Don’t wait, travel now

If there is one thing I have learned about life as I make my way through my 20s it is that nothing ever happens as planned.

The degree plan I began following sophomore year of college is nothing like the one I am in now. I don’t have millions in the bank and, most importantly, the life-changing trip around the world I was going to take is nothing but a daydream.

Don’t get me wrong, I have had many opportunities to travel to new destinations and have taken advantage of as many as I could. However, as the goals of a successful career, decent savings account and diploma hanging on my wall continue to occupy my time, traveling continues to become more of fantasy than an option.

I often find myself dreaming of what it will feel like to step onto that chilly yet tranquil beach in Milos, Greece, and I can’t help but think about the way the wine will taste as I sit on that little iron table while listening to the sounds of the Italian accordion player on the corner who will surely remind me of my grandfather.

So, why not now? Why is it often so difficult to enjoy life as we are living it, in whatever stage we are in, with whatever resources we have?

Foreign travels often require abundant amounts of money, vacation time and air miles.

As a way of continuing to figure out life and how I want to live it, I would like to challenge that. The world is our playground, and a great portion of that playground is America the beautiful.

Traveling expands the mind, reduces stress and is just plain good for the soul.

This is absolutely the worst time for me to travel. I have a full-time job, am finishing my degree in communication, have more bills than ever, and am a new parent to a lazy yet adorable golden retriever named Maximus.

However, when the idea of a travel blog presented itself to me in a Tuesday afternoon class, I couldn’t get that loud and persistent voice out of my head that just kept repeating, “Do it.” I always listen to her; bossiness aside, she is always right.

So cheers to making my last semester of college the most memorable.