When You Find Something You Didn't Know You Were Looking For: The Journey to Becoming A Traveler

A well loved passport via Instagram | Follow me @stormsatsea 

I have spent the past 5 years traveling abroad. When I am not traveling, I am planning, researching, working saving for the next inevitable trip. With 100 countries and 7 continents on my horizon, my love for travel and incurable case of wanderlust will never be cured. I think one of the most interesting parts of my journey to becoming a traveler is that I didn't discover my love for travel. As silly as it sounds, my love for travel discovered me.

It was September of 2009. I was 19 years old in my 2nd year of community college. I believe at the time I was somewhere in between wanting to major in journalism and sociology, or maybe I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, I can't remember.

One day my mom got the mail and there was some mail addressed to me inside. It was a brochure from my school advertising a trip over spring break in February to London and Amsterdam.

I had wanted to go, but being presented with this opportunity seemingly out of nowhere, I had a lot of questions. I had never been abroad before, and anytime I had been away or on vacation I was usually with my parents. And then there was the cost to think about. But I realized that I would be 20 years old by the time the trip came, and to me, this was a big step but it had to happen sometime. So I decided to do it. I worked and saved, and with that, financial aid and a little help from my Dad, I was able to finance it.

On February 26th, 2010 I left for London, England. I'm sure at the time I was eager to go on the trip, then would come back and continue to take classes and see where it took me. Fortunately, on that trip, something happened to me. In the course of the 9 day trip through London and Amsterdam I had just a small taste of the world and after that, I wanted to experience all of it. I was bit by the travel bug, and hard. Suddenly, I wanted to go everywhere and see everything, and knew I wanted to live abroad. The 20 year old me who left the Tampa International Airport on that day was not the same 20 year old when I came back. That trip changed me, and changed the path I was going to go down, even if I didn't know it yet.

The next year, I heard my school was going to abroad again, this time to Italy. To have the opportunity to see another country, I knew I had to go. Right before I went, a favorite professor of mine told us 'Travel is the best education you can have. Travel now, while you are young. Don't wait until you are my age, do it now.' And even then, I knew he was right. And I took his advice to heart, knowing that I wanted to see the world.

After Italy, I had set my sights on getting to Paris. At this time, I had transferred at a university in Orlando, and knew that a new school meant knew opportunities to travel. The same time the next year, in 2012, I got word that my former school was going abroad again, this time to Germany, Austria and Paris. I knew I had to go, but my school break didn't coincide with the trip. Somehow I made it work, determined to go. I missed school that week, but it was worth it (even though I paid for it dearly when I returned; I was stressed trying to catch up until finals). I spent the week in Paris, Germany and Austria then traveled for the first time by myself from Munich to Paris to stay with a friend for the week. It was a great experience, seeing Paris through a friend who lived there. It was different than seeing Paris as a tourist. We even took the Eurostar to London for a day, hardly knowing that London would play a big role in both of our futures.

That summer I went abroad again through my university, back to London, Paris and Rome. Going back to the cities I had been to two or three times before, and going back in summer were very different experiences than going to a place for the first time in winter. A group of us took a week and traveled around more of Italy after, so I was able to see even more of Italy I had missed the previous time.

Around this time I knew that travel was important to me, and I didn't just want it to be a hobby or something I did in college. I really loved it and wanted it to be somehow a part of my career. At 22, I finally figured out what I wanted after having no idea for so long.

I moved out of state back to New England to study Travel and Tourism. I think sometime between my summer trip abroad and moving to major in travel I realized I wanted to become a traveler. In that time and since, I have sent my sights on thousands of places all around the world to experience. Travel wouldn't be a once in a lifetime thing for me, it would be constant. I realized travel was not a luxury for me, it is a necessity.

I think that first trip abroad was the big step is setting the stage for me to become a traveler. The more I saw the more I wanted to see. One trip has manifested itself into 5 trips, soon to be 7 trips abroad to 4 other continents and 8 countries.

Never did I think 5 years ago on that first trip I would see so much of Europe and South America as well as South Africa coming up. Never did I think I'd be moving to London and be able to see so much more of Europe. People say I have seen a lot, and I have traveled a lot. To a traveler, though...the world is my playground. To me, I have not seen enough, or done enough. There is always more to see, to experience.

