How can it be another New Year already! I feel like life is is on fast forward and each year gets a little faster and faster until you realize you don’t have much time left! I’m hitting close to 40, but I still have a few years left in my thirties and I’m trying to soak it all in because it won’t last long. Believe it or not, I didn’t officially start really traveling until I hit 30 and I have been blessed to be able to spend my thirties experiencing new places and fulfilling my passion. I never try and look back and say “what if” or “why didn’t I start sooner”. When you start looking back in your past, you can get stuck and dwell there. You can’t control the past or the future and only the present; I try and focus on the present moment I’m in and plan for the future.
How did I get to the point in my life where I really started traveling and why did it take me so long? First, I have always been passionate about travel, but I allowed an abundance of other things to get in the way when I was younger. I had the mentality that traveling could only be accomplished if you had a lot of money. I never sat down and planned out what an actual trip would cost. Sure, my family went on trips growing up, but it was to either visit family or very low key vacations tied into my dad’s work. I also allowed the fun of my youth to distract me from what I really wanted to do. Biggest piece of advice for anyone in their early twenties is to take advantage of being young and free. You may not be financially stable, but you have the freedom and the energy to travel and experience new places. The older you get, obstacles, careers and family can take priority and push your passion for traveling aside. Thankfully, I have an amazing husband who loves me and all my crazy ideas. He understands that traveling, experiencing new places and cultures fill my cup. Why did it take me thirty years to take the leap and live out my passion? Simple answer is fear. I allowed the fear of the unknown to get in the way and fear overshadowed my ability to step out and take a risk. I’m sure many of you reading this may be thinking how silly that sounds and this may not be difficult for some. I grew up with extreme anxiety and being fearful and worrisome. I honestly think it was passed down to me because my grandmother and mother have always been worriers and have never been risk takers. I have always been a wild and adventurous soul, but fear always pushed its way in the front line and hindered me from fulfilling my dreams. So what happened, how did I push fear aside? Back in 2015, my husband and I decided to plan a trip out west. It had always been on my bucket list to travel west and see the Grand Canyon. We planned and booked our trip for spring of 2016. We flew into Las Vegas, stayed there a few days and rented a car for a road trip. We drove to Hoover Dam, stopped at Lake Meade, and headed to the Grand Canyon for a few days to do some hiking. It was that day and moment that’s forever frozen in my mind. I’ll never forget standing there on the edge of the rim, overlooking the Grand Canyon. The sun was setting beneath the canyon walls, and I remember thinking to myself, I have been missing all of this because I was too scared to leave my comfortable and safe bubble. The world is so big and beautiful and there are so many places to see and not just read about. I honestly cannot explain it, but during that moment soaking in the vastness of the canyon, that epiphany forever changed me, and I let go of fear and haven’t looked back since.
You may be thinking, why was I so fearful to travel. It really came down to the anxiety of going somewhere unknown. Trying to navigate places I wasn’t familiar with and being the worrier that I am, and all the bad “what if’s” swirling in my head. I had to deal with my own mental block and the trip in 2016 broke that mental barrier for me and allowed me to experience a breakthrough.
As we make our way into the new year, there may be some of you that want to travel or maybe travel more, but you can’t seem to get to the other side to make it happen. What do you need to let go to make travel happen in the New Year? Is it financial? Do you feel that there just isn’t a way to budget in a trip? If so, I encourage you to review your budget. What can you cut out in one area to make room for a trip? In my former post titled: Yes, You Can Afford To Take That Trip, I talk about prioritizing. We prioritize what is most important to us. If travel is important to you then you will prioritize a way to make it happen. That may be cutting expenses on eating out, cutting a bill or getting a second job. But you can make it happen! Maybe, you feel like you can’t travel because you have too many responsibilities as an adult, such as parenting, a career, etc. Traveling has no timeline. Meaning, you can travel a few days or a few months. Traveling can be a small weekend getaway if that’s all you can do at the moment. Take small steps. If your life is too busy, then plan smaller trips throughout the year. If you want to take a longer trip then sit down and review your calendar for the year and look to see your slowest time. If you’re married, it helps to have a partner that loves and supports you. Thankfully, my husband loves to travel and most of our trips are together, but he also allows me to travel with friends. Having a partner is a team, both of you working together and allowing each other to have time to do things that fill your cup and bring you joy. I have also talked to several people that place all their time and energy in their career and never take time to enjoy life. There isn’t anything wrong with enjoying your job. I have a full-time job in the corporate world that I enjoy, but I also know it’s just a job. All jobs are replaceable and as terrible as that sounds, it’s true. You can give 100% in your career, but don’t allow a job to overshadow other areas in your life that need attention such as your mental and physical well being. As each New Year passes you realize how brief and fragile life is and waiting for a perfect moment will never come; enjoy life now and remove obstacles that are hindering you from fulfilling your dream of traveling.
When I let go of the things that held me back for so long, I felt a sense of freedom knowing I had overcome obstacles and was stepping into a new part of myself. Life has been a fun and inspiring journey for me over these last 7 years. If I didn’t take a leap of faith and if I didn’t teach myself that I could prioritize traveling, I would still be home dreaming of what if. And what if is not good enough.
Your Journey Starts Here 