Conversations with My Younger Self: Travel More
And Start Earlier
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” Mark Twain
My Experience:
Growing up, my family could barely afford day-to-day expenses, much less exciting vacations. We would occasionally cram twice as many people in the beige AMC Rambler that it could safely or even legally hold as we headed off to either Chicago or Madison, Wisconsin. You guessed it; we had relatives in both of those cities.
Occasionally, on the way to Chicago, we did get to stop at Wisconsin Dells. I wasn’t all that impressed with Noah’s Art (it wasn’t a waterpark in those days, but a display of what Noah’s Ark was supposed to look like). But the scenery was beautiful, and we attended Tommy Bartlett’s Waterskiing Show one time. I hadn’t experienced many oohs and ahs in my life, so Tommy’s show was pretty impressive.
As a mother of young children, I did make an effort to travel to places like Wisconsin Dells. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Duluth and Lake Superior, Winnipeg, Canada, and other sites accessible by car.
After my first marriage ended, I started to do some traveling for work with Clean Water Action. My travel for CWA eventually allowed me to take my youngest two sons to Washington DC and Seattle.
I also traveled quite a bit domestically to Academic Residencies while working as an Advisor for Walden University. I even got to spend a week on the Big Island. But it wasn’t until I married my second husband that the travel wheels really came off.
We both had the urge to go across the pond and ended up in Germany and Prague. We also took several trips to Mexico, which eventually ended up with us living in Puerto Vallarta off and on for nearly four years. I had won a trip to Italy before we got together and couldn’t wait to return. Eventually, we took a Mediterranean cruise to Italy, Greece, and Turkey.
My husband and I also took several baseball trips across the country, with Niagara Falls definitely coming in as my favorite side trip.
Now due to the pandemic and health constraints, we find ourselves in Minneapolis. For me, it’s been beyond challenging because I miss Mexico, and I still struggle with the travel bug. I realize I’ve been more fortunate than many when it comