My Life, Slow Travel

WHY I DECIDED TO START TRAVELING FULL-TIME

I am by nature a wanderer! I have always had an insatiable curiosity.

The Wanderer was my line name when I pledged my sorority!

I could never  do like the old people say and keep my butt at home.

My mother always encouraged my curiosity.

There wasn’t a camp or activity that she didn’t put me in, if I was interested.

So, I didn’t know boundaries. . .

Sure, I knew not to get in the car or accept candy from strangers. . .I’m an 80s kid.  We saw the horror stories play out on TV.

But the world was and has always been open to me. 

And so I traveled extensively.

By the time I was in law school, I had studied abroad in Germany, France and Spain,

I was a Rhodes Scholar finalist.

I had Eurorailed throughout eastern and western Europe.  I had explored Africa.  And the more I saw of the world, the more I wanted to experience.

And so, when my first daughter was born, I thought nothing of taking her abroad with me.  I wanted her to see the world as well.  We lived in Ethiopia and Indonesia.  We vacationed throughout Africa and Asia.  

After I lost her my grief was so immense that for awhile I didn’t travel.  The spark was gone because i was lost in my own grief.

Once I accepted that grief would be my constant companion but alongside it lived the most precious and beautiful memories of my first born Natalia, grief became my super power and I decide that I had to live and live well for both of us. 

And so I did.

And then my beautiful and sweet Baby Ruth was born and I knew that every minute with her is a blessing and I didn’t want to waste a second being unhappy and so I took an inventory of what was working in my life and what wasn’t.

I loved the Bay area where we lived, but I didn’t love the cost of living or the 10 hour work days or the racism.  I HATED my job!  I loathed the arrogance and entitlement of many of the men I worked with. I wanted to spend more my daughter.  I wanted to travel.  I wanted an affordable life.  

 And so I walked away and my baby and I began the adventure that we are on now.

Was I scared?  YES

Did I worry?  YES

But the status quo was NOT working for me.  And so I kept on walking.

And IT HAS BEEN AMAZING!

I have absolutely no regrets.  I don’t stress the future.  I just embrace the here and now.  

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