Originally posted
The plane gently jolted and bumped in the cloudy midnight sky. The only sound in the hushed plane was the steady breathing of sleeping passengers and the occasional jostling of their belongings. It was quiet and mostly still, except for the roaring hum of the engine that was rocking everyone to sleep.
Everyone except me, that is.
I stretched out onto the extra seat next to me and laid down comfortably, closing my eyes and hoping the endless minutes would go by faster. But I was wide awake. A million thoughts whirled through my head.
What time was it? Where in the world were we? How was it possible to leave in the morning, fly for 10 hours, and then arrive in the morning? Did we just eat lunch or was that dinner? When was this Twilight zone feeling time warp going to end? And most importantly…
When will it be my birthday?
I had boarded the plane as a 16 year old virgin traveler on June 10, but I knew that with the time zone change during the flight, the special day of June 11th wasn’t far off. By the time our plane landed in London, I felt like an expert traveler after enduring my first overseas flight, not to mention that I had freshly turned 17 years old several hours before and still had another full day to celebrate.
I finally discovered the trick to extending birthday celebrations 
With tired and dreary eyes but an awakened and excited spirit, I absorbed the beauty of every iconic site we passed by. I was awestruck by the ancient wonders my eyes were beholding; things I had only ever read about or seen on TV were actually real, and they were more incredible than I could have ever imagined.
The world had finally been opened to me, and it was right there at my fingertips, within my reach.
~~~
That first transatlantic journey aroused in me a sense of adventure and passion for exploration and discovery that I didn’t know existed within me. From that point forward, nothing could stop me from turning down an adventure or opportunity to travel to new places.
A few more family vacations through Europe and I was soon itching to see more of the world, parts my family had never even dreamed of going to.
It wasn’t long before I signed up to go teach English in Korea over the summer, and to be honest, the trip changed my entire life.
It was a different kind of traveling. It was so far, so different, so exotic. It wasn’t vacation, it was a chance to engage in the culture and work directly in the midst of a people so different from myself. For once I wasn’t a tourist, I was contributing to the Korean society, to the world – and I was on the biggest adventure of my life.
Since then I haven’t stopped. I can’t get enough of diverse cultures, flavorful cuisines, and opposite perspectives on life and existence. On more than one occasion, I’ve jumped on a plane with very short notice, and whizzed off to live for several months in other countries.
People think I’m crazy.
My friends don’t understand how I do it.
Everyone always asks how I am so courageous.
The thing is – I’ve never once thought about it as being daring or courageous. I just have a passion, so I follow it. And I guess sometimes that means taking risks to get there.
Most of the people who ask me about my travels are absolutely fascinated by it. They talk about how it’s their lifelong dream to be able to do some of the things they see in my pictures.
But sadly, they never go.
I’m not sure what stops people – if it’s money, jobs, habits…
But I think most of the time it’s just fear.
Fear of change, fear of something new, fear of something different or uncomfortable. Fear of the unknown or fear of feeling out of place.
When it comes down to it, the only thing stopping you from living your adventure is… well, You.
Traveling doesn’t take a ton of money, contrary to what most people think. It takes a willingness to GO, an openness to other cultures and mindsets, and a sense of adventure that’s eager to learn and explore.
You can spend your whole life dreaming. Or you can take the first step, take a risk, and dive into the greatest adventure of your life.
If you want to go, go.
If you want to see the world, stop making excuses. And stop being afraid. Fear will never lead you on an adventure. It might keep you safe, it might keep you comfortable, but life is meant to be LIVED.
Take a risk. Learn to live. And get ready for a life of adventure, discovery, and passion.
I don’t know about you, but I’d say that’s the absolute best kind of life to live.
