Born to be a Joyful Globetrekker!
I think wanderlust is a part of my DNA (I recently learned that’s actually a thing―a gene called DRD4-7R!). My favorite childhood gift was a globe with raised bumps for mountains. I’d spend hours closing my eyes and spinning the globe, then randomly placing my finger on it to see where I’d travel to in the future.
Working on Cruise Ships and Backpacking Europe
In my 20’s, I traveled around the U.S. in a camper van; became a certified travel agent; began a career as an officer/purser aboard cruise ships, and spent almost four years sailing in the Caribbean and around the Hawaiian Islands. Backpacking Europe for four months, and scuba diving in Cozumel, Mexico, rounded out my globetrekking 20’s.
Raising Adventurers
In my 30’s and 40’s, I enjoyed the adventures of motherhood: a road of diapers and boo-boos, laughter and tears, treacherous curves, and incredible summits. My three children also possess the wanderlust gene, and we spent their childhoods vacationing extensively, doing humanitarian work, and traveling on mission trips. After becoming a single mom, the four of us visited Alaska, Hawaii, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, the Caribbean, El Salvador, Costa Rica, France, Italy, and Japan, as well as most of the U.S. Now adults, my oldest daughter has been living and working in Japan for almost 10 years, and my youngest daughter lived in El Salvador and Costa Rica for a year! My son purchased an RV and worked remotely while traveling around the U.S. with his wife and infant son visiting the National Parks for several years. They just built a house but are ready to hit the road again. The next generation of adventurers!
Lantern Festival and Sea Lions
In my 50’s, I became an empty-nester, traveled to Japan a few more times, toured Dubai, went back to Hawaii, and checked off two bucket list trips: Chiang Mai, Thailand for the lantern festival, and the Galapagos Islands (with a visit to Quito, Ecuador, where I straddled the equator).
Books and a Movie
Oh, I also wrote a book, Umbrella in the Storm (available on Amazon), and wrote and produced the feature film, Steadfast (streaming on Amazon), plus a story of mine called Attack of Minimalism was published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Age is Just a Number (available online and in book stores).
And the Adventures Continue
Now I’m working towards becoming a midlife meanderer and spending more time traveling the world while writing books, taking photos, and searching for ways to make a difference. I currently still work full-time, but am taking at least several big trips a year until I am able to retire. Then, I’ll be gone more than home!
I want to share these experiences with you to encourage you to live a “today” life, instead of a “someday” life! May you use my travel tips, budget advice, adventure tales, itinerary ideas, photographs, and videos as inspiration to plan your next adventures—whether it’s long-term traveling, yearly vacations, mission trips, or finding new places to explore nearby on day trips.
Travel is a journey of discovery no matter our season or circumstances.
The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.
Anthony Robbins
Are you ready?
