Clockwise from top left: Merrilee Davis, the solo Traveling Granny; the McGuinness family, a family of four who spent a year abroad; Jessie Beck, Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar; Kaleena Quarrels, a former English teacher in Korea.
My favorite part about traveling is the people I meet along the way.
I have felt like an outcast my entire life. First, I was the girl with glasses AND braces. When I started traveling solo in college, I was even more of an outcast. Everyone thought I was crazy. When I left to study abroad in England, I started meeting people who were doing the exact same thing—traveling the world solo! They also refused to spend their entire lives waiting on other people to travel with them. There were times that I felt I connected more with a stranger in 15 minutes than people I had known my entire life. These strangers understood me in ways that only another traveler could. I didn’t have to explain why I was traveling, the sacrifices I made to be on the road or why sitting still made me stir crazy. We shared the same goals and struggle. Those people became some of my closest friends.
Last year, I met the Traveling Granny in Colombia—a 68-year-old woman from Vancouver who has been traveling solo for years. At a hostel in Surce, Bolivia, I met a British family of four who sold their house to travel for a year. From Peace Corps volunteers to English teachers in Korea to location-independent entrepreneurs to expert couchsurfers, I’ve met people who made travel and adventure their top priority. They have both challenged and inspired me. After all, courage is contagious.
As a journalist, I felt it was my duty to share their stories. After months of countless emails, I am launching my Travel Tuesday Interview Series next week! The series will feature interviews with inspiring travelers from across the world. Each shares their journey, struggles and travel/packing tips.
I am not the only person out there traveling the world. You are not the only person who wants to travel. Above all, I hope these stories give you that little nudge of courage to make travel a priority. You are not alone. 🙂
Feel free to share with anyone in need of a bit of travel inspiration. Follow along and sign up below to have the interviews delivered straight to your inbox.
COMING UP: The Travel Tuesday Interview Series starts with the solo Traveling Granny, 68-year-old Merrilee Davis, who has traveled solo across Latin America, Sri Lanka and India!
TRAVEL WITH ME: Follow my summer travels on Instagram! I’ll be in Iceland, Phoenix and everywhere in between!
