What's up with this 'travel' thing anyway?

image courtesy of Geology.com

I don't consider myself a travel expert by any means (yet…) But I can safely say, I know what it feels like to dip your toes in the ocean and definitely want to continue to ride the waves. I have been fortunate enough to create the time and funding necessary to explore other parts of the world earlier this year, and I am currently working toward doing the same in 2013. One of my favorite parts is meeting people, either on the road or here at home, that get it. That get how special it is to travel, to see amazing sights, meet wonderful and inspiring people, taste new flavors and learn much more than you could ever hope to learn in a classroom.

However, I always think it's interesting to talk to people (mostly here in the U.S) that can't comprehend how I am doing this, or even why I would want to. A lot of the misconceptions (I could never do that, isn't it dangerous, etc…) come from our culture. Isn't the American dream about building a career, making money, having a family and a home and a bunch of stuff we can talk about to other friends who have the same stuff? We aren't taught enough in school about other places and cultures in the world, we aren't encouraged to leave our well-educated, highly-paid lives to explore unknown regions, we aren't given more than a few weeks of time in a year to de-stress or travel in a way where we really go beyond a vacation.

I've been thinking more about this since I recently attended the Meet Plan Go event here in Austin. This is a nation-wide organization that helps assist people in taking a career break and offering the tools and resources to do so (I highly recommend checking it out for anyone looking for assistance). The event itself happens in several cities across the country and includes a main speaker with a life-changing travel story to share as well as a panel of various types who have taken a break from the everyday American way of life to set out for a longer period of time and explore the world. This year, I heard such inspiring stories ranging from battling a terminally ill sickness to going on to live a life of travel, stumbling upon a love of photography during a trip and developing a new career that takes you around the world and even parents wanting their family to grow up with a different type of education and value system and making it happen. The possibilities are truly endless.

Jefre Law, Keynote Speaker at Meet Plan Go Austin

I find these panels helpful and informative, not so much for me that I need the assistance to get to the traveling part, but more so to remind me that it's ok to do what I'm doing right now. It's ok if I am not sure what I want to do after, or if I want to make this an ongoing part of my life and career choices. It's the aspect of a community that understands, that accepts and that offers support to foster my dreams and many others.

I believe my recent experiences have truly changed who I am as a person and who I will become. It has led me on a path to study new things, meet new people and hope for a fulfilled life of adventure and joy. The world is a big place and I hope more people here will have the opportunity to explore it.