Seven continents,195 countries and one life. My absolute goal is to see the world through every lens that I can.
I was very fortunate to grow up with a mother who gifted me trips rather than material gifts. Whether it be Christmas or my birthday, a road trip or a long plane ride, my mom worked enough hours to give me the world.
As a kid, all I wanted to do was grow up. I would steal my mom’s makeup, wear her high heels and carry around a purse with “important” documents that consisted of early childhood scribbles since I did not know how to spell yet. I imagined I had an office and was a ruthless fashion designer. I pretended to be a cashier at a grocery store, and even coerced my little sister to pretend to be my assistant or customer.
The older I got, though, the less I yearned for a conventional adulthood, and the more I yearned to leave home. I daydreamed of college and studying abroad, moving from city to city and country to country. I read so many books that showed me different worlds that I could escape to. In fact, even now, the closer I get to college, the more excited I get at the possibility of the unknown.
I purposefully chose to attend the fall term rather than the summer term for college next year so that I can travel as much as possible during my last summer of high school. I have been to Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland and a few other places around the world so far. But it is not nearly enough.
My idea of travel is not an all-inclusive resort with scheduled tours and events around the place I am staying. My idea of travel is to live out of a backpack, stay in hostels and wander the streets of a new place. I want to visit Thailand and make friends with an elephant. I want to hike to Machu Picchu and camp in the jungle. I want to return to Venezuela and visit the Amazon rainforest. My bucket list ranges across three pages and is filled with countless places I want to visit during my time on earth.
I want to learn the way of the locals, from their phrases and terminology to what they consider their town’s hidden gems. It is so interesting to me that just a flight away, awaits an entirely different world.
Travel is not cheap, though, especially as a high school student. But, there are other ways to travel, and it does not have to be as expensive as you would think. Volunteering at hostels and farms for room and board is a popular way to afford to travel to extravagant places like Switzerland or Italy. Volunteering in general is a great way to see the world while also satisfying that craving for a work ethic in everyday life. I have been researching more and more about the Peace Corps, or some form of volunteering that would allow me to help people while also discovering the world. What better way to learn about different cultures and customs than from the heart of the destination: the people.
The world is vast and always changing. I do not want to wake up at fifty, living in the suburbs, still working for my retirement, with children and grandchildren who have the same dreams I do now. What kind of example would that set? My dad often mentions the importance of seeing the world before deciding the course of your life, and I agree with him. How could I possibly decide what I want to do for the rest of my life without seeing what life could be or what the world could offer?
I dream of taking trips at least once a month, or a long trip every three months, with a home in Italy, Spain, Scotland or Amsterdam. Writing from my small home library, moving every couple of years until I find a place that feels like my home. I will always love Miami; growing up here has been an absolute dream, but there is so much more to see and learn.
As humans, we evolve and migrate throughout our lifetimes. I do not ever want to stop growing, changing and learning. That is why my soulmate is travel, and for certain that will never change.
