It all started with a small Volkswagen camper van…
The first time I traveled out of the country was when I was 9 years old. My family took me to Italy and some of its surrounding countries such as Austria, France, Germany, and Switzerland for 6 weeks. Our small little family of 4 spent the majority of those 6 weeks road tripping throughout Europe in a Volkswagen camper van. My parents were always keen on adventure and made it a priority to introduce in in mine and my brothers lives. We spent our days driving from coast to coast, town to town, eating lunch with the most beautiful overlooks, and sleeping in quaint, friendly campgrounds. From the first time I stepped foot in another country, I was obsessed with the concept of travel. I loved laughing at myself trying to speak another language, hearing stories from people I met abroad, exploring the cobblestone streets of historical towns, and learning the unique cultures that make our world interesting. From there on out, I would spend my free time in school looking up cheap flights to new countries, and looking at pictures of restaurants, cafes and bookstores in small towns and cities across the world on google maps. As you can see, I wasn’t the best student. My passions were elsewhere. My family took my brother and I on many trips throughout the US, Canada, and Europe growing up and it was during my first trip to Ireland that I fell in love with photography and film making. I knew that creativity had to be at the forefront of my traveling life, and I’ve done nothing but figure out ways to make this possible. After my high school graduation, it was finally time to take a big leap and explore the world on my own. I embarked on a 7 month journey with a group of young people just out of high school with similar curiosities as myself. I spent 6 weeks in Paris learning French, 6 weeks volunteering in Costa Rica, 3 weeks adventuring through the wild landscapes of Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands, 6 weeks interning in Stockholm, and traveled to Norway, Denmark, Spain, and England, during that time.
One of my most memorable travel stories takes me back to a small hostel and farm in Costa Rica called La Isla. Me and a group of 15 other young adults were halfway through our 6 weeks in Costa Rica and we stopped at a small beach hostel where we helped plant trees and do beach cleanups for about 4 days. We were far away from town, but only 30 seconds from the beach. No wifi, no other people except for our group and the locals running the hostel, and a whole lot of stars. One night, our small little group of 15 ran out to the beach with nothing but our cameras and happy souls to watch the sunset. Somehow we all knew it would be one of the best sunsets of the trip because we were practically sprinting from our rooms to the beach. And we were all right because it was without a doubt one of the most amazing sunsets I’ve seen. The most memorable thing about that night though, was the joy, peace, and simplicity in all of us. For most of our 6 weeks in Costa Rica, there was absolutely no connection to the internet, so we became closer as a group than we ever could have been with technology in the way. As we were watching the sunset, we played in the water, drew pictures in the sand with our feet, and I was of course taking pictures of the ecstatic, joyful chaos of my friends around me. It showed me how simple humans can be. All we really need is good friends, lots of laughs and smiles, and to be connected to nature. And though it was one of the most simple experiences of my life, it was by far one of the most memorable.
“And though it was one of the most simple experiences of my life, it was by far one of the most memorable.”
While we’re here, I have to share another story about Costa Rica because it was truly one of the most colorful and unique places I’ve ever been, and it was probably the one place I felt the most at peace with myself and my surroundings. The first week into the 6 week journey, we volunteered for 5 days at Rancho Margot, a sustainable farm nestled in the jungle about an hour outside of La Fortuna. I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone, especially if you want to learn more about sustainability. We helped out planting seeds for new crops, milking the cows, learning about agriculture, and making cheese! Yes we milked the cows at 5 in the morning, and later that day got to drink that milk in our coffee, and then use it to make cheese. The place got its power from Lake Arenal at the base of Arenal volcano, and was also solar powered. There was a big kitchen to feed the guests and volunteers who stayed there, a little bamboo porch for yoga in the mornings, and land for horses, cows, chickens, oh so many chickens, and crops. All the food we ate was directly from the farm there. I think of myself as a healthy eater and my parents have always tried to have an understanding of where our food comes from, but I had never eaten like this before. And it was the best food I have ever eaten and the best I have ever felt. One morning, about 5 of us girls got ready for yoga at 7 am. We walked from our bungalow through the jungle along a stone path to the spot where we would be doing yoga. Our teacher was from Utah and was staying for about a month volunteering and teaching yoga. I’ve never been a “yoga person” per se, but this was the best yoga I’ve ever done. Maybe it was partly the location, but it felt so revitalizing. I think we all agreed on that. After we finished class, we all walked back through the jungle to meet the rest of the group for breakfast. We had eggs and sausage that came from the pigs and chickens on the farm, coffee and cream also from the farm, and the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten. It was one of the best mornings of my life. I had never felt that kind of peace and simplicity before. One of my friends always said it was because all we had to decide during the day was whether we would play soccer, or read a book in a hammock. there was no stress about the future, or just life in general. I felt a level of simplicity within the Costa Rican culture and landscape that I’ve never felt before.
To say that traveling has shifted my perspective of the world would be an understatement. Travel has been the most valuable education I’ve been lucky to receive in my life. I could go on and on listing the things that have changed me as a person through the power of travel, but since that could take hours, I’ll narrow it down to a few. I’ll start with open mindedness. Traveling through unknown parts of the world forces you to discover unknown parts of yourself. It helps you leave the bubble of your comfort zone and the arrogance of what you've always known, and above all, it humbles you. You are forced to lose sight of everything you think you know, and be open to learning something new, and maybe being wrong. It makes you realize that there is so much left to learn and explore, and that it is utterly impossible to know everything. Seeking new experiences teaches you to be open about being wrong, learning new things, doing something differently than you normally would. Not to say your way is wrong, but in some parts of the world, things are done differently. Meeting new cultures and people teaches you to be adaptable and willing to learn. While being open minded is extremely important during your travels, I would say it is equally important when you return home to your everyday life. You become a more rounded person, less judgemental, and more willing to hear all sides of the story. It gives you a broader perspective on relationships, situations, work, and just life in general. That’s something that you could never learn in a classroom.
“Traveling through unknown parts of the world forces you to discover unknown parts of yourself. It helps you leave the bubble of your comfort zone and the arrogance of what you’ve always known, and above all, it humbles you. ”
Travel has also changed in the sense that it has taught me to be incredibly present. There are so many experiences that move so quickly when you’re traveling that you are forced to take them all in all their glory. Being present has forced me to make more vivid memories, learn greater lessons, and create deeper connections.
One tip of advice I would give anyone ready to make this leap into the travel creative world is to not listen to anyone. I know that sounds super cliche and obvious but it’s the most truthful thing. People will tell you not to travel, to go to college, to get a real job, because bills and life will soon get in the way. But these days we have technology on our side and there are thousands of programs out there that make travel so much more accessible. It’s always possible to travel without having to worry about paying rent and all that messy stuff. In my experience, there have always been ways to trade work for accommodation giving me more time to work on side hustles as well. Another thing I’ve found is when you put yourself out there and pitch your work to a small brand or company, they are almost always interested. In a growing technological world, start up companies are ALWAYS in need of marketers. So whether you're a photographer, videographer, designer, creative, etc, there is a growing demand for your work. Create an online portfolio, and don’t be afraid to pitch to small brands and hostels. You may get a few nos, but I think you'll be surprised with the amount of people who are interested in your work. Especially if you have a strong portfolio, and a good website to show it. And even if you don’t get paid right away, many hostels will trade your work for a free stay, so either way, you get to travel for free which is the ultimate goal right?