” or spirituality. The Islamic standpoint that should be understood is that there is no conflict or opposition between this life and the Hereafter. On the contrary, Islam establishes harmony where a Muslim lives in this life but his heart is devoted to Allah and the Hereafter. Whatever he does is with the objective of pleasing Allah and is to be done in accordance with the teachings of Islam and the guidance of revelation.  

(Reference: Commentary of Forty Hadiths of An-Nawawi by Dr. Jamal Ahmed Badi)

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Be in the World as if you are a Stranger or a Passing Traveller — The Attitude of the Muslim to Wealth and this World

Be in the World as if you are a Stranger or a Passing Traveller.

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِمَنْكِبَيَّ فَقَالَ‏: كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ، أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ‏.‏ وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ إِذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الْمَسَاءَ، وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ لِمَرَضِكَ، وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ لِمَوْتِكَ

Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said: Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) took hold of my shoulders and said, “Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a passing traveller.” And Ibn ‘Umar used to say, “If you survive till the evening, do not expect to live till the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to live till the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and take from your life for your death.” (Al-Bukhāri, 6416)

This hadeeth contains an encouragement to practice Zuhd concerning this world, such that a person does not yearn for the pomp and glitter of this world. And the meaning of Zuhd is to leave off that which will not benefit you in the Hereafter so that a person has little desire for the worldly pleasures and gain. A person should not be attached to this world making it his sole concern – instead, his care should be for the Hereafter and to attain salvation in the Hereafter.

This does not mean that one should abandon seeking lawful provision and sustenance. He should strive to attain lawful (halāl) earnings that will aid him in the obedience of Allah and coming close to Him. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (رضي الله عنهما) said, I heard ‘Umar saying, “The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to give me some money, and I would say, “Give it to someone needier than me.” Once he gave me some money, and I said, “Give it to someone needier than me.” Then, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Take it and keep it in your possession and then give it in charity. Take whatever comes to you of this money while you are not keen to have it and you are not asking for it. So take it, but you should not seek to have what you are not given.” (Bukhāri, 7164)

It is praiseworthy and from virtue to spend wealth on oneself and one’s family and those whom you love:

عَنْ جَابِرٍ قَالَ‏:‏ قَالَ رَجُلٌ‏:‏ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، عِنْدِي دِينَارٌ‏؟‏ قَالَ‏:‏ أَنْفِقْهُ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ، قَالَ‏:‏ عِنْدِي آخَرُ، فَقَالَ‏:‏ أَنْفِقْهُ عَلَى خَادِمِكَ، أَوْ قَالَ‏:‏ عَلَى وَلَدِكَ

Jābir (رضي الله عنهما) said that a man said, “Messenger of Allah, I have a dinar.” He said, “ Spend it on yourself. ” The man said, “I have another.” He said, “ Spend it on your servant or on your child .” (Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, no. 750. Al-Albāni declared it to be sahīh li-ghayrihi ).

Abu Hurairah (radiyallahu ‘anhu) said that Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,

تَصَدَّقُوا‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ عِنْدِي دِينَارٌ ‏.‏ قَالَ تَصَدَّقْ بِهِ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ‏.‏ قَالَ عِنْدِي آخَرُ ‏.‏ قَالَ تَصَدَّقْ بِهِ عَلَى زَوْجَتِكَ‏‏.‏ قَالَ عِنْدِي آخَرُ ‏.‏ قَالَ تَصَدَّقْ بِهِ عَلَى وَلَدِكَ‏.‏ قَالَ عِنْدِي آخَرُ ‏.‏ قَالَ تَصَدَّقْ بِهِ عَلَى خَادِمِكَ‏.‏ قَالَ عِنْدِي آخَرُ ‏.‏ قَالَ‏ أَنْتَ أَبْصَرُ

“Give in charity.” A man said: “O Messenger of Allah, I have a Dinār.” He said: “Spend it on yourself.” He said: “I have another.” He said: “Spend it on your wife.” He said: “I have another.” He said: “Spend it on your child.” He said: “I have another.” He said: “Spend it on your servant.” He said: “I have another.” He said: “You know best what to do with it.” (An-Nasā’ee, no. 2535)

In another narration, Miqdām ibn Ma’di Karib (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) said that Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “What you feed yourself is a sadaqah for you, what you feed your child a sadaqah for you, what you feed your wife is a sadaqah for you and what you feed your servant is a sadaqah for you.” (Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, no. 82. See As-Saheehah of Al-Albāni, no. 452)

So Zuhd is not to give up working to feed yourself and your family. Zuhd is not roaming the earth begging from the people. Zuhd is not to say I will not marry or have children because these are worldly matters! Instead, Zuhd is to leave off that which will not benefit you in the Hereafter; that a person has little desire for the glitter of this world and expends much effort in pleasing His Lord with dhikr, with worship and righteous deeds.

Also, Abu Hurayrah (radiyallahu ‘anhu) said that Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “There are four dinārs: a dinār that you give to a miskeen (a poor person), a dinār that you give to free a slave, a dinār that you spend in the way of Allah and a dinār you spend on your family. The best of these is the one [dinār] you spent on your family.” (Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, no. 751; Muslim, 39)

كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ

“Stranger” is a term that is well-known – it is a person who is not from the land which he is visiting. And he desires to return to his own land. He is not comfortable in this strange place, and he does not wish to settle there – he awaits the time he can return to his own country. So likewise, a believer in this world is a stranger because this world is not his land. He aims to go to his land and his abode in the Hereafter because that is his real home, everlasting. So, therefore, he is in this world just like a stranger visiting a foreign land.

As for an unbeliever, his abode is this world because he has no home in the Jannah of the Hereafter. So, for this reason, he becomes attached to this world, and likewise the hypocrite and the weak, negligent Muslim who is deceived by the pomp and glitter of this world. These people do not remind themselves of the Hereafter, and they do not care about it. If you want to know who a person of this world is and who is a person of the Hereafter, then consider his outlook and his stance towards this world. You will find that a believer is not infatuated with this world and he spends that which Allah gives him, on himself, his family, his children, his parents and in charity because all this has within it reward from Allah. He does not revel in his wealth nor boast and show-off. He pays the zakāh willingly and happily, he feeds the poor, he builds Masājid for Allah, spends his wealth to spread useful knowledge, and he remains humble. The unbeliever is the opposite to this, and likewise those weak and feckless Muslims; their concern is the world and staying in it, and do not care about the Hereafter. Abu Hurayrah narrated that Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

 الدُّنْيَا سِجْنُ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَجَنَّةُ الْكَافِرِ

“This world is the prison of the believer and the paradise of the unbeliever.” (Muslim, no. 2956)

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) added in our original narration:

أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ

“…or a passing traveller.” A traveller who is passing by may stop and rest under a tree, but he would not take that tree as his home rather he returns to his journey and he aims to reach his true destination. This is the same for the person who seeks the Hereafter. He treats this world as a staging post or resting station for a limited time only, so it is no more than a path that takes him to the next life. Abdullah said that Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was sleeping on a mat, then he stood, and the mat had left marks on his side. We said: “O Messenger of Allah! We could get a bed for you.” He replied:

مَا لِي وَمَا لِلدُّنْيَا مَا أَنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا إِلاَّ كَرَاكِبٍ اسْتَظَلَّ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ ثُمَّ رَاحَ وَتَرَكَهَا

“What do I have to do with this world. I am not in this world, but as a rider seeking shade under a tree, then he departs and leaves it behind.” (Tirmidhi, no. 2377) And in a narration, he said, “…like a rider travelling on a scorching day, so he takes shade under a tree for an hour, then he departs and leaves it behind.” (Saheeh, Ahmad, no. 2744, Ibn Hibbān, no. 6352)

Then Ibn ‘Umar (radiyallāhu ‘anhumā) added a beautiful comment from himself starting with: “If you survive till the evening, do not expect to live till the morning, and if you survive till the morning do not expect to live till the evening …” Meaning that your time in this world is not long so do not delay in performing righteous deeds, rather make haste because you have nothing more than the short time before you. In fact, you should consider that you have nothing more than the time or the hours in which you live just as the poet said: “What has passed has gone, and the future is unknown… And for you is the hour in which you live now.” As for the future, you do not know whether you will reach it or not.

Then Ibn ‘Umar said: “Take from your health for your sickness and take from your life for your death.” That is because the health of a person fluctuates, and he is not always in good health. Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

نِعْمَتَانِ مَغْبُونٌ فِيهِمَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ الصِّحَّةُ وَالْفَرَاغُ

“There are two blessings which many of the people squander: Good health and free time.” (Ibn Mājah, no. 4170) So upon a person is to invest in those times that he has good health, youth and free time because these are times of strength and well-being (‘āfiyah) – so use this time in the worship of Allah: Seeking knowledge, Prayer, Fasting, Sadaqah, Hajj, ‘Umrah, caring for parents and so on. That is because we all know that when a person becomes sick, he is not able to exert himself, so he becomes restricted and unable. But Allah rewards him even in that period because of his efforts when he was healthy. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

إِذَا مَرِضَ الْعَبْدُ أَوْ سَافَرَ، كُتِبَ لَهُ مِثْلُ مَا كَانَ يَعْمَلُ مُقِيمًا صَحِيحًا

“When a person falls ill or travels, then he will get the reward similar to that he gets for the good deeds practised at home when in good health.” (Bukhāri, no. 2996) So while he is alive in this world, he should look to the deeds that will save him in the Hereafter because once you die, all your deeds come to an end except three. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

إِذَا مَاتَ الإِنْسَانُ انْقَطَعَ عَمَلُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ ثَلاَثَةٍ مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ وَعِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ وَوَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ

“When the son of Ādam dies all his deeds come to an end except three: an Ongoing charity that people still benefit from, knowledge he left that is benefitted from and a righteous child who supplicates for him.” (Muslim, no. 1631, Nasā’ee, no. 3651)

We ask that Allah that He make us from those who seek the reward of the Hereafter, and salvation from His punishment through righteous deeds. And that Allah makes us from His true worshippers who seek the Ākhirah because Allah has said:

وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ – 87:17

“And the Hereafter is better and more lasting.”

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The Teachings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Hadith on Zuhd: Be in this world as a stranger, traveler

Ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “ Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler along a path. ” Ibn Umar would say, “If you make it to the evening, do not wait for the morning. If you make it to the morning, do not wait for the evening. Take from your health for your sickness, and from your life for your death.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6416

Grade: Sahih  (authentic) according to Al-Bukhari

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَر قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ إِذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الصَّبَاحَ وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الْمَسَاءَ وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ لِمَرَضِكَ وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ لِمَوْتِكَ

6416 صحيح البخاري كتاب الرقاق باب قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كن في الدنيا كأنك غريب أو عابر سبيل

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The Life of a Traveler: What It Is Really Like

Have you ever wondered what it is really like to travel the world full-time? To leave behind home, not knowing when or if you will come back?

Living the life of a traveler, especially as a solo traveler, is full of paradoxes. Full of strange feelings. Full of grandiosity. Let me tell you what traveling is really like.

Choosing this life is more than a temporary escape. It will completely and entirely transform who you are.

Are you prepared for a journey of beauty, adventure and heartbreak? Come with me.

What the life of a traveler looks like

Traveling is saying yes to life.

Traveling puts you in situations so strange they’re hard to believe. The art of traveling is saying yes to opportunities as they arise, saying yes to life. Fear has no say here (even though we all experience it, of course).

As a traveler, you choose to conquer your fears again and again. You become a first-hand witness of how letting go of fear liberates your spirit.