To become a traveler, if you wish to do so I think the biggest thing is the first step: to take a trip abroad. Take a trip to Asia, South America, Europe...study abroad, volunteer abroad, work abroad...anything to get you there. Once you get a taste of the world outside of your home country, you'll want to see so much of what our world has to offer. And maybe, once will be enough and you'll settle back into your home country, and that's fine. Or maybe, like myself, once will be enough, and you won't be able to get enough and want to travel to every corner of the world.

Travel showed up in my life during a time when I wasn't looking for it, or looking for anything really. That day I got that brochure in the mail was the day I found the thing I didn't know I was looking for. Out of travel I had found not only myself, but the best version of myself. Out of my adventures abroad I am proud to now, and forever, call myself a traveler.

"We travel, initially to loose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves." - Pico Iyer

A Life In London

As excited as I am to move to London, I'm actually looking forward to settle into a routine there. Sure, the first few weeks I will be on that high of having just moved, the honeymoon phase of moving if you will. I'm very much looking forward to, after a few months, having a routine in the city. I think one reason why is the thought of living in London and building a routine there, going to some of the same places each day or week, getting used to the idea of being there, is something I never thought I'd get to experience, so it means something to me. Here are some things I'm looking forward to in my London life:

Baker Street/Madame Tussuads. This will be a part of my routine because my campus is located here. I take the Tube to the Baker Street stop (I have been here in the past; I'm sure I passed my building before without even knowing!) then my building is right across from Madame Tussauds wax museum. It'll be pretty cool to be greeted by the green domed building each time I exit my classes.

Starbucks. While I don't hope to make this a frequent part of my routine as Starbucks is expensive (especially in London with the prices in pounds), I imagine it's a place I'll stop once in awhile. I always seem to find my local Starbucks wherever I live, and London will be no different. I know there is one near where I live, which is convenient, but I'm going to try to stop there only when I absolutely have to to try and save some money.

Riding the tube. I know many Londoners have a love/hate relationship with the Tube, however I happen to love it. Coming from a city with an unreliable bus system, having a widespread, efficient underground transit system is like heaven. Each morning I'll have class I'm looking forward to walking to my Tube stop, Victoria, riding it to class and getting off at the Baker Street stop where my campus is.

Buckingham Palace. Possibly one of the most exciting things in my routine...weekly walks past the palace. I'll be living less than a mile from here and am going to try to walk around the area (even with the hoards of tourists) even if I have to go a bit out of my way, simply because I want to soak up the fact that I am practically neighbors to the Queen. I want to relish in the fact I live so closely to a famous monument that practically every visitor to London comes to see.

Regent's Park. A 5 minute walk from my campus, Regent's Park is one of the many parks of London dubbed 'the lungs of London'. Being so close to my campus I'm looking forward to spending many an hour in this park, walking around, taking in the relative quiet and open spaces. On days where the weather permits, I'm hoping to do some reading for my classes in this park before I head off to class for the day.

St. James Park. Another one of London's beautiful parks, this time located a few minutes from my building of residence. I've actually never been in this park before, so I'm looking forward to morning walks in the park, coffee in hand, exploring the park and catching glimpses of the top of the London Eye along the way. I think I'll enjoy living to close to this park most in autumn when the trees start to change all sorts of colors and I can surrounded by my most favorite season of the year.

The "Right" Path

In late 2012, I made the decision to leave my current public university, one semester shy of graduation to move out of state to a private university because I wanted to switch my major to Travel/Tourism.

It was a huge risk, and still is. Only recently I've started to say 'it's been worth it so far' and have believed it.

This decision was a huge risk because I didn't know if I was doing the right thing. Maybe I should stay and finish my degree and try to get a job, a bi-weekly paycheck, a 9-5 cubicle. That's what most people view as 'success.' Make money, pay off loans...whatever.

Some people didn't care that I hated my degree. I wasn't proud to have it, and I knew that whatever job I ended up in, if I could even get a job, would have made me incredibly unhappy.

So in changing my degree I have gained internships and experience, been to South America and soon South Africa, and am pursuing grad school and living abroad. Would I have done any of this if I had stayed where I was? Absolutely not.

In pursuing grad school I am once again faced with another huge risk. Probably the biggest risk thus far in my life. And sometimes I wonder if it will be worth it, if it will pay off.

Those times when the crippling fear of debt seems to consume me, seemingly out of nowhere something about London comes up and it reminds me: this is going to work. You're going down the right path. You are doing the right thing.

