Lesson #14:

Lesson #14: Think Outside The Box 

Travel is a beautiful thing. I've mentioned it already on this blog, but I wanted to reiterate the importance of this topic because it matters to me and I hope it inspires you. 

I think it is essential for the opening of the heart and the expansion of the mind to get out of your day-to-day routine and narrow perspectives.There are a lot of people out there who assume that my travels in my early to mid 20s was because I had wealthy parents. That is false. My parents paid for two semesters of study abroad and then said "Fin". I studied abroad one more semester (I couldn't help myself) and this time financed it all alone. It wasn't easy - I had to work and save all the money I was earning. I had to apply for grants and scholarships (which I received) and I had to be proactive about budgeting. But it was worth it to me. And I made it happen. 

There are many, many ways you can make your dreams happen. Some people say, "I'll never travel the world, or never get to go to that place I've always wanted to go, because I'll never be rich enough." FALSE! The world is a big and wonderful place full of opportunity and you just have to put yourself out there in it to experience all it has to give to you. Seek out opportunities, and then (like I've said before) JUST DO IT. 

I opted to travel around by myself for a year in 2005. I had to do a variety of jobs, some great, some not. But I managed to support myself the entire year and managed to see amazing places, meet amazing people and have experiences that I will remember for a lifetime. 

One of the ways I managed to travel for so long was by becoming an Au Pair. It was great because I was saving money on living expenses while also earning money to be used later on in my travels. 

I've written about this experience in a guest post for the blog Escape Normal. If you have not already visited this blog, I strongly encourage you to check it out. It has all sorts of ideas for ways to incorporate travel into your life. Ways that perhaps you may not have ever dreamed of...

Did you know you can work on farms during harvest seasons for room and board? 

Did you know you can work at summer camps in other countries? I've even seen a few on the coast of France....hello!

The important thing is that if you dream of doing this, by gosh-golly, go do it. You really do only live once (and I know that's a slogan now, or at least I've seen it on T-shirts and wrist bands...YOLO!) but regardless....it's true. If you don't think you're going to land on that giant pot of gold any time soon, then do it without the gold! 

People are very willing to take your picture when traveling solo. I didn't feel bad asking on several occasions.

An interesting mode of transportation...Santorini, Greece

On the Via dell'Amore, Cinque Terre, Italy

Someone got a kick out of making this statue (Manneken Pis, Brussels)

Rome, Italy

Salamanca, Spain

Beautiful sunsets...this one in Sevilla, Spain was amazing

Costa Brava, Spain

Plenty of time to figure out how to be a true Italian, Rome, Italy

Tours seem cheesy, but you actually do quite a lot and meet great people. Plus...excellent photo ops! Scotland

Wandering streets...Spain

Again...never miss an opportunity to witness a sunset. This one is in Scotland.

 Thanks to Jacqueline over at Escape Normal (www.escapenormal.com) for allowing me to write on my experience as an Au Pair! I hope it inspires anyone out there who is interested in stepping outside that box and experiencing the life they dream of. 

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose." -Steve Jobs