You choose courage. Follow your instincts of curiosity. Have that conversation with the crazy guy. Explore that shady area of town. Dance like no one is watching.

It’s a wild ride, this traveler life. One that creates endless stories and miracles, simply because you said ‘yes’ at one point along the way. You get to see things few others ever see.

And at the end of the day, you will often wonder how you have gotten here. It does not matter. Embrace it.

Uncertainty is a traveler’s homeland

Most people desperately try to hold on to certainty. They resist change. They do everything in their power to keep things as they are just to feel safe.

A traveler does the opposite.

A traveler understands that the only constant we get in life is change and that by resisting it, you only create struggle.

Uncertainty is a solo traveler’s homeland. Sometimes you may not even know where you will sleep tonight. You may not know where you are tomorrow, you don’t know what you will experience in a year, you can’t fathom how the strangers you meet will change your life.

Even if you think you know, you never know. Life has its own ideas of what’s in store for you. Certainty, as much as we try to create it, is not an option.

It is the same for everyone, only that travelers understand and follow the flow of change.

Traveling is a life of extremes

By leaving behind certainty, you enter a ride of extremes. You might get stuck in hopeless situations and be rescued by a stranger. You might land in the middle of nowhere exhausted, only to be swallowed by the kindness of the world.

The emotional extremes are always present when traveling. You experience more deeply.

Everything is amplified. You will experience the lowest lows, feel lost and lonely. You will experience the highest highs, in a rush of freedom and gratitude.

It’s never one or the other. You need to feel deeply to live deeply.

About the unknown driving force

What is it, that drives travelers? What is it that leads us to explore country after country and never feel like we’re done? What is it that makes us choose a life so far from the ordinary?

Is it curiosity? Is it lust for adventure? I don’t think so.

It is a deeper feeling, a deep longing for the world. A burning sensation to experience and expand yourself. Guided by the inner knowing that wonder awaits around every corner.

I have no words to describe this feeling inside of me but I know it is the ever-present Northern Star in the life of a solo traveler.

We are the restless souls, eager to drown in the magnificence of this world. We go, go, go, until we find it.

Discomfort as a teacher

Sleeping in a million different beds. Dealing with chaos, cultures and criticism. Being the one that stands out from a crowd. Doing what scares you. Moving forward despite physical pain. Embracing mental challenges.

Often, the experiences of travelers have one thing in common: Discomfort is more frequently present than most people would like it to be.

But the magic of discomfort is exactly what makes travelers grow so much as people. Life outside of the comfort zone changes your mindset, your outlook on life.

No, the life of a traveler is not comfortable. But a single day on the road sometimes holds as many lessons as an entire year of staying at home.

This is what makes it worth it.

Read also: Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable: The Secret Power of Discomfort

Traveling is falling in love deeply with the world

Even after all these years, I catch myself falling in lover deeper and deeper with the world. With its people. With its natural phenomenons. With its inexplicable magic.

This is where gratitude is rooted. In letting yourself fall deeply, irreversibly in love with the world.

The more you see, the more you will realize what there is to love.

And that feeling, that love, that gratitude – you take it with you wherever you go. It will be with you in your darkest nights, it will be your light to hold onto when everything else is falling apart.

The world is a kind place. Even those who struggle to express it, deep down, want to be kind, want to love and want to belong – if only you give them a chance to.

Always a stranger, but at home in the world

It is bittersweet, sometimes, being a traveler. You have no home. Your home is everywhere. You develop the ability to deeply connect with the world around you, no matter where you are. To find something in common with the strangest stranger.

And yet, you are always a stranger, too. Even in your actual home, you will stand out through the experiences you have made – never completely understood, maybe only by those who carry a similar feeling within themselves.

That’s why travelers seek the company of other travelers. They understand the feeling of everlasting seeking, the love for the loneliness of the road and what it is like to have a million homes and none at once.

Experiencing exhilarating freedom

It comes with the range of incredibly strong feelings, but it is one of the most present ones. That feeling of complete freedom.

When you know you belong to the world, know you have nothing to lose, you feel like the luckiest star child. You don’t need to be anywhere, you don’t need to do anything or be anyone, you only need to exist. In the here and now.

Standing on the back of a pick-up truck. On top of a cliff. Feeling the wind in your hair. Running naked through the fields. Being on the verge of tears simply because of the deep realization of what a freaking gift life is.

We were born free. This is how we’re meant to be, you and me.

Understanding different perspectives

Nothing makes you understand more than traveling how there is no right or wrong. You experience different cultures, different ways of living and will be challenged to question your own cultural conditioning.

Eventually, you realize all these ways of living have their place in the world. If we move beyond judgment, we open our hearts to true connection.

Let yourself discover new ways. The more you know, the more you understand. The more empathy and compassion you will have.

We label others as different, but deep down we are the same.

Dear traveling soul, I’d be honored if you chose to stay for a while:

Your first name

Your email address

This will keep you up to date with new blog posts about wanderlust & thoughts on life – and if you’d like to support and continue seeing my art, subscribing is the best way to do it.

In the life of a traveler, nothing lasts

Traveling is a life of million goodbyes. The people and places you fall in love with are predestined to depart – as is everything else in life.

You will have to learn to not hold on, to be fully present in the now and enjoy the fleeting moments while they last. Your memories are your most lasting companions.

When that thought saddens you, just remember, with a million goodbyes come a million hellos.

Travel is symbolic of the impermanence of life. Nothing ever lasts, the beauty as well as the heartbreak. Everything comes and goes in waves. Swim with it.

Travel teaches you everything

Travel teaches you everything. It teaches you you can live out of a backpack and be happy. It teaches you how misguided our more-more-more culture is. There is nothing more than life itself.

Traveling makes you grow and expand in all the ways possible. If you say yes to travel, you have chosen your teacher in life.

I am the person I am today because of travel. I may have learned many of those lessons staying in one place, too, but I would have never understood them so deeply and so quickly as out there.

Being confronted with a million different circumstances and people, in the end, always confronts you with yourself.

And that, to me, is beautiful.

This is what the life of a traveler is like

Dear friend, you have come to the end of my poetic musings about the life of a traveler. My life.

Writing this made me smile and feel deeply – because it made me realize, once again, how much travel means to me. Even though my words may be clumsy at times, this is my best effort of speaking my inner truth.

It may look very different from yours. But I hope that you, if anything in my words resonates deeply with your soul, get to go out and experience it for yourself.

Be courageous. Follow the calling of your heart. It will lead you to a million places you would have never expected.

And you will grow big. You will grow beautiful. You will grow so full of life it will make your heart burst with happiness.

Some of us simply belong to the road.

Anna Heimkreiter is an adventurer-artist who irrevocably lost her heart to solo travel. She specializes in ethereal self-portrait photography and spiritual illustrations. Her art is the direct expression of the wonder and awe she finds through her adventures.

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Hi I came upon your blog whilst researching a “traveler-born” character in a play for acting class. It explains so much. And also makes me grateful for my last adventure to Sedona,Az. You said: “Travel is symbolic of the impermanence of life. Nothing ever lasts, the beauty as well as the heartbreak. Everything comes and goes in waves. Swim with it.” I love that summary, but also all the details leading up to it. Thanks so much. Tracey

Hello Tracey, that is amazing to hear! Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope your play will turn out to be amazing 🙂 Anna xx

Hi Anna, I met a girl a year ago who was a traveler and I got to share about 8 months with her as she gathered herself. I fell in love with her soul and her unique perspective on life. She has since moved on. It was very hard and I still miss her greatly. But your articles have helped me to understand. I miss you Pebbles but wish you nothing but the best. James

Aww, I understand how heartbreaking that can be. It’s really hard having to say goodbye to someone merely because you have very different ways of living (been there myself, basically the other way round – but from that experience I can say it might have also been a very difficult and painful decision for her, at least it was for me). But that doesn’t take away from the wonderful memories you shared, keep cherishing those! Glad my article could give you a bit of insight into how she might be feeling about traveling and why it’s so important to her. Thank you for commenting, James, take good care! Anna xx

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How to Live a Life of Travel: Tips to Getting Started

Written By: The Planet D

Digital Nomads

Updated On: June 3, 2023

Recently we’ve received a lot of emails asking us how we financially supported our travels since we decided to take the plunge to live a life of travel in our unconventional life.

I realize that we’ve written a lot of inspirational pieces about following your dreams and pushing yourself to step outside your comfort zone, but we haven’t given real practical advice in quite a while. So we decided it was time to share some of our tips and tricks to living an unconventional life.

Table of Contents

How to Live an Unconventional Life of Travel

Our journey to becoming full-time travel bloggers was not a quick and easy one. We had many failures and setbacks along the way. It took time for us to find what we wanted to do with our lives and what would make us happy. We knew way back in 2003 and we wanted to be together traveling the world forever, we just didn’t know how to make that dream come true.

I realize that many people have that dream, but we felt it deep in our bones. It was more of a yearning than a fantasy. When we were traveling, we felt at home. We knew that on the road was where we were meant to be.

Another Backpacker

In 2004 we were like many backpackers traveling around South East Asia, but unlike the many others out there, we were already brainstorming with ideas of how we could continue to travel for the rest of our lives. We knew we wanted more than just a one-year escape.

We didn’t have the answers yet, but we knew that we couldn’t keep working at our current jobs for the next 20 years hoping that we’d one day be able to retire and finally live our dreams. So we started making plans. Check out more travel jobs by our pals at goats on the road .

Steps to Living a Life of Travel

1. change your spending habits.

We used to spend a lot of money on things that didn’t better our lives. We’d buy $4 lattes, go out to dinner several times a week and we’d buy new designer clothes. The more popular the brand name, the better.

On the weekends, we’d drop $200 on a meal and not even blink at the cheque, and then we’d go to movies spending a good $50 on tickets and popcorn.

Well, all that changed when we decided we decided that we were going to live a life of travel once and for all.

2. Find Affordable Things to do

It was a big decision but we decided to put away enough money to sustain ourselves for a year. We knew that once we took the plunge, we would have to go 100% into fulfilling our dreams, so we needed a nest egg while we worked to become professional travel bloggers.

We ate at home and cooked at home. We made our own gourmet coffees, and instead of going out to the movies all the time, we rented movies. When we wanted to go to the bar, we instead had a glass of wine at home and invited friends over, it was much more affordable.

Our activites changed from spending money on expensive meals and nightclubs, to doing free and exciting things on the weekend like mountain biking, rock climbing, or snowshoeing.

We didn’t drop cash at the bar, on expensive meals, or on expensive weekend getaways to a suite in Niagara Falls anymore. We did as many things as possible for free.

Wwe went camping and spent our time outdoors.It was much more fulfilling and a lot easier on our pocketbooks.

Note: At this time in our lives, we still didn’t know how we were going to become full-time travelers, we just knew that we wanted it to happen one day and that we had to be ready when we finally figured it out. By having a nest egg and by not having anything tying us down, we’d be ready to jump at any opportunity.

3. Downsize

People have often said to us “ I wish that I could do what you do, but I can’t afford it ” Well if you really truly want to travel. It can be really easy to save and build a nest egg. We sold our house and most of our contents and went back to renting a small one-bedroom apartment.

This freed up a lot of our income to put towards our travel savings fund. Getting a small one bedroom apartment that included utilities, cable and parking helped us plan our monthly budget.

4. Get Rid of Debt and Wasted Expenses

We also went down to one automobile. We used to drive two cars and paid an expensive monthly lease. But when the leases came due, we let them go and bought a used car. Our monthly payments were less, and our insurance cost less too because we no longer had to pay for the collision coverage since our car was so cheap. If our car was damaged it didn’t matter because we paid next to nothing for it anyway. We drove that car for the next 10 years.

