“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”
That is the question that started this blog.
It all began when I got the courage to officially leave my job as a social media producer at ABC News and backpacked around Europe for three months.
The story really began in January 2014. I was starting to feel unsure about where my career was going. There was no clear next step, no obvious next project to begin.
It was around that time that my friend Chelsea announced that she was going to backpack around Europe for the summer. It was something I desperately wanted to do after graduating from college in 2012 but I got my fantastic job that I could not pass up.
I went back and forth for months with Chelsea trying to decide if I would be going with her or not. I had an apartment, friends, family near by, an amazing job, heck, a weekly paycheck! How could I give up that stability at 24-years-old?
Then came the question.
To begin all of our weekly team meetings at work, my boss would ask the room a simple icebreaker question. Favorite film, favorite ice cream, favorite vacation you took. But one day, he started the meeting with something a little deeper.
“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”
Every single person in the room replied, “Quit my job and travel.”
That night I went home and gave Chelsea my final answer. I was coming with her.
Now, here we are. It’s more than three years later and I’m still traveling the world more than I am in my own apartment. My backpacking trip inspired me to explore no matter where I am. If I’m visiting friends in a city I’ve been to before, there is always somewhere else to see. A boring family vacation? Find out what’s near by to explore. Or even just experiencing my own city in a different way.
When I left for my backpacking trip, friends told me I was crazy, stupid, an idiot. Adults (because I’m not one of those quite yet!) told me to just go and don’t look back.
I wouldn’t take back that backpacking trip, or any of my travels, for anything. They all teach me something more and I just hope that even though I’m a bit of a reckless, sloppy traveler, you’ll learn something from me. You’ll be inspired to use those extra vacation days. That random holiday off. Anything to just get out that and roam.