Maybe it's a sign, or maybe I'm just making it up in my head. Though I know choosing what I really want, and pursuing my own path in my own life has taken me to some incredible places so far, so I'm going to continue to go down my own path and see where it leads me.

September. London and a one way ticket. Let's see where it takes me.

Venice

I was fortunate enough to go to Venice in the summer of 2012 on a trip around Italy with some friends. I had never been to Venice before and was so excited to experience this city.

We took the train in to the train station in Venice which is one of the few ways to get here. The moment I walked out of the train station, suitcase in tow, is a moment I wish I could relive a thousand times over. It truly was a magical feeling, seeing the grand canals, and boats flying past me. I think that moment I fell in love with Venice, and that moment cemented Venice as my favorite place I have been (besides London). 

We got a water taxi at the station and the boat whizzed us off to out hostel. As we rode down the grand canal I realized first hand what a magical place Venice was. It was truly a surreal experience, looking around and seeing boats and water instead of cars and roads.

From the moment I arrived, Venice had me. We got to our hostel after getting very lost, and I was itching to get out and explore more of the city that had taken my breath away from the very beginning. 

I knew I had all of Venice at my feet, and wanted to explore; I wanted to fall more and more in love with the city with every step that I took....and that is what I did.

*As you can see, my photos from previous posts have disappeared. Google+ and I are having some issues, so please bare with me until I can get all of the photos back up.

In 10 years

"Ten years from now, make sure you can say that you chose your life, you didn’t settle for it.” -Mindy Hale

When it comes down to it, me moving abroad is me choosing my life. Yeah, I could stay here in the U.S., where I have lived my life for 24 years. Yes I could go to grad school here in Boston or somewhere else, or not go at all. Yes, I could try to find a job as soon as possible and be there for a few years until I move on to the next thing.

But to me, going this route would be settling. This would be going down the easy route, and settling for 'this is good enough' in my life.

But while moving to London is taking the harder route, but it allows me to say 'this is great' in my life.

So in 10 years, I know I'll look back on my time abroad, and whatever is to come from it, and know that my decision was simply choosing my life and the path I want to go down. I know this journey will be hard and frustrating at times, but I will come out on the other side saying I didn't settle in my life.

In whatever terrifying financial scenario I've imagined in my head from time to time in going to grad school, I know that in doing this for myself I am not settling in what I ultimately want my life to be. I am pursuing a goal and dream of mine that's been a long time coming, and I'm going after it at full speed, no matter what. And I refuse to settle.

A month in South Africa

As you all know I'll be spending a month in South Africa in June and I couldn't be more excited! Here are the things I am most excited about doing and hope that I get to experience them:

Watch the sunset from Table Mountain. Table Mountain is a flat topped mountain located in Cape Town. It is prominent landmark that seems to watch over the city. You can take a cable car up to the top (and have an incredible view from here) as well as incredible views from the top of the mountain. It would be incredible to watch the sunset, or sunrise, from here at some point during my time here.

Explore the neighborhood of Bo Kaap. Bo Kaap is a well known neighborhood in Cape Town most recognized by the very bright colors that the homes here are painted. The brightly painted homes here remind me a lot of Burano, Italy (an island off of Venice) which similarly has homes of brightly painted colors.

Cage diving with great white sharks. South Africa is known for its great white shark population, and I'll be damned if I make it all the way there and don't cage dive with them. Knowing people who've done it, it sounds extremely safe to do. I feel like one can't go to South Africa and not do this...so this is pretty high on my to do list while I'm in the country.

Go skydiving (???) Okay, so I haven't completely convinced myself to do this one yet. I'll most likely have the opportunity to do so...and might not take the plunge (no pun intended) until the last possible second, assuming I muster up the courage to jump. On one hand, this is pretty terrifying even though I'm not afraid of heights. On the other hand, will I have the opportunity to skydive again? Maybe. In South Africa? No, probably not as this trip most likely will be once in a lifetime (though I do adopt the 'visit everywhere twice' philosophy). So we will see. It might come down to the cost of it, but I do ultimately think if I don't do this, I'll always wish I had.

Explore Fish Hoek. Fish Hoek (pronounced Fish Hook) is a town on the eastern side of the Cape Town peninsula, about 45 minutes from the city. I'm excited to experience this town because it is where I'll be staying while I am in Cape Town. I'l be staying in a lodge about 5 minutes from the beach in Fish Hoek. As someone who will never tire of the beach, and always feels at home by the sea I am so excited to have the beach in such close proximity to me for a few weeks.