5. Keep All Options Open

Like many people, we knew we wanted something more in life, but we didn’t know what it was that we wanted. We were frustrated. I remember always saying to Dave “ If I only knew what I wanted to do with my life, I know I’d be successful. ” The problem was, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. The only thing we both knew was that travel was to be a part of it.

So, we studied ALL THINGS TRAVEL.

We went to seminars talking about Teaching English as a Second Language , we went to travel trade shows, we watched travel shows like Pilot Guides and Don’t Forget Your Passport.

Little did we know we were honing our adventure skills

We took up as many adventures as we could. We learned how to rock climb, mountain bike, scuba dive, and snowboard. We became avid campers and built our adventure gear arsenal to an impressive list where we actually started to look the part of Adventurer!

We said to ourselves, “one day maybe one of these skills would come in handy.” At the time, we didn’t know it, but all those skills eventually came in handy. We used to call ourselves “ Jacks of all trades and Masters of none. “

6. Nothing is Waste of Time When Searching for your Purpose

We had doubts, of course, we did. We thought, maybe we’re wasting our time and energy trying new things all the time, but we knew that we had yet to find something that we truly loved.

We enjoyed everything, but we didn’t have the passion that some of our rock climbing or scuba diving friends had for one particular sport. Our friends found their passion and all they wanted to do was rock climb around the world, or go scuba diving when they went to a destination. They couldn’t care less if they saw the local culture or witnessed incredible landscape. They wanted to explore under the sea or a new climbing route and that was great!

It just wasn’t for us. We wanted it all. We wanted to be able to climb in one location, dive into another, and shop at the market in yet another. We realized that we wanted it all!

Our lack of focus helped us become true explorers. It was our “Jack of All Trades” mentality that eventually lead us to become travel bloggers.

7. Focus on Strengths

Once we decided that we wanted to have the word “Adventurer” on our business card, we made plans on how we were going to make that happen. After exhausting all possibilities we decided to focus on our strengths.

We had been working in the film business for a long time and learned from the successful people around us . I watched television hosts promote themselves and create their brand and identities and Dave picked the brains of photographers and cinematographers on the movie set.

We knew that we were good at self-promotion and that we knew the TV business well, so we decided to sell an idea.

8. Do Something Epic

We knew that we would have to do something epic to stand out from the crowd. In 2008, backpacking around the world was becoming very popular. When we did it in 2000, not many people were leaving their jobs to travel the world, but now it seemed to be that everyone was taking a sabbatical.

If we did something epic like bicycle from Cairo to Cape Town people would take notice. So that is what we did and Canada’s Adventure Couple was born.

We had a dream of turning our adventures into a TV show. We hired a publicist, sent out press releases, and announced our epic journey. We knew we loved traveling together and that we had the mental stamina to succeed in this race down the continent.

9. Make a Plan

We invested a good chunk of our hard-earned money into this cycling race. We saved for a year putting every penny away and buying new bikes, training, and investing in the entry fee and flights. We didn’t want to take part in an epic adventure only to return to our jobs and resume our lives.

We made a plan that within two years of signing up, we’d be traveling full time. That gave us something to focus on. Having a time limit and a plan to make it happen, kept us focus don our goal. We had no choice but to to figure out a way to keep the momentum going.

10. With Failure Comes Success

We tried pitching a TV series that had a lot of interest but eventually failed. That didn’t deter us though, we had made a lot of TV appearances and were becoming minor celebrities in the online world, so we decided to nurture our 15 minutes of fame and turn it into something bigger.

Drawing on our nearly decade of travel experience, we created a blog that had a focus. We decided to focus on being inspirational and to show people that happy couples are not obsolete and that marriages can last and that the opposite sex can have fun together.

Right from the beginning of creating ThePlanetD, we knew what our message was going to be. We wanted to show that adding a bit of adventure into your everyday lives can help you feel more fulfilled. We wanted to show people that if we can do it, anyone can.

It took us a long time to figure out our purpose, but we never stopped searching and if you really want to change your life, you can do it too. Don’t let age, money or fear stand in your way, if you want something bad enough, you CAN make it happen.

So the message is, never give up, never stop searching and seize the day. What are you going to do to live an unconventional life of travel?

• How to Travel Around the World – The Ultimate Travel Resource
• 21 Ways to Get Paid to Travel
• How to Start a Travel Blog in 11 Easy Steps
• Our 27 Best Travel Tips from 10 Years of Travel
• How to Achieve Your Life Goals
• How Travel Can Change Your Life
• Best Travel Jobs to Spark New Ideas for Your Future Career

Travel Planning Resources

Looking to book your next trip? Why not use these resources that are tried and tested by yours truly.

Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with these two providers. If you are located in Europe use Booking.com and if you are anywhere else use TripAdvisor

Find Apartment Rentals: You will find the cheapest prices on apartment rentals with VRBO . 

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. Here is what we recommend:

• Allianz - Occasional Travelers.
• Medjet - Global air medical transport and travel security.

Need more help planning your trip? Make sure to check out our Resources Page where we highlight all the great companies that we trust when we are traveling.

You May Also Like

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About The Planet D

Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil are the owners and founders of The Planet D. After traveling to 115 countries, on all 7 continents over the past 13 years they have become one of the foremost experts in travel. Being recognized as top travel bloggers and influencers by the likes of Forbes Magazine , the Society of American Travel Writers and USA Today has allowed them to become leaders in their field.

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59 thoughts on “How to Live a Life of Travel: Tips to Getting Started”

Thank you for being a voice of positivity and inspiration in a sometimes negative world.

We too live an unconventional life. We have 13 children, work remotely, home educate and yes, we travel with ten of them too! It *is* possible to live a life of travel – we did two months of the Balkans earlier this year and are about to set off for another couple of months. Want to know more? Let us know!

Thanks for laying this out there. You guys and your adventures are always a huge inspiration to us! Love #3 “We kept all our options open” as we try to live by that same motto. It really makes things so much fun and introduces you to some crazy and exciting experiences of a lifetime. Happy travels!

Thanks John, I’m glad that you are living the life you want as well. We agree, keeping options open is very important. YOu need to be willing to try something new and be open to new experiences. It opens up a whole new world.

LMAO at the first pic:legendary!

Congrats, it has been awesome to follow part of your journey and thanks for the inside scoop 🙂

Ha! Glad you liked it. That’s Dave’s signature pose. At least lately, ever since we downsized, he does a lot of jumping like that.!

Looks like a very happy couple! You two are living with your dreams. I owe you a lot, very inspiring story. Thanks for sharing the tips, I find it really useful. You can manage to save and budget together. Congratulations!

Thank you Marie! Glad we could inspire you. If you really set your mind to something you can do it too. At one point in our lives we didn’t think we’d ever be able to travel the way we wanted to and yet here we are now. If we can do it, anyone can too!

That is a very inspirational story! My wife and I have managed to carve out a life of travel by working in Denali National Park 8 months per year and having four months off. Many of the resorts and tour companies are seasonal up here and it is perfect for travel.

I just need to cut out those $4 lattes and I can do even more…

Wow! that’s fabulous Jeff. Denali is beautiful. I know what you mean about the $4 lattes, we still love them too.

Thanks for this blog and for sharing with us. Me and my husband are planning for a trip to African countrie’s and its first time for us where we have to visit many countrie’s, so I am nervous about the planning that how do I mange everything but your blog gives me confident about the trip. Thank you so much.

LOVED this. Luckily, my boyfriend and I were students when we discovered our love for travel so we didn’t spend a lot of money or lived in an expensive way. That made it pretty easy to take the leap – and we’re actually able to have a better life than we did in Denmark and still spend less. 🙂

Very interesting post, though! And lots of great tips that we need to follow up on. Especially about gaining more recognition and create a brand like you guys have! So inspirational.

We kicked off our nomadic lifestyle with a bike journey as well – around Europe in 3 months on city bikes, normal clothes and no training. We made it and had an epic journey. 🙂

Thanks for sharing your advice.

Awesome article! I hope others will be inspired too to travel and to save, save a lot of money for they travel escapade.

Interesting read indeed! I think turning your lifestyle pretty much upside down and opting for a life on the road requires a certain balance. The biggest hurdle might be the monetary one, but it’s probably the same with all big plans and achievements: mindset matters! I think someone who can tick of the first points on your list is probably almost on the way… 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Oliver. You are right, all big decisions in life require balance and yes, any big plans whether travel related or not can follow these simple rules. It is possible to change your life if you are willing to sacrifice a little to achieve your dream.

Hi Guys: Enjoyed your article and great sense of adventure…I too, have been traveling all my life and now based part-time in the Philippines. I have 7 channels, with over 21 MILLION viewers from 87 countries. Take a look and learn from some of my videos….. Main channel: http://www.youtube.com/globalvideopro1 WEBSITE: http://www.globalvideoprotv.com

Great post! Great ideas! Thank you!

We left the rat-race and have not looked back. Who wants to be “normal?” Life is a journey not a destination. Live it! Take care.

Congratulations on leaving the rat race Curtis. All the best to you!

There’s really no need to clip coupons to save money; it’s not that effective anyway. The best way is to do what you did: downsize, minimize transport costs and cook. I love how you slowly realize what you want to do in life. It’s all about the journey!

Thanks Dela. You are so right, downsizing is key. So many of us in North America live beyond our means. I think back to how little I lived on fresh out of college. If we all kept living simply, we wouldn’t have the burden of all the money problems. For some reason, people feel that as they age, they need to have more ‘things’ and that just weighs them down. We are now in a good financial situation after 6 years of pursuing our dreams, but we have no desire to go back to buying a bunch of things again. Life experience is what we are loving.

This is an eye opening post. Makes one realize that we can all achieve so much with just the right strategy and not necessarily resources. Inspiring and it made me start booking amazing tours. The journey is the destination!

Congratulations! Good luck with your tours.

This is great advice, both inspirational and practical.

Thank you Mariellen!

Firstly congratulations for hanging on and living your dreams. Here I would like to speak about one of my uncles who loves to trek even at this age (he is in his 60s). He’s a quiet man. The only time I get to see a gleam in his eyes is when someone talks about travel… and I shout out in my mind…”I get that oldie..”

Sounds like you have an amazing uncle! I know how he feels, I can feel excitement come over me whenever I get the chance to talk about our own travels.

You two are an inspiration. I am so glad you are living your dream. Thank you for sharing these great tips!

Thanks Mary. I think the two of you have been living the dream as well! Congratulations right back.

Very cool post. Reducing down to one car is something I know our family needs to do if you want to start saving a significant amount, we’re just finding it so hard to bite the bullet on that one!

I know that it can be difficult to go down to one car, especially if you have kids and have to pick them up from sports or dance or hockey practice. It does save a lot of money though. Between car payments and insurance, it’s literally hundreds a month!

Very inspiring post. Traveling is such an important part of a healthy lifestyle and it is wonderful that you are now able to reach so many people to inspire them to add more travel into their lives through your adventures.

Thank you Katherine. That has been our goal in recent years. We want to let people know that it is possible. For so many years we didnt’ think it was possible to change our lives. Now that we have, we want to inspire others to take a chance and follow their dreams. If two regular people like us can do it, anyone can.

Thanks for your tips. Best of luck with your on going travels. Great read.

Great tips- that are good for day to day life as well!

Great Escapes , oh yes I have a number of interesting trips to choose from. I find it fascinating and also confusing when it comes to planning my travel, so I've opted for an unconventional way of travelling that can fund me while I spend time in the air, or on a beach.

