Wanderlust

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Wanderlust (n): A strong desire or urge to wander or travel and explore the world

Have you ever thought to yourself "this is not the life I'm suppose to be living"? I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up and I still don't know. Over a decade has past since graduating high school, where I had written in my annual that my future plans included living the simple life on a tropical island and being filthy rich (I now know that money is the least important thing in life, happiness is the most). Well, time has gone by so fast since that day and I'm still living the same monotonous routine just like everybody else. Not to say that I haven't accomplished a lot - started my own bikini line from scratch, got asked to do a fashion show in New York, backpacked throughout Central America and made some of the best friends a girl could ask for - all of which I'm very proud of.. But I still feel an emptiness and somewhat lost. I've been in an unfulfilling job for the past seven years, single for the most part for the past three years and pretty much bored with life in general in Vancouver.. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for all of those things because I believe they have led me to where I am today - making the biggest, most life changing, decision in my entire 30 years of existence. Before I get into that let me tell you about my one true love, travel.

I've had a wanderlust for as long as I can remember.. From age seven when I saved for my own flight to Disneyland, to the trips to Hawaii and Mexico that I begged my mom as a teen to take me on, to my first huge two-month backpacking trip to Thailand after graduating high school, and the many trips after that that followed in my 20s. No matter how long the trip, I've always longed for more and would start planning the next trip as soon as my flight landed back home.

I came across a quote that really spoke to me: "The most dangerous risk of all - the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later." This is completely true and I find it sad that most people realize this after it's too late. Life is precious and it goes by damn fast, it's a gift in which you choose what you want to get out of it - I choose to LIVE it and experience as much as possible... what better time than the present, and the start of a new decade (dirty 30), to start a new life, one of adventure and freedom and living life exactly how I want to be living it. Sooo, I quit my job, sold my car and packed up my entire life into a backpack and decided to travel the world with no solid plans or any particular end-point... Let me tell you, I'm completely terrified! But I know this is something I need to do.

First Stop - Maui!

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Comments

[Irina]

YES!!!
Crystal, when i read this entry, i feel like you are saying everything that i feel. like every single word. I'm happy we'll be travelling together. its bona be amazing.