Traveling has always been in my blood. My grandmother traveled the world solo in her 60’s & my parents are both avid travelers. Just as you can inherit personality traits or talents, I believe you can inherit interests. I certainly got their love of traveling & experiencing new cultures!

I grew up listening to stories of what seemed like other worlds to me. The tales enchanted me and seeing photos of these unique places peaked my interest. My grandmother’s house was, and still is, lined with photos from her many travels across the globe. Photos of women in Asia, pristine beaches in Indonesia, and artwork from the great pyramids of Egypt. I loved gazing at them as a child and asking a million questions about the captivating cultures. My parents had a picture frame of several photos of their trip to Bali, I often looked at those photos and dreamed of exploring the beautiful temples, adventuring through the jungle with monkeys & playing on the beach.

Growing up in Boulder, CO (sometimes called the Boulder Bubble) I was not exposed to many other cultures or different ways of living. Coming from a privileged place in the US it is easy to get wrapped up in material possessions and creature comforts. Those values don’t make for a very well-rounded or understanding human being. While I love Boulder, I knew I was missing out on the full wonder that the world has to offer.

Luckily for my sister & I, my parents did not stop traveling once we were born. My Dad is an fanatic soccer fan. When my sister & I were finally old enough (for his standards) we traveled to Germany for the 2006 World Cup. I was only eight at the time, my sister four. However, the memories from that trip are still ingrained in my mind. The hustle & bustle of the cobblestone city centers, fans cheering in all different languages, & the beautiful history wrapped up in the architectural masterpieces all had me in awe.

Our travels to the World Cup didn’t stop there. In 2010 we traveled all the way to South Africa to experience our second World Cup. This is the trip that had the most impact on me. Now that I was 12, I was much more able to comprehend other cultures & grasp the privilege that I lived with each day in the United States. While in South Africa we volunteered in the Cape Town shantytowns. This completely reshaped my understanding of the world & opened my eyes to some unfavorable traits that I was starting to embody back home. I saw children with nothing who were happier than some of the people I knew back home in America. It instilled in me the truth that material possessions do not bring happiness; community, love, & appreciation are what impart well being. I came home insistent that I would live my life with gratitude & never take more than I needed. That is harder said than done when you enter back into a culture that values meaningless things above all else.

Each time I am graced with a trip outside of America & the teachings of a new culture, I am reminded of what true happiness really means. Each time I step foot on the soil of new land, it reignites in me the desire to see the world. I long to create new memories & gain experiences rather that spending my hard earned dollars on the next new trend.

After graduating college, I had lofty dreams. However, Covid made it hard to bring anything to fruition. I settled for a corporate job in logistics, where I spent the next three years saving up money. Now I am so grateful to be taking a three-month-long journey to Southeast Asia with my boyfriend so we can live out our dream of traveling while we are young. It was the hardest & scariest decision I have ever made; to leave the comfort/assurance of a 9-5 job for the chance to live out my dreams. But recently I was reading a book where the author said “someday is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you” & I don’t want to take my dreams to the grave with me. I want to live them out.