Beautiful & Inspiring post!

There’s a point when you just gotta let it all go and dive right in, even if you have no idea what you’re diving into. I left my old work life behind to move down to Mexico about 9 months or so ago and I’ve never been happier.

Anyone can do it, and it doesn’t take a ton of money. It’s just as you said you need to change your perspective, your spending habits. It’s amazing how freeing it can be to not worry about little things like a tv(that’s what the internet is for), brand name clothes(you know you don’t need those $200 pair of jeans), or dining out all the time, even if that only means Mickey D’s. After that the money starts stacking up. 😉

If you wanna travel the world or just become an Expat the only thing stopping you is you, do whatever you can to achieve that dream!

Congratulations Devlin. Wow! It must be amazing living in Mexico. That is something we’d like to in the next year or two. Spend an extended period of time in Mexico. And you hit the nail on the head. Dropping a few of the extra expenses seriously helps the money add up. We had a lot of fun while still being able to save money, jut by changing our habits a little bit.

Good for you Don. Any great adventures planned?

Thanks for this post. Great to hear some behind the scene stories.

I left my home country a year ago, to move to London and last week I left London to travel the world – starting in Sri Lanka, where me and my boyfriend are at the moment.

It´s scary and amazing at the same time to follow your dreams. I will keep follow your adventures here 🙂

Wow! Have a great time in Sri Lanka, it’s one of our favourite countries. And congratulations to traveling the world! Well said to, it’s scary and amazing all at once, but that’s what makes you feel alive. Being comfortable can be very boring. A little fear keeps like exciting.

You are not a failure though at first you fail. But I can say that you became a successful traveler and writer. You are right at first it is difficult. It takes a lot of perseverance and dedication.

You said it Carl Joe, we didn’t have instant success, but when you know what you want, you will keep trying until you succeed and we have no intention of stopping. There will always be ups and down, but we’ll keep on working at what we want for the rest of our lives.

Saving and budgeting is indeed one of the best thing to do. Thanks for the tips that you’ve shared. I find it really useful

Thanks James, I’m glad we could share a few tips with oyu!

It’s always great to see people follow their dream and lovely to see Don’s comment about getting the travel bug at 60! 🙂

Agreed, it is never too late to get the travel bug and change your life. It’s a whole new world, you dont’ need to be 20 to follow our dreams.

Congrats on hanging in there and making your dreams to travel full-ltime come to fruition! AWESOME!!! We share the same deep passion for traveling and try to save our money to go to Europe about once a year. Our friends ask us the same kind of questions or take little "jabs" at us about the financial part and often ask how we can afford to do this. We tell them travel is "our addiction" and to feed our habit, we do many of the same things as you….such as eating at home and making lots of soups from scratch, only getting basic cable service, driving older & easy/low maintenance automobiles with great gas mileage, no big screen TV's or fancy electronics/phones, working from home, buying most of our clothes from second-hand stores, no beverages except for water when we go out for dinner, saving all our spare change, etc. Once we are on our adventures, we really enjoy staying in simple accommodations like small hotels and hostels, having "picnic" lunches and dinners with local foods from the grocery store and 'self-guiding" our trips with well researched itineraries and utilizing public transportation, whenever possible. All of this really adds up in the course of a year and equates to literally thousands of dollars!!!! We gladly sacrifice and make these relatively easy lifestyle changes, to have that money to travel!!! Best wishes for many more adventures, Cheers 🙂

Great advice, thanks for sharing Nora. You make a great point about water only when eating out. I think the most expensive part of the bill is often beverages. You can always go home afterwards to enjoy a glass of wine at a fraction the price. We don’t way to live like Paupers, but cutting back can make a big difference. I say, don’t cut back to the point of making yourself unhappy in life, but definitely cut back on the little things that you can do without. Best to you too!

Couldn’t agree more with you! More than saving and budgeting, I think the passion to travel should be there. Like I am very bad at saving, but I still manage to travel because I really want to!

Good for you Renuka, it sounds like you do well at making your dreams happen.

Awesome post, i'm just getting the bug for travel at the ripe age of 60, my wife has always loved to travel, but me not so much. I've just subscribed to your newsletter and i'm looking forward to reading more of your articles.

Thanks Don! Congrats on living your life to the fullest!

The reason we were able to leave the comfort of regular paychecks a little over 6 months ago is encompassed in your first 3 points. The last 2 are a bit of a work-in-progress, but it’s always encouraging to read about your success. Keep up the stellar work! Good luck!

Great article for all travel lovers! 🙂

Awesome article double D, shared on Twitter!

What’s amazing about all of these kinds of stories is how different they are with respect to their specifics and yet so very similar in their general approach. For the most part everyone who has ever done something like this tells a story of having a dream, shedding material things, and relentlessly working toward their goal. The execution of those steps all take different paths – some people write books, or barter web development services, or create promotional travel videos, or whatever – but they all basically had to first let go of the familiar and then chase after their dream with dogged determination. I know, because that is our story too.

Congrats you guys. Happy travels.

Well said Brian. It’s true, you need to let go of the familiar and chase your dream. Soon, the unconventional begins to feel comfortable.

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Be in This World As a Traveler

On the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar (ra), who said:

The Messenger of Allah (saw) took me by the shoulder and said,

“Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer.”

And Ibn Umar (ra) used to say,

“In the evening do not expect [to live until] the morning, and in the morning do not expect [to live until] the evening. Take [advantage of] your health before times of sickness, and [take advantage of] your life before your death.”

عَنْ ابْن عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم بِمَنْكِبِي، وَقَالَ:

"كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّك غَرِيبٌ أَوْ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ".

وَكَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا يَقُولُ:

إذَا أَمْسَيْتَ فَلَا تَنْتَظِرْ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلَا تَنْتَظِرْ الْمَسَاءَ، وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِك لِمَرَضِك، وَمِنْ حَيَاتِك لِمَوْتِك. [رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ].

Commentary Summary

Commentary coming soon.

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“Our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world as being able to remake ourselves.” ~ Gandhi

What if we lived the way we travel?

It’s been my experience that we let go of many things when we travel. I’d like to propose that those things—the things we loosen our grip on while travelling—are things that don’t need to be held quite so firmly.

1. Notice. Slow down. Reflect.

San Miguel de Allende is one of my favorite places on earth. I’ve visited nine or ten times. If asked to describe heaven, I’d say that it was a long weekend in San Miguel.

After a gorgeous night’s sleep in Room number eight, I’d start to see things differently. I’d become absorbed by the way the golden light fell across our bed. I’d notice the specks of dust in the light shaft, like tiny astronauts travelling between the earth and the sun.

In the town, I’d observe the dogs walking on the shaded side of the street and follow their example. Everything in my path seemed beautiful and noteworthy: the way that rain drops hit the cobblestone streets, the crayola-colors of folk art in store windows, and the markets that smelled like cheese and chicken feet.

We sit at a cafe, content to drink limonada, and people-watch for hours.

We rarely do this at home because we believe there are very important things that must be accomplished, and that we can’t waste time at cafes. Vacations help us understand that we’re not quite as essential to our workplace as we thought. They’re getting by just fine without us.

Noticing leads to slowing down which allows us to reflect. We spend time observing the shape of things. Life exhales and rolls out ahead of us. We dream.

We begin to notice what needs more attention. Romance. Health. Connection.

We begin to wonder—what if we started leaving work at 5:00 p.m.?

Travel is the most profound of all noticing projects.

2. Live with less stuff.

I am a person who is unreasonably attached to things and to people. Perhaps it’s because I have lived away from Canada for fifteen years and travelled to twenty-four countries—five of which I have lived in for a year or longer. I am constantly trying to create a home… even on vacation.

To pack a bag of just twenty-three kilograms feels like a consequence for bad behavior. Nevertheless I became an expert packer, planning outfits from matching trousers, skirts, and tops. At some point, however, the coordinated outfits gave way to jeans, neutral trousers, and black tops and jackets.

Who do I think I’m kidding, anyway? The Parisians know that I’m a tourist and I’m okay with that.

Where I used to pack matching earrings and necklaces for each outfit, I’ve begun opting for simplicity. I’ll take no jewelry other than what I wear on the plane: a simple pair of earrings, a beloved ring from Chaing Mai, and my watch.

The time I once spent managing my travel wardrobe is better spent in the gardens at Versailles, at lunch or browsing in the Red Wheelbarrow, a favorite book shop in Paris.

There’s also a decadent freedom that comes with being responsible for less stuff. It is easier to change your plan and stay for a few extra days, or hop on a train for Vienna.

How would it feel to live at home with the same amount of stuff we pack when we are traveling?

3. Talk to strangers.

My father can talk to anyone. It’s one of the things I most admire about him—this ability to begin a casual conversation, to put the other person at ease, and to crack a joke. I was a quiet and introspective kid and I didn’t think I had his gift.

As it turns out, talking to strangers was waiting inside of me—a latent gift from my father.

While living in Barcelona we spent a Christmas holiday in Eastern Europe. We were catching an early-morning train from Budapest to Prague and I grabbed seats while Damien went to find breakfast.

He arrived back with a Burger King bag (that’s how you roll sometimes when you’re travelling) and I proceeded to spill my very large drink all over the floor of our six-passenger car.

Mortified, I tried to mop up the mess with our napkins and, during the clean up efforts, a young woman joined us in our car. She was quite young—not yet twenty—and her father carried her bag onto the train for her. He had a kind face and he smiled at us as he got off.

Whether it was one of us who spoke first, or Szuszi, I can’t really be sure, but we talked like three old friends all the way from Budapest to Slovakia where she disembarked. As she gathered up her stuff, I wondered if I should give her my email address. The cautious part of me—I’ll blame it on my Canadianness—said “No!” but the intrepid traveller in me said, “Go for it.”

Several days later, I received an email from Szuszi. Since that day on the train we have visited Budapest, spent Boxing Day with her family, and her brothers have stayed with us in our Barcelona flat.

I remember feeling nervous as I handed her my email address. This kind of risk-taking is not my default mode, but reaching out has led to a rich friendship with someone living an inspirational life.

Why did that risk seemed easier on a train in Europe than it does at our grocery store or work place?

4. Reserve judgment.

When we travel, we don’t expect plans to unfold without a hitch—at least not if we are travelling on a budget. We don’t expect that people will speak English. We don’t expect to understand the cultural nuances of everything that happens.

Because we’re not at home and all bets are off.

Shortly after we moved to Bangkok, fifteen colleagues travelled to Koh Samed for a lovely beach weekend. One night, we found an outdoor Thai restaurant where the young waiter helped us move the tables into a long line close to the sea. We pored over our menus, trying to pronounce the names of these amazing dishes.

Some time after we’d ordered, someone wondered aloud about our food and decided to investigate. What he found was that the kitchen consisted of one guy with a wok. When he reported this back to the group, people’s eyes widened at the thought of this enormous task.

Our meals arrived one at a time, as they were ready. The last person’s meal arrived an hour after the first person had finished eating, but no one complained. This restaurant was not equipped to handle dinner for fifteen people at once, but they had done their best and we, in return, had accepted the speed with which they could deliver our meals.

I ate my phad thai with my bare toes buried in the sand.

Most work places are not as soothing as a Thai beach but, in a very profound way, they are like foreign countries. We cannot assume that everyone thinks like us or desires the same outcomes. My travels remind me not to judge a situation without thinking about that Thai dude with the wok.

What I’d really like is to live everyday more like I travel: to notice things, slow down and reflect, to be less attached to stuff, to engage with strangers, and to judge less frequently .

