“Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.” ~ Michael Palin
There is no doubt. I was bit by the travel bug and I am very happily infected!
I’m not sure how old I was when I became interested in travel, but I believe I was fairly young.
Turns out, according to a school assignment, I had a love of travel by the age of thirteen. In eight grade I wrote a poem which reads, “Whose secret desire is to travel the world.” The funny thing is I don’t remember this secret desire existing until my 20’s when the travel bug truly bit!
As a child, I wonder what drew me to travel. Was it my curiosity? A curiosity of what else the world holds. Was it my want to always learn? A yearning to know the world. Was it my enthusiasm for meeting people? An enthusiasm to meet people who are different than me. Was it an escape? An escape from routine and reality. Was it my exposure to travel? An exposure on family vacations. What was it?
I am reminded of a photo taken prior to one of our family vacations. I was probably five or six years old. I’m laying on my stomach at the end of my brother’s bed almost as if I face planted into the quilt. My little arm is dangling off the end of the bed and my face is turned toward an unzipped, overflowing suitcase on the hardwood floor at the foot of the bed. My big brown eyes, wide open are gazing into the suitcase. If only I knew what was going through that little head of mine.
When I look back on this picture I like to think that this was the start of it all. The start of my passion for travel. Those big brown eyes starring into the suitcase similar to the way I look at my hiking pack today. Those same big brown eyes full of curiosity as I dream about where we are headed next! I don’t believe the travel bug bit five year old me, but the stage was beginning to be set for the big bite!
As I moved through childhood and into adulthood my love of travel continued to grow. Most of that growth came from our family vacations. I am beyond grateful to have traveled stateside making memories in famous cities, national parks and many other well known attractions.
By the time I started university I knew I wanted to study abroad. I made that dream come true by spending a semester in Ireland. I took advantage of the ease of European travel and explored several nearby countries. Once again my love of travel was growing.
When I returned home from Ireland I was a changed person. A semester abroad had cracked my shell. The extrovert in me was slowly starting to emerge. That emerging extrovert wanted more. I wanted to see the world! Although the travel bug had stung during this semester abroad, I wasn’t fully infected yet!
As I worked to complete my education the infection continued to brew. By the time I completed graduate school I had planned a two and a half month trip to Europe. I wanted that one last hurrah before entering the professional world. Little did I know this was just the beginning of my wanderlust.
Less than a month after graduating I was on a plane heading to Europe to start a trip of a lifetime! I’d be joining a 46 day Contiki tour across 22 European countries with a coach full of incredible people and one inspirational tour guide. Every day was fast paced, but filled with unforgettable sights and experiences. By the end, I’d leave with lifelong friends, everlasting memories and the rediscovery of that secret desire to travel the world.
It was a trip that changed me forever. BOOM! I was fully infected by the travel bug. I wanted nothing more than to continue traveling, right then and there!
Travel, travel, travel. It’s been on my mind ever since… The awakening of senses through new sights, sounds and smells. The craving for explorations, adventures and new experiences. The search for magnificent architecture and breathtaking landscapes. The desire to disconnect and unplug from daily routine and responsibility. The trigger of cultural curiosity and hunger for knowledge. The eagerness to meet people and make meaningful connections. The arousal of indescribable feelings. The creation of unforgettable memories. The excitement for endless freedom and countless possibilities. The promise of personal growth and broader perspectives. The satisfaction of accomplishment accompanied by the longing for more. The overwhelming awareness and appreciation for the world around me. The unrelenting joy and happiness of doing what I love!… Travel is an emotionally fulfilling experience. It’s this emotional fulfillment that feeds the wanderlust within me and drives that need for more travel.
It has been six years since I rediscovered that secret desire to travel and became fully infected with the travel bug. I have continued to pursue incredible adventures around the world and I don’t expect that to change any time soon. I will never be able to completely stop traveling because as they say there is no cure for the travel bug!
If you are bitten by the travel bug, embrace it! You will be happily infected for the rest of your life! (Just remember that bucket list is never going to get any shorter!)
