Cross Roads

After the Trip Ends: On Being at a Crossroads

Coming home from a trip like Bali doesn’t just mean unpacking bags and doing laundry. It’s also the moment when the adrenaline quiets and a different kind of reflection begins. There’s this sudden stillness after all the stimulation — and in that stillness, the questions start bubbling up.

Now that the trip is over, what next?

Lately, I’ve found myself standing at a kind of personal crossroads — full of wide-open possibility and a bit of decision fatigue. So many different roads I could go down on.

Do I apply to grad school in Europe? Should I move somewhere new? Stay still and save for a house? Put myself out there and start dating again?

Some days, I’m ready to launch a business and chase big dreams. Other days, I fantasize about a quiet homestead life in New Hampshire, growing my own food, walking barefoot, and never opening my laptop again.

It’s a constant back-and-forth — a stream of “shoulds” and “what-ifs,” as overwhelming as it is expansive.

And I realize: maybe I didn’t have space to ask these questions before the trip. My energy was funneled into planning, saving, and preparing. Now that there’s nothing immediate to work toward, I’m left alone with myself. With the quiet. And with this big, open-ended canvas called the future.

The Uncertainty of the In-Between

This phase of life — the early 20s, the post-grad, post-travel, pre-settled-down — is full of doors that are barely cracked open. It’s a time of limbo, of experimenting, of trying on different versions of yourself. Of realizing that one decision — a move, a job application, a person — can completely reroute your path.

It’s also realizing that your dreams can shift. The life you once pictured might no longer fit. And that’s not failure — that’s growth.

We often think clarity is supposed to arrive. But maybe clarity is what we create by moving forward, even if we’re unsure. We don’t need a five-year plan to begin. We just need a direction — even if that direction changes later.

Lessons from the Crossroads

Here are a few things I’m learning (and re-learning) while standing here, unsure of what’s next:

• It’s okay to change your mind. What you once wanted might not be what you want now. That doesn’t mean you’re lost — it means you’re evolving.

• You won’t know if it’s “right” until you try. No amount of thinking can replace the power of doing. Pick a path, any path, and see where it takes you.

• You can’t live 10 lives at once. And that’s both heartbreaking and freeing. Life unfolds in chapters. You’ll get to write more.

• Everyone is winging it. Even the ones with 9-to-5 jobs, partners, or perfect Instagram feeds. Most of us are figuring it out one day at a time.

• Freedom can feel overwhelming. But don’t confuse uncertainty with failure. Not knowing is a sign that you’re still open — still becoming.

• Comparison is a trap. Ask yourself if you’re chasing something because you want it — or because it fits a timeline someone else made up.

A New Chapter, A New Map

Coming back from Bali has made me realize: I’ve changed. I’ve seen people living all sorts of lives I never imagined — people who’ve redefined “success,” who’ve slowed down, who’ve pivoted completely. I’ve realized that fulfillment can look a thousand different ways.

Now, it’s time to begin again. Not with a perfect plan, but with curiosity.

This next season won’t be about knowing exactly where I’m going. It’ll be about taking steps — any steps — toward a life that feels like mine. And trusting that I can always course-correct along the way.

If you’re at a crossroads too — unsure, overwhelmed, excited — you’re not alone. Let’s walk into the unknown together. One thoughtful, imperfect step at a time.