Imagine what it would be like to feel our toes in the sand of our own contented lives.

Photo by Inti

About Monna McDiarmid

Monna McDiarmid writes about travel and gracious living for expats at  http://MonnaMcDiarmid.com   She works as an international school counselor in Yokohama, Japan and helps teenagers with their big life stuff.  Japan is the sixth country she has called home.

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Live Like a Traveller

Hadith: Be in this world as if you are a stranger or a wayfarer

• Virtues and Manners

عن عبد الله بن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال: أخذ رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم- بَمنكِبي فقال: كُنْ في الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ أو عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ». وكان ابن عمر -رضي الله تعالى عنهما- يقول: إذا أمسيتَ فلا تَنْتَظِرْ الصباحَ، وإذا أصبحتَ فلا تَنْتَظِرْ المساءَ، وخُذْ من صِحَّتِكَ لمرضِكَ، ومن حَياتِكَ لموتِكَ. [ صحيح ] - [رواه البخاري] المزيــد ...

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) took me by the shoulders and said: "Be in this world as if you are a stranger or a wayfarer." Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say: "In the evening, do not expect to live until the morning, and in the morning, do not expect to live until the evening. Take advantage of your health before times of sickness, and take advantage of your life before your death." Sahih/Authentic. - [Al-Bukhari]

The main focus of the Hadīth is to urge Muslims to pay little attention to the worldly life, and to not be preoccupied with it at the expense of the Hereafter. It encourages Muslims to have less worldly aspirations, pursue all that is good, and warns them of procrastinating with regard to repentance. It directs Muslims to take advantage of good health before illness befalls them and to utilize their free time before preoccupations take it up.

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Live in this world as a traveller or a stranger

On the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar (Radiyallaahu `anhu) , he relates that the Prophet (Sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) once held my shoulders and said:

“Live in this world as (if you are) a wayfarer or a stranger.”

And Abdullah ibn Umar (May Allah be pleased with them both) used to say:

“If you live till night, then do not wait for the next day (i.e. do not have hopes that you will live to the next day), and if you wake up in the morning do not have hope that you will live till the night. And take (advantage) from your health before your sickness and take advantage of your life before your death (i.e. do every possible obedience in your life before death comes to you for then no deeds can be performed.)”

Bukhari and Tirmidhi

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Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler

Assalamu'alaykum Narrated Mujahid: 'Abdullah bin 'Umar said, "Allah's Apostle took hold of my shoulder and said, 'Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler." ... Sahih Bukhari- Chapter -76-“To make the Heart Tender (Ar-Riqaq)” - Hadeeth 425 Could you please explain in detail the above hadeeth on the basis of Qur'an, Sunnah and the rightly guided Salaf of this Ummah. Jazakallahukhayran

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

All Prophets and their followers advised us to be likewise. Allah, The Almighty, says on behalf of the believing man from the family of Pharaoh (what means): { O my people, this worldly life is only [temporary] enjoyment, and indeed, the Hereafter - that is the home of [permanent] settlement. }[Quran 40:39]

Allah Knows best.

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Be in this life as if you were a stranger or a traveller on a path

Taken from Jami’ al-U’lum wal-Hikam [With the authentication of Salim al-Hilali. Hadeeth #40: Ibn Umar (Radhiallahu ‘Anhum) said: «Allaah’s Messenger (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam) took me by my shoulder and said: “Be in this life as if you were a stranger or a traveller on a path.” Ibn Umar used to say,“If you reach the evening then do not expect to reach the morning, and if you reach the morning then do not expect to reach the evening. Take from your health before your sickness, and from your life before your death."» [Reported by al-Bukhari]  

This hadith is the foundation for limiting one’s hope in this life. So a believer must not take this life as a homeland or permanent residence, his heart being tranquil and resting assured within it. Rather, he must be in it as if he were on a journey, preparing himself to depart. The advice of the Prophets and their followers confirmed this. Allah said, narrating upon a believer at the time of Fir’awn that he said: "O my people! Truly, this life of the world is nothing but a (quick passing) enjoyment, and verily, the hereafter that is the home that will remain forever." [Ghafir 40: 39]

{يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّمَا هَـٰذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا مَتَاعٌ وَإِنَّ الْآخِرَةَ هِيَ دَارُ الْقَرَارِ}

Transliteration: Ya qawmi innama hathihi alhayatu a l ddunya mataAAun wainna alakhirata hiya daru alqarar i Ali ibn Abi Talib used to say, “Certainly this life has begun travelling away, and the hereafter has begun travelling forward, and each has its children. So be from the children of the hereafter, and don’t be from the children of this life. For indeed today there is action with no account, and tomorrow there will be account with no action.” Umar ibn Abdul Azeez said in his khutbah,“This life is not your permanent abode. Allaah has prescribed for it to come to an end and He has prescribed for its people to depart from it. How often has a thriving population been ruined for something insignificant, and how often has a joyful resident been made to depart for something insignificant. So prepare well, may Allaah have mercy on you, for the journey with the best of what you have of preparations, and take provisions, for the best of provisions is Taqwa.” So if this life is not a permanent residence nor homeland for the believer, then the situation of the believer in it must be either one of two conditions: Either as if he were a stranger residing in a strange land with his main concern being to take provisions for his return to his real homeland; or as if he were a traveller, in no way residing in it, rather his every night and day is spent going to his land of residence. For this, the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam) advised Ibn Umar to be in this life in one of these two conditions: The first condition: That the believer abandons himself as if he were a stranger in this life, appearing to be a resident, yet really in a strange land. So his heart is not attached to this strange land. Rather, his heart is attached to his homeland that he is returning to. He is only staying in this life to fulfill his objective – preparing for the return to his homeland. Al-Fudhayl ibn Iyyad said: “A believer in this life is worried and sad. His worry is the objective of preparing himself. So whoever’s condition in this life is such, then he has no concern other than taking provisions from what will benefit him during the return to his homeland. So he does not compete with the people of the land, among whom he is merely a stranger, in what they consider honorable. And he does not become worried if he seems insignificant among them.” Al-Hasan (al-Basri) said: “The believer is like a stranger. He does not become worried due to being insignificant in it (this life), and he does not compete for honor in it. His condition is one and the people are in another condition. Whenever Allah created Adam (‘Alayhis Salaam), He made him and his wife reside in Paradise. Then he was put out of it, yet was promised to return to it, he and the righteous ones among his offspring. So the believer is always longing for his first homeland…” The second condition: That the believer lowers himself in this life as if he were a traveller, in no way residing in it. He is only moving along in one of the points of his journey until he finishes his journey to its end, which is death. Whoever’s condition in this life is such, then his main concern is obtaining the provision for the journey. He is not concerned with an Abundance of the enjoyment of this life. For this reason, the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam) advised a group of his Companions for their main concern in this life to be like the provision of a traveller. One of the Salaf wrote to one of his brothers: “Oh my brother, it appears to you as if you are a resident. However, you are really only persistently travelling, and you are moving rapidly. Death is heading towards you, and this life is passing behind you. What has passed of your life will not return to you (to rectify it) on the Day of Taghabun (The Day of Resurrection).” Al-Fudhayl ibn Iyyad said to a man, “How many (years) have come upon you?“ He replied, “Sixty years.” He said, “Therefore, for sixty years you have been going to your Lord and you are about to reach (Him).” So the man said, “To Allaah we belong and to Him we are returning!” So al-Fudhayl asked, “Do you know the meaning of that (statement)? You are saying, ‘I belong to Allaah as a servant and I am going to return to Him.’ So whoever knows that he belongs to Allaah as a servant and that he will return to him, then he should know that he will be stopped. And whoever knows that he will be stopped, then he should know that he will be questioned. And whoever knows that he will be questioned, then let him prepare an answer for the question.” The man asked, “So what should I do?” He said, “It is easy.” The man again asked, “What is it?” al-Fudhayl said, “Do good in what remains, then what has passed shall be forgiven. Yet, if you do evil in what remains, then you will be taken to account for what has passed as well as for what remains.” Some of the wise people said, “Whoever made the days and nights his riding animal, then they will take him (to his destination) even if he doesn’t move.” al-Awzaa’i wrote to one of his brothers, “As to what follows: You have been encompassed from every side. Know that you are moving forward with each day and night. So beware of Allaah and of the standing between His hands. And your final promise will be with Him. Was-Salam.” As for the advice of Ibn Umar, then it is based upon this Hadeeth that he himself has narrated. It (his advice) includes an end to prolonged hope. And that if a person happens to reach the evening, then he should not wait for, or expect to reach the morning. And if he happens to reach the morning, then he should not wait for, or expect to reach the evening. Rather, he should assume that his end will reach him before that. With this same meaning, more than one of the scholars have explained the concept of having Zuhd in this life. Al-Marwathi said: It was said to Abu Abdullah – meaning Ahmad (ibn Hanbal), “What is the meaning of having Zuhd in this life?“ He said, “Not prolonging hope too much – He who says when he wakes up, ‘I will not reach the evening.’” He said, “And Sufyaan (ath-Thawri) said likewise.” It was then said to Abu Abdullah, “With what do we seek help in not prolonging our hope?” He replied, “We don’t know. It is only by Tawfiq (Success exclusively granted by Allaah).” As for his (Ibn Umar’s) statement: “Take from your health before your sickness, and from your life before your death.” Meaning: Take advantage of being able to do righteous deeds with what remains of your health before sickness prevents you from them, and from your life before death prevents you from them. And in another narration: “..For surely, oh servant of Allah, you don’t even know what your own name will be tomorrow.” Meaning: Perhaps tomorrow you will be among the dead, not the living. The meaning of this advice has been reported from the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam) from a different perspective. It is reported that Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam) said: «There are two blessing which many people are deprived of: health and free time.» [Reported by: Bukhari]  

And in the Mustadrak of al-Hakim, it is reported that Ibn Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam) said to a man while advising him: «Take advantage of five things before five other things: from your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your richness before your poverty, your free time before you become occupied, and from your life before your death.» [Authenticated by: Al-Albani]  

The meaning of this is that all of these things hinder the performance of deeds. Some of them personally preoccupy the person such as his poverty, richness, sickness, his old age, or his death. Others are more general such as the establishment of the Last Hour, the appearance of the Dajjal, and o ther disturbing trials as is mentioned in the Hadeeth: «Take the initiative to do deeds, before trials come like a piece of a dark night (unexpectedly. » [Reported by Muslim, no. 118]  

After the appearance of some of these more general events, no deeds will be of any benefit as Allah said: “The day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his Faith.” [Al-An'am 6: 158]

{ يَوْمَ يَأْتِي بَعْضُ آيَاتِ رَبِّكَ لَا يَنفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِن قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرً } الأنعام: 158

Transliteration: yawma yatee baAAdu ayati rabbika la yanfaAAu nafsan eemanuha lam takun amanat min qablu aw kasabat fee eemaniha khayran In the two Saheehs (al-Bukhari and Muslim), Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam) said: «The Hour will not be established until the sun rises from the west. So when it rises and the people see it, they will all believe. That is when the faith of a person will not benefit him if he did not previously believe or if he did not earn good by his faith.»  

And in Saheeh Muslim, the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam) said: «There are three events that if they occur, the faith of a person will not benefit him if he did not previously believe or if he did not earn good by his faith: the rising of the sun from the west, the Dajjal, and the Beast from the earth.» [ Reported by Muslim, no. 158.]  