Robben Island. Nelson Mandela and his continuous fight to end apartheid in South Africa is a huge part of the countries history and why they are where they are today, so it is only right that we will be visiting Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years of his life for trying to fight to stop apartheid. Robben Island is especially fascinating to me because the guides here used to, at one time, actually be prisoners there.

See the Big 5 in Kruger National Park. Kruger is THE place to go on Safari in South Africa. We aren't in Disney World's Animal Kingdom anymore here. At the end of the day even if I don't get to see the Big 5, just the fact that I'll get to say I went on safari here is worth it to me.

So...is June here yet?!
What would you want to see if you were to spend a month exploring South Africa?

Image from here.

Travel Goals for 2015

I hope 2015 is the year of many new adventures for me. I want this year to be filled with many new places that I've been itching to explore for a very long time. Here are some places I'm hoping to travel to this year:

London

This trip is already happening; the flight and accommodation are booked. This trip back to London is what is getting me through all of the schoolwork over the next 8 weeks or so. I am so excited to be getting back to London in March because I haven't visited London since July of 2012. This trip is all about a "warm-up" for the move in September. I'll check out my school, tour my campus and the surrounding areas, and see where I'll hopefully be living and explore the neighborhood. I also hope to meet some new people I've been in touch with and hope they become new friends when I finally make the move.

South Africa

This trip, as well, is definitely happening. Since I'm going with my school (as the one last big thing before I am done with undergrad forever - why not go out with a bang, right?) I've sent in my deposit and have worked very hard the past few weeks to save up for the flight. I'm hoping to book the flight in the coming weeks, though have to wait for the go ahead from my school to do so. I hope the fares stay low as they are now as saving as much as I can for the move is important.

I'm extremely lucky to be able to get to spend an entire month abroad in South Africa. Most of our time will be in Cape Town and the surrounding peninsula, but we will also fly cross country to north-eastern South Africa to spend a week on safari in Kruger Nation Park (!!!!) then round out the month with a few days in Joburg before I fly back to the U.S. I have so many things I want to do in South Africa; so much I want to accomplish and I can't wait for June to get here - I think this trip will be my most incredible one yet.

New York

I'll have the months of July & August to sort out the last minute things before moving to London in September, and while most of it I'll hope to be working to build up my bank account (thanks London & South Africa) I hope I can take a small trip to New York City. Growing up in Connecticut, I used to visit NYC a lot only being a short train ride away, and now that I am back in New England, though a different state, visiting NYC is still accessible (and cheap) thanks to the MegaBus. A friend of mine Sam from Wandering Grad, who is currently in London for her Master's as well, is moving to New York in the spring and I hope to visit her there over the summer. It's been 5 years since I last visited New York and I'd love to get back there and experience the city, even just for a little while.

Iceland

Every time I see a new photo of Iceland, it ignites a wanderlust in me and I want to go there even more than I did before. I'm pretty sure it is impossible to take a bad photo there - every part of Iceland looks incredibly gorgeous. After I move in September, Iceland is one of those places at the top my travel list. I technically will be in Iceland in March, but just for a short layover so I hope to get back later in the year and really explore the incredibly beautiful topography and landscapes Iceland offers.

Prague

I've written about Prague before here, and yes I still want to go just as badly. I've wanted to visit Prague for the past 10 years or so and once I am settled in London I will be keeping an eye out for cheap flights there. What entrances me most about the city is the incredibly well preserved old town of Prague, as well as the architecture and the red roofs that go on for miles throughout the city. I fall more in love with Prague the more I see of it, and know that the beauty in photos just don't do the city justice; I just have to experience it for myself.

Norway

Oh man, Norway. It's no secret that Norway is insanely beautiful. I mean, those fjords?! No wonder Norway is consistently voted one of the most beautiful places to visit. Scandinavia is a region of Europe I've wanted to set foot in for a long time and I hope living in London will finally allow me to to so. I want to see the natural beauty of the fjords that look like they can't possibly be real; they must be a painting or something out of a fairytale. I hope to experience Norway in winter, covered in snow and in summer doused in sun and warm weather.

Where do you want to travel to in 2015?

South Africa image from here
New York image from here
Iceland image from here
Prague image from here
Norway image from here