Dreaming.
Something that many adults forget how to do.
But when you put the work and planning in motion to make them happen, dreams are special (shameless plug to meet with a professional financial advisor).
In 2016 I remember hearing many friends and family talking about doing big trips or seeing the world and then taking no action. Their lives were rinse and repeat with the sprinkle of a fairytale they lied about to keep themselves entertained. I decided from that point on that I would save money each month and go on the trip of my lifetime in a year.
And so, I did.
I worked a job making $12.60 an hour and I ended up saving $10,000 in a calendar year and took off from the Atlanta airport on my way to London, England. Before that flight, I had only ever been to the Dominican Republic on a mission trip. But there I was, wheels up, about to embark on a two-month backpacking trip taking me through twenty-three countries in Europe.
I was solo, I didn’t know the languages, and I was more excited (and nervous) than I had ever been!
Through an Australian travel group called Contiki, I met up with around thirty Aussies, Kiwis (New Zealand), Canadians, Americans, and South African young adults as we all set off to explore the world and experience growth.
From navigating London on the wrong side of the road to taking a ferry to France. I sipped French wine before heading off to gamble in Monaco. We traversed Italy’s cities and slept on the beaches of Greek islands. We navigated Istanbul and visited the city of Troy. We joked around the campfire at night outside of Prague. We drank liters of beer at Oktoberfest in Munich, and we scaled the Swiss mountains and ate chocolate on the peak of Jungfraujoch.
I planned. I explored. And I lived life to its fullest.
I was solo, I didn’t know the languages, and I was more excited (and nervous) than I had ever been!