Also in Sahîh Muslim, the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam) said: «Whoever repents before the sun rises from the west, Allaah will accept his repentance.» [Reported by Muslim, no. 2703.]  

Abu Musa narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam) said: «Allah extends his hand during the night to accept the repentance of the sinner of the day, and He extends his hand during the day to accept the repentance of the sinner of the night, until the sun rises from the west.» [Reported by Muslim, no. 2759 ]  

So the believer must take the initiative in performing righteous deeds before he is overtaken by the decree and prevented from doing them either by sickness or death, or by some of these signs reaching him after which no deed will be accepted. Abu Hazim said,“The merchandise of the hereafter is in little demand. It is about to be spent with no one obtaining it except a few, not many.” So when a person is prevented from deeds, nothing remains for him except regret and sorrow. He will wish to return to the previous situation in which he was be able to perform deeds, yet wishing at that time will not benefit him in anything. Allah, the Most High says: “And turn in repentance and in obedience with true Faith (Islamic Monotheism) to your Lord and submit to Him, (in Islam), before the torment comes upon you, then you will not be helped. And follow the best of that which is sent down to you from your Lord (i.e. this Qur’aan, do what it orders you to do and keep away from what it forbids), before the torment comes on you suddenly while you perceive not! Lest a person should say: ‘Alas, my grief that I was undutiful to Allaah (i.e. I have not done what Allah has ordered me to do), and I was indeed among those who mocked [at the truth!' i.e. La ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah), the Qur'aan, and Muhammad and at the faithful believers, etc.] Or (lest) he should say: ‘If only Allah had guided me, I should indeed have been among the Muttaqûn (pious and righteous people)’. Or (lest) he should say when he sees the torment: ‘If only I had another chance (to return to the world) then I should indeed be among the Muhsinûn (good-doers).’” [Az-Zumar 39: 54-58]  

Transliteration: Waaneeboo ila rabbikum waaslimoo lahu min qabli an yatiyakumu alAAathabu thumma la tunsaroon a (54) Wa i ttabiAAoo ahsana ma onzila ilaykum min rabbikum min qabli an yatiyakumu alAAathabu baghtatan waantum la tashAAuroon a (55) An taqoola nafsun ya hasrata AAala ma farrattu fee janbi Allahi wain kuntu lamina a l ssakhireen a (56) Aw taqoola law anna Allaha hadanee lakuntu mina almuttaqeen a (57) Aw taqoola heena tara alAAathaba law anna lee karratan faakoona mina almuhsineen a And He says: “Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allah), he says: ‘My Lord! Send me back, so that I may do good in that which I have left behind!’ No! It is but a word that he speaks, and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected.” [Al-Mu'minûn 23: 99-100]  

Transliteration: Hatta itha jaa ahadahumu almawtu qala rabbi irjiAAoon i (99) LaAAallee aAAmalu salihan feema taraktu kalla innaha kalimatun huwa qailuha wamin waraihim barzakhun ila a yawmi yubAAathoon And He, the Mighty and Majestic, says: “And spend (in charity) of that with which We have provided you, before death comes to one of you and he says: ‘My Lord! If only You would give me respite for a little while (i.e. return to the worldly life), then I should give Sadaqah (i.e. Zakat) of my wealth, and be among the righteous.’ [i.e. perform Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah)] And Allah grants respite to none when his appointed time (death) comes. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” [Al-Munafiqoon: 10-11]  

Transliteration: Waanfiqoo min ma razaqnakum min qabli an yatiya ahadakumu almawtu fayaqoola rabbi lawla akhkhartanee ila ajalin qareebin faassaddaqa waakun mina a l ssaliheen a (10) Walan yuakhkhira Allahu nafsan itha jaa ajaluha wa A llahu khabeerun bima taAAmaloon a So since the matter is like this, it is incumbent upon the believer to take advantage of what remains from his life. In explanation of this, it is said: “the remainder of the believer’s life is priceless.” Sa’id ibn Jubayr said, “Each day the believer lives, is a treasure.” Translators Note: A large amount of Arabic poetry, due to the difficulty in translating it adequately, has been omitted.

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• Tags: # death # life # stranger # passer by

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Hadith Commentary

"I hear a hadith being said by someone and I would give it my full attention and concentration as if I'm hearing it for the first time, when in fact, I have heard that hadith before that person's mother gave birth to him"

Hadith 40. Be as a stranger or a wayfarer

On the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar (RadhiyAllahu ‘anhuma), who said: The Messenger of Allah (SallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) took me by the shoulder and said,

“Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer.”

And Ibn Umar (RahiyAllahu ‘anhuma) used to say, “In the evening do not expect [to live until] the morning, and in the morning do not expect [to live until] the evening. Take [advantage of] your health before times of sickness, and [take advantage of] your life before your death.”

[Reported by Bukhari]

Brief Commentary

• This is a very important hadith as it governs how we should be in this life and how we should look at it. This life is a trial, and this hadith reinforces and guides a person in how to deal with the trials of this life
• Ibn Rajab said, “And this hadith is a foundation in having short hopes of this life, for the believer should not take this life as a home for him that he feels tranquil in. Rather, he should be in it like he is about to leave, preparing himself for his departure, and the advice of the Messengers (‘alayhim assalam) and their followers are all in unison with this idea”
• We see in this hadith how the prophet (SallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) used to nurture his followers and not just teach them academically
• Ibn Umar (RadhiyAllahu ‘anhuma) was young, yet he remembered exactly how the prophet (SallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) relayed the hadith to him, and this is a testament to the teaching style of the prophet (SallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam)
• Dunya (life) is derived from the word دنو , which is to be close/very lowly
• This is something that the prophets (‘alayhim assalam) used to teach their people. The prophet (SallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, “What is the dunya for me. An example of me and the dunya is that of a traveller who naps under the shade of a tree, then departs and leaves it” [Reported by Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi]
• Ibn Rajab said, “And if the dunya to a believer is not a place of abode, nor a home, then a believer should be with regards to the dunya, in one of two states. Either he is like a stranger living in a land strange to him ,and his main aim is to gather what he requires to return to his home, or like that of a traveller who does not stay in one place; his night and day is spent in travelling towards his homeland”
• His main concern will be on focusing his efforts in getting to his homeland, Jannah
• Is not content with residency in this life because it is not his home. This doesn’t mean he should be sad, but a believer’s apparent sadness (due to hereafter matters) is in fact his happiness. We are content with the decree of Allah, but are not content with staying in this dunya
• Does not compete with others in worldly matters
• Is not grieved over worldly matters, even loss of loved ones. Being sad due to losing someone you love is fine, but it shouldn’t affect our worship
• Nurtures strong love and yearning for the hereafter, which is done by learning about it. This also decreases love for the dunya, so we should use this remedy when we feel attached to the dunya
• Ibn Rajab said, “When Allah created Adam (‘alayhi assalam), he placed him and his wife in Jannah. Then, they were taken down from Jannah, and promised to return to it along with the righteous from their offspring. Hence a believer is always longing and yearning to return to his first (and original) home”
• A wayfarer is more not at home than a stranger
• Scholars say the “or” here means but i.e. a wayfarer is a higher position than a stranger
• A stranger is a settler, so may buy things to settle, but a wayfarer only buys what is necessary to maintain himself
• A wayfarer is more concerned with taking the wrong path or getting lost, even if they were on the right path, so is more alert
• The statement of Ibn Umar (RadhiyAllahu ‘anhuma) is his explanation and understanding of the hadith
• The statement does not contradict high aspirations. It is saying we should not expect to live long, but we should plan for it, just in case we do live longer. Scholars say this is an example/definition of asceticism
• Being ill acts as a barrier between us and doing good deeds so we need to take advantage of our health
•  The prophet (SallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, “Two blessings people are aggrieved by them, Health and free time” [Reported by Bukhari]
• The thing that deceives people is free time. Productive people usually don’t have a lot of free time, whilst unproductive people have a lot of free time which then causes them to procrastinate. Hence a believer should always try and keep himself busy so that he can also be productive
• The best way to deal with the trials of the dunya is with knowledge and righteous deeds

Benefits and Action points:

• Understand the reality of this life and that it is very lowly
• Do not seek to be a stranger, but it comes naturally to whoever is following teachings of the Quran and Sunnah correctly
• Living as if you will die tomorrow and having high aspirations are not contradictory, but are two different things. A believer should live as if he will die tomorrow but plan as if he will live for long
• Look at the ill people around you and take heed from their illness and focus on doing more good while you are still healthy
• Understand that your true home is Jannah and you are now here on a trip towards Jannah so ensure you follow the right path so you can reach your goal, and do not waste your time taking with you unnecessary items that will only slow you down and push you further away from home

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17 thoughts on “ hadith 40. be as a stranger or a wayfarer ”.

Cool سبحنلله

There is one thing that has been drilled into our heads and we are too stubborn to question: Live as if you would die tomorrow but plan as if you would live long.

How does that make any sense? Why would we want to “plan” for a long time. Our plans do not matter. Allah’s plan is what matters. We have to surrender to His plan instead of going crazy constantly planning ahead and then finding out that something entirely different is happening. What a miserable way to live, constantly planning about the worldly life.

I believe it is the translation inefficiency. I grew up with the translation as “act” or “work” as if you gonna life forever. Waallahulam

Is this Authentic? I am writing a book and would like to know is it Sahiih.

This hadith is found in Sahih Bukhari so is authentic

is this Sahiih, Authenic?

Asalamo 3laykom

I personally find this to be a beautiful hadith, one of my favorites, I think the commentary above is accurately detailing the meaning of this hadith, and overall I find this page to be an amazing read that every Muslim and non-Muslim should ponder over as there can be great benefit in its reflection.

I would like to provide a brief comment and/or response to the first comment by “QuestionThings”. This hadith and interpretation deserve a response to your question so that others who come across this page have an alternative view.

My initial observation is that your first sentence is generalizing in nature and would recommend avoiding this when being critical of any literature (re: “There is one thing that has been drilled into our heads and we are too stubborn to question”) My initial response is “Who’s heads?” and “Who is too stubborn?” Muslims? All 2 billion of us? Do you really believe that all Muslims heads are being drilled into? That kind of sounds like the antithesis of Islam in nature.

That being said, your comment is in regards to the following statement:

“Live as if you would die tomorrow but plan as if you would live long.”

Your questioning is fair, as we should always try to understand more, and while I fully disagree with the explanation you provided in your disagreement, I will do my best inshAllah to provide a different perspective on how to approach this statement, which I hope creates some clarity to you or any other reader who comes across your comment b’izn’Illah.

The first half of the statement, “live as if you would die tomorrow” simply means live your life in a righteous manner (aligned with the 5 pillars, the Quran and the Sunnah). Do not delay or put off a good deed as you may not be given the chance or time to do it tomorrow (later on). Our death may come at anytime so do your best every day.

The second half of the statement, “but plan as if you would live long” beautifully compliments the first half. I can be interpreted in numerous ways in my opinion. Depending on the mindset of the reader, a different interpretation may be required. That is the beauty of how it compliments the first half. For example, if you have been enlightened by this hadith, perhaps you are now afflicted with sadness due to the realization or thought process which says “What is the point of doing anything if I’m leaving soon”. “plan” addresses this concern because although we are here temporarily, we must still use what Allah has provided us (ie: good health) to ensure we do not fast forward our own deterioration. Yes Allah plans, and he is the best of all planners, but we should still take care of ourselves, eat well, exercise, pay bills, not end up homeless, help others, etc.

This statement is an interpreation of the hadith itself “Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer.”. The page above lists the details of its meaning, so if you are still unclear on what it means, try reading the points on the page again and inshAllah you will find peace in it, as I have.

