Wanderlust

I have wanderlust. If my budget allowed, I would travel much more often than I do today. My travel bucket list includes the near – Portland, Seattle, Quebec – and the far – Denmark, Greece, New Zealand.

We traveled quite a bit growing up, with road trips to visit family and excursions in the pop-up camper. And travel ultimately dictated my choice of foreign language instruction. Upon learning that the Spanish classes went to Mexico and the French classes to Quebec, I chose German and participated in a 3 week exchange program during the summer of ’88 that reinforced what has now become a lifelong passion.

Through work I visited upwards of a dozen countries, but after a while the insides of airports, board rooms and hotel rooms all start to look the same. If I need a distraction from the day to day, I turn to the web to research ‘fun’ trips. As a convert away from hotels, I start by logging on to VRBO. In fact, I’m jealous of their traveling bear. These travel dreams give me extra incentive to work hard and save up.

Since my boomerang relocation from Boston to Atlanta and back again, my passport has been woefully neglected. The other day I found it, wedged between two random folders in my filing cabinet. I have my reasons my travel dropped off – my job no longer required overseas travel, my friends were otherwise occupied with husbands and kids, and my brief and illustrious stint as a Realtor had depleted my savings.

But the most significant reason by far was the fear of being too far away during my mom’s battle with myelofibrosis. During her more hopeful months, we’d talk often of one day going to Ireland when she recovered. And while that trip did not happen, I am so grateful that my parents got to go on some amazing trips on their own and at other times, with some of their dearest friends.

The loss of my mom has reinforced that life is too short and that life is about choices and adventures. About two weeks ago a funny thing happened during my lunchtime surfing on VRBO … I discovered two amazingly affordable and adorable apartments. I hesitated before booking, filled with questions and fears about going on my own. Then I reread the letter my mom had left me. In it, she talked about her belief that I can do anything and her admiration of my sense of adventure, including my decision to move to Boston fresh out of college without knowing a soul.

Keeping mom’s words in mind, I booked my trip. My passport and I will be quite busy, traveling between apartments in Lisbon and Seville. The trip is still 9 months away, but I can already feel the excitement building with each person I tell. During my solo trip I plan to live like a local, focus on my writing, and take stock of my life. And I’m sure my mom will be with me every step of the way.

Tagged as: self-discovery, travel