I would like to provide a brief comment and/or response to the first comment by “QuestionThings”. This hadith and interpretation deserve a response to your question so that others who come across this page have an alternative view.

My initial observation is that your first sentence is generalizing in nature and would recommend avoiding this when being critical of any literature (re: “There is one thing that has been drilled into our heads and we are too stubborn to question”) My initial response is “Who’s heads?” and “Who is too stubborn?” Muslims? All 2 billion of us? Do you really believe that all Muslims heads are being drilled into? That kind of sounds like the antithesis of Islam in nature.

“Live as if you would die tomorrow but plan as if you would live long.”

Your questioning is fair, as we should always try to understand more, and while I fully disagree with the explanation you provided in your disagreement, I will do my best inshAllah to provide a different perspective on how to approach this statement, which I hope creates some clarity to you or any other reader who comes across your comment b’izn’Illah.

The first half of the statement, “live as if you would die tomorrow” simply means live your life in a righteous manner (aligned with the 5 pillars, the Quran and the Sunnah). Do not delay or put off a good deed as you may not be given the chance or time to do it tomorrow (later on). Our death may come at anytime so do your best every day.

The second half of the statement, “but plan as if you would live long” beautifully compliments the first half. I can be interpreted in numerous ways in my opinion. Depending on the mindset of the reader, a different interpretation may be required. That is the beauty of how it compliments the first half. For example, if you have been enlightened by this hadith, perhaps you are now afflicted with sadness due to the realization or thought process which says “What is the point of doing anything if I’m leaving soon”. “plan” addresses this concern because although we are here temporarily, we must still use what Allah has provided us (ie: good health) to ensure we do not fast forward our own deterioration. Yes Allah plans, and he is the best of all planners, but we should still take care of ourselves, eat well, exercise, pay bills, not end up homeless, help others, etc.

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AssalamoAlaikum Whose commentary is this? I would like the reference for Ibn Rajab’s words as I need to use it somewhere. JazakAllahu khair!

Walaikum assalam, Ibn Rajab’s words are all taken from his commentary on جامع العلوم والحكم for which a translation has been published, titled, “The compendium of knowledge and wisdom”.

JazakAllahu Khayr. Alhamdulillah

Alhamdulillah

Allahumma Baarik.

May Allah grant you, your team and family Jannah without reckoning. Aameen

what are the differences between a stranger and a wayfarer?

Jazak Allah Khayr

Jazakumullahu khairan 🙏🏽 for sharing.

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Narrated Imran ibn Husayn:

I went on an expedition with the Messenger of Allah (saws), and I was present with him at the conquest. He stayed eighteen days in Mecca and prayed only two rak'ahs (at each time of prayer). And he said: You who live in the town must pray four; we are travellers .

Sa'id ibn Amr al-Qurashi quoting his father said: Ibn Umar (once) saw some fellow travellers of the Yemen. They had their saddles (on camels) of leather. He said: If anyone likes to see the fellow travellers most resembling to the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (saws), he should see them.

Narrated Samurah ibn Jundub:

To proceed, the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Anyone who associates with a polytheist and lives with him is like him.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from his father that Umar ibn al-Khattab prayed two rakas with the people of Makka, and then, when he had finished, he said, "People of Makka, complete your prayer, becausewe are a group of travellers ." Later, Umar prayed two rakas with them at Mina, but we have not heard that he said anything to them on that occasion.

Malik was asked whether the people of Makka should pray two rakas at Arafa or four, and whether the amir of the hajj, if he was a Makkan, should pray dhuhr and asr with four rakas or two, and also how the people of Makka who were living (at Mina) should pray, and he said, "The people of Makka should pray only two rakas at Arafa and Mina for as long as they stay there, and should shorten the prayer until they return to Makka. The amir of the hajj, if he is a Makkan, should also shorten the prayer at Arafa and during the days of Mina. Anyone who is living at Mina as a resident should do the full prayer at Mina, and similarly anyone who lives at Arafa and is a resident there should do the full prayer at Arafa."

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:

Abdullah ibn Dinar said: The sun set when I was with Abdullah ibn Umar. We proceeded, and when we saw that the evening came, we said prayer. He went on travelling until the twilight disappeared and the stars became thick. He then slighted and combined the two prayers. Then he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (saws); when he hastened his travelling , he would pray like this prayer of mine. He said: He would combine the two prayers after the passing of a part of night. AbuDawud said: This has been transmitted by Asim ibn Muhammad from his brother on the authority of Salim and this has also been narrated by Ibn AbuNajih from Isma'il ibn AbdurRahman ibn Dhuwayb saying that Ibn Umar would combine the two prayers after the disappearance of twilight.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that he heard a man ask Urwa ibn az-Zubayr about a man who said to his wife, "Any woman I marry along with you as long as you live will be like my mother's back to me." Urwa ibn az-Zubayr said, "The freeing of slaves is enough to release him from that."

Malik said, "The recognised and permitted form of qirad is that a man take capital from an associate to use. He does not guarantee it and in travelling pays out of the capital for food and clothes and what he makes good use of, according to the amount of capital. That is, when he travels to do the work and the capital can support it. If he remains with his people, he does not have expenses or clothing from the capital."

Malik said, "There is no harm in the two parties in a qirad helping each other by way of a favour when it is acceptable to them both."

Malik said, "There is no harm in the investor of the capital buying some of the goods from the agent in the qirad if that is acceptable and without conditions."

Malik spoke about an investor making a qirad loan to a man and his slave, to be used by both. He said, "That is permitted, and there is no harm in it because the profit is property for his slave, and the profit is not for the master until he takes it from him. It is like the rest of his earnings."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam from Ata ibn Yasar that Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan sold a gold or silver drinking- vessel for more than its weight. Abu'dDarda said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbidding such sales except like for like ." Muawiya said to him, "I don't see any harm in it." Abu'd-Darda said to him, "Who will excuse me from Muawiya? I tell him something from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he gives me his own opinion! I will not live in the same land as you!" Then Abu'd-Darda went to Umar ibn al-Khattab and mentioned that to him. Umar ibn al-Khattab therefore wrote to Muawiya, "Do not sell it except like for like , weight for weight."

Narrated Kathir ibn Qays:

Kathir ibn Qays said: I was sitting with AbudDarda' in the mosque of Damascus.

A man came to him and said: AbudDarda, I have come to you from the town of the Messenger of Allah (saws) for a tradition that I have heard you relate from the Messenger of Allah (saws). I have come for no other purpose.

He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allah will cause him to travel on one of the roads of Paradise. The angels will lower their wings in their great pleasure with one who seeks knowledge, the inhabitants of the heavens and the Earth and the fish in the deep waters will ask forgiveness for the learned man. The superiority of the learned man over the devout is like that of the moon, on the night when it is full, over the rest of the stars. The learned are the heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets leave neither dinar nor dirham, leaving only knowledge, and he who takes it takes an abundant portion.

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin:

The prayer was prescribed as consisting of two rak'ahs both when one was resident and when travelling . The prayer while travelling was left according to the original prescription and the prayer of one who was resident was enhanced.

Narrated AbuUbaydah ibn al-Jarrah:

I heard the Prophet (saws) say: There has been no Prophet after Noah who has not warned his people about the antichrist (Dajjal), and I warn you of him. The Messenger of Allah (saws) described him to us, saying: Perhaps some who have seen me and heard my words will live till his time. The people asked: Messenger of Allah! what will be the condition of our hearts on that day? Like what we are today? He replied: Or better.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Hisham ibn Urwa said, "My father, Urwa, used to travel in Ramadan, and we would travel with him, and he used to fast while we would break the fast, and he would not tell us to fast."

Narrated Ruwayfi' ibn Thabit:

Shayban al-Qatbani reported that Maslamah ibn Mukhallad made Ruwayfi' ibn Thabit the governor of the lower parts (of Egypt). He added: We travelled with him from Kum Sharik to Alqamah or from Alqamah to Kum Sharik (the narrator doubts) for Alqam.

Ruwayfi' said: Any one of us would borrow a camel during the lifetime of the Prophet (saws) from the other, on condition that he would give him half the booty, and the other half he would retain himself.

Further, one of us received an arrowhead and a feather, and the other an arrow-shaft as a share from the booty.

He then reported: The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: You may live for a long time after I am gone, Ruwayfi', so, tell people that if anyone ties his beard or wears round his neck a string to ward off the evil eye, or cleanses himself with animal dung or bone, Muhammad has nothing to do with him.

Malik said, "If the imam stops off on a journey in a town where jumua is obligatory and he gives a khutba and takes the jumua prayer for them, then the people of the town and any other people present do the jumua prayer with him."

Malik said, "If the imam gathers people for prayer while he is travelling in a town where the jumua prayer is not obligatory, then there is no jumua for him, nor for the people of the town, nor for anyone else who joins them for the prayer in congregation, and the people of the town and anyone else who is not travelling should complete the prayer."

Malik added, "A traveller does not have to do jumua "

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that AIi ibn Husain used to say, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would join dhuhr and asr if he wished to travel the same day, and he would join maghrib and isha if he wished to travel the same night."

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The “live like a local” travel ethos has failed—the question is what will replace it

Remember travel before the internet? Before blogs and Instagram geotags told you where to eat and drink; before Uber took you to places you didn’t know how to get to; and Airbnb meant you could afford a week-long stay in a locals’ apartment for the same price as two nights in a hotel?

For many modern travelers, traveling without a smart phone is a distant memory. Indeed, the era of internet-enabled travel has been defined by the lofty goal of “living like a local”—seeking out experiences that a hotel concierge or guidebook is unlikely to suggest. However, there’s just one problem with our fervor for Airspace apartments and Instagrammable cafes: Our love of living like a local has consequences for actuals locals’ lives.

This relatively new lack of separation between touristic and local life has had knock-on effects that a cheerful Airbnb ad or a blog post from a travel influencer don’t cover. They range from micro complaints, like once humble cafes being gentrified to serve Brooklyn-style fare, to macro assertions ( fair or not ) that home-sharing in certain neighborhoods impacts housing prices.

Even from a traveler’s point of view, it’s  not quite as fun  to book an Airbnb in a charming building and then find that the residents don’t want you there. As over-tourism , housing crises, and income inequality continue to define urban life in many popular destinations, it appears that tension between “traveler locals” and actual locals has only just begun.

If you’re looking for a destination that perfectly encapsulates all these issues, then Lisbon, Portugal is it. The city has experienced somewhat of an economic renaissance in the post-recession years, with liberalization of the housing market and an influx of foreign investment—with a wave of tourists following suit. Arrivals to the city now number  4.5 million annually , a figure which is a eight times the city’s population. As the New York Times recently reported, “some residents complain of a dual economy, split between those who deal with tourists and the rest” as well as the “Disneyfication” of Lisbon.

Rebecca Stone is a senior research analyst at travel intelligence website Skift, and a participant of Remote Year, a company that allows remote workers to travel and work in a different city each month for one year. She recently wrote a piece about her time in Lisbon, reckoning with how to be a traveler in a city where the sentiment towards tourists is hotly debated to say the least.

“Maybe it shouldn’t be about ‘sustainable tourism,'” she writes. “Maybe what it should really be about is ‘sustainable culture.’ How do we sustain cultures without letting tourists overrun them?”

The problem, of course, is that in many of the places most affected by sharp increases of phone-wielding tourists hoping to “live local”— Reykjavik, Bali, Barcelona—it is precisely the vibrancy of the local culture that attracts those tourists in the first place. As Anne Helen Peterson recently documented in her BuzzFeed piece about Nashville’s booming “bach party” industry, many folks go to Nashville precisely because it’s not a typical tourist destination like Las Vegas. However, thanks to  meme-ification of physical spaces , these cities are forced to develop tourist economies at warp-speed, often at the expense of longtime residents.

Take a city like Nashville, which is beloved for its rich history and now iconic, home-grown music and culinary scenes. When Peterson asked groups of tourists why they had chosen Nashville as the destination for their bachelorette party, “the possibility that what makes Nashville so appealing is the culture developed and maintained over decades by people now being priced out to make room for [groups of tourists] to brunch and get drunk, and that that culture might be gradually, steadily eroded by their presence, didn’t seem to occur—at least in terms they could articulate—to any of them.”

Across the world,  cities are clearly beginning to fight back against what this style of travel has wrought. And while Stone noted that collaboration between local officials and companies like Airbnb is a positive step, the scale of the problem is only likely to increase. According to the UNWTO, international arrivals are expected to increase yearly and reach  1.8 billion by 2030 . So, whose responsibility is it to make sure that the most vibrant of places aren’t the most likely to get trampled by tourists? And if living like a local isn’t the answer, then what is?

“It’s going to take tourists deciding to put themselves out there and be thoughtful,” Stone told Quartz. “But it’s also going to to take the large corporations—Airbnb, Marriott, Expedia—getting involved with how we communicate and behave as travelers and how we support it. And then obviously it will take governments to help with some of the issues like housing and some of the impacts they can have on the economy.”

For responsible tourists who truly want to participate in Stone’s ethos of sustaining cultures when they travel, a little more hard work is necessary, too. The early days of the sharing economy—where you could book a flat in a residential neighborhood and a pay for a local walking tour and feel you’d opted out of mass tourism—are over. (Airbnb’s ambition to be one of the largest, full service travel companies in the world might have had something to do with that).

Stone describes her approach as centered more on seeking genuine engagement rather than commoditized “experiences”—an approach that she uses to shape her research and her travel.

“As a slogan, I’ve found ‘live like a local’ frustrating. Was the intention ever to live like a local? You were there for five days—I don’t know if that can ever be achieved,” Stone said. “On a personal level, though, I’ve found locals to be very kind to me, especially if you take the time to say ‘tell me more’ I want to better understand, tell me about your history family wherever you are.”

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Survey says … influencers suck as travel agents. Nearly 60% of travelers polled in a recent study by Passport Photo Online say they’ve felt “misled” by their social media shepherds.

Some are even taking to TikTok to complain.

“Post-apocalyptic” is how a disappointed @Malfoy_Drayco described Paris — one of the world’s most hashtagged places — in a video with 5.9 million views.

Meanwhile, @MillenialAlex says every influencer who recommends the Amalfi Coast “deserves jail time.”

Even journalist Daniel Scheffler , who contributes to the New York Times’ travel section, told The Post he was once “catfished” by influencers who led him straight into an unpromisedland. “Shall we say it was a letdown? More like a ‘let’s move up the beach as soon as possible.’”

@millenniallex honestly my main takeaway is if youre gonna come here dont make the same mistake i did – go for at least a week and definitely not TWO DAYS 😭 #amalficoast #eurosummer #dying ♬ original sound – Lexi Jordan

“That’s the dark side of the industry,” explains Scott Eddy , a stockbroker turned travel influencer who says the brands and tourism boards that pay for his trips demand positive posts as deliverables. “While there are a lot of people in this industry who are good friends and treat it as a business, a lot of the new people are just getting into it for the free stuff and social media fame.”

Fortunately, for every destination influencer’s overhype, there’s an underrated dupe. Here is a look at the best swaps for the destinations the flood your feed.

Seoul instead of Tokyo

Tokyo may be intoxicating, but it’s pricey, especially if you’re not getting paid to post. That’s why InsideAsia Tours sends its cost-conscious clients to Seoul, which it says is at least 10% cheaper.

The capital of South Korea also boasts cherry blossoms, bullet trains, temples and ski resorts less than an hour away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. With its artsy vibes, RYSE, Autograph Collection (from $200 per night), is the city’s most Insta-worthy hotel. But don’t take behind-the-scenes military checkpoint photos on your DMZ tour unless you want to end up behind bars. And book early; they only allow around 1,000 tourists per day.

For souvenirs, especially of the skincare variety, head to Myeongdong Shopping Street, and to get the most bang for your buck, food-wise, hit up Flavors. It’s no Nobu, but it is a mainstay on lists of the world’s best all-you-can-eat buffets.

Popoyo instead of Tulum

Unlike Tulum, which has been teeming with influencers for a decade and now has a serious seaweed problem, Popoyo is still relatively undiscovered. It boasts Nicaragua’s most consistent surf, and what it lacks in archeological ruins, it makes up for with sunsets (something east-facing Tulum never sees).

Instead of snorkeling in crowded, cold cenotes, soak in Popoyo’s natural hot springs or explore its tidal pools. And while Tulum has the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, Popoyo is just 50 miles from Apoyo Lagoon Natural Reserve, an ancient crater lake with equally impressive flora and fauna.

Between its garden casitas, ocean-view homes, luxury villas, and cozy inn, the 2,700-acre Rancho Santana (from $300 per night) caters to every style of traveler. And who needs Akumal? One of the property’s five beaches is the birthplace of 6,000 sea turtles annually.

Porto instead of Paris

While every list of the most overrated tourist attractions has the Eiffel Tower on it, no traveler complains about Porto’s impressive, double-decker Dom Luís I Bridge (designed by a disciple of Gustav Eiffel).

In lieu of the Louvre, head to the new World of Wine museum . At 592,000 square feet, it’s nearly as big, but instead of jockeying for position to get a glimpse of an underwhelming Mona Lisa, you can be getting buzzed while learning all about the world’s oldest demarcated wine region, the nearby Douro Valley.

Another perk of Porto? It’s just a few miles from the Atlantic where you can take a surf lesson with Onda Pura or book a canal tour of Aveiro, Portugal’s answer to Venice. While putting on the Ritz Paris will set you back $2,400/night. For that price, you can get three nights at Porto’s equivalent, the Yeatman , plus dinner in its two Michelin-starred restaurant).

Big Sky instead of Park City

Because of its proximity to a major airport, Park City is saturated with skiers, even on weekdays. But Big Sky , the third-largest ski resort in North America, is remote enough you’ll always find parking and can spend more time shredding the gnar than freezing in lift lines.

You’ll still see celebs — Justin Timberlake and Tom Brady are residents — but you won’t find paparazzi, one reason A-listers are migrating to Montana. Locals don’t dress to impress either; some even ski in Carhartt and cowboy hats, but if bougie is what you’re after, you can always find it at Montage Big Sky (from $1,600 per night) and the One&Only when it opens later this year.

On the other hand, if you want to live out your Kevin Costner “Yellowstone” fantasy and enjoy the scenery from a saddle, stay at Lone Mountain Ranch (from $500 per night). Need to see Old Faithful in the flesh? Book a Yellowstone Safari Company day tour from Big Sky.

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These 7 Properties Will Make You Feel Like You're at the Grand Budapest Hotel

W ith its pastel pink walls and thick red carpets, the design of The Grand Budapest Hotel is immediately recognizable to just about anyone, regardless of whether you’ve seen the film or not (it didn't receive an Academy Award for Best Production Design for no reason.) While you unfortunately can’t stay at the real Grand Budapest Hotel (there isn't one), you can check in to some existing properties that look right out of a Wes Anderson production. These colorful, luxe hotels all stand in the same design spirit as the iconic Grand Budapest.

From a pastel pink resort-style hotel in Marrakech to a lush castle -ette in Salzburg, we've rounded up seven bookable stays where movie buffs and aesthetes can immerse themselves in color and whimsy. In honor of the film's 10th birthday, consider the confection.

All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

One glance at the swimming pool at The Corinthia and you'll be booking your stay. The 49-foot stretch of water is exceptionally Wes—perfectly symmetrical and columned, set beneath a stained glass roof, and a second-floor wraparound balcony overlooks the water. The rest of the property is just as elegant, with a classic exterior that could be called The Grand Budapest's sister. There's also luxe rooms and suites and a central location in the city of Budapest itself. Alongside the pool, you'll find saunas, a steam bath, a hammam, and a variety of spa services.

Located in Stockholm , this opulent property puts the grand in Grand Hôtel. It's palatial, with high ceilings, intricate columns, and delicate crown moulding. With its art nouveau architecture and European design, the Grand Hôtel is built on the type of luxury and glamor that one can only dream of—likely what Anderson imagined the Grand Budapest Hotel would be like during its early heyday. Here, the staff provides exceptional service, and you'll rub elbows with the elite.

You don't need to book a flight all the way to Europe to experience the same atmosphere as The Grand Budapest. In fact, you can find something similar in New York City that is definitely worth a trip. The Bowery Hotel in Manhattan's Lower East Side is the perfect combination of luxe and dreamy. The vibe here is artsy, creative, and a little eccentric—what Anderson is all about. While you'll see all the same rich, lush colors as The Grand Budapest, the ambiance in the common spaces is admittedly a bit darker, with more mood lighting, brass fixtures, and sumptuous velvets befitting its home city.

Just looking at the exterior of this property will have you feeling like you're transported into The Grand Budapest Hotel, albeit without the pink walls. The symmetrical design and location in Salzburg (near Germany where the film was made, and Eastern Europe where the film is set) all work together to make this hotel about as close as you can get to actually sending yourself into the movie. The glass-roofed lobby and artistic presence throughout the main spaces will make you feel the same sense of grandeur, while the knowledgeable and helpful staff and slightly dated decor will stick you back into the right time period.

Just like the glorious Grand Budapest, this luxe hotel in Morocco sports a pink facade of which you’ll want to snap a few pictures. A hallmark of Anderson's style is his use of color . At the Amenjena, creamy pastel pinks coat the walls and rich red carpets adorn the floors—design elements that are similar to what you'll see in the movie but still maintain a twist that is unique to Morocco. While you won’t get the turn-of-the-20th-century feel here, you will be absolutely stunned by its architecture and design. The resort is built around a reflecting pool that is perfect for gazing contemplation, and the vaulted ceilings and arches bring all the same drama and allure.

Burgh Island Hotel

If there's one thing Anderson loves, it's when whimsy meets glamour. This property on Burgh Island on the South Devon coast in the UK fits the bill. Restored to its 1930s art deco design (coincidentally the same time period as the start of The Grand Budapest Hotel ), the glorious property is an island escape that overlooks the water. While it doesn't quite feature all the same art nouveau design elements as The Grand Budapest, we'd like to think that Wes would love the stained glass dome ceiling in the Palm Court Lounge. You can enjoy live 1930s music in the Ballroom, and since the historic hotel is only home to 25 rooms, you'll get that same close-knit feel that you see in The Grand Budapest, thanks to their revolving door of regulars.

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Grandhotel Pupp

Thought to have been the actual inspiration behind the film’s iconic design, The Grandhotel Pupp is in the western Czech Republic, about a two-hour drive from Prague . The luxe property was originally established in 1701 as Saxony Hall and is currently home to 228 rooms. The exterior highlights some of the same details you’ll see in The Grand Budapest Hotel like the domed turrets, the iconic hotel name front and center, and symmetrical windows and columns. The interior is equally as luxe, and while it doesn’t currently feature all the same style choices you’ll find in the 1930s-inspired set, it is still glamorous enough to make you feel like you’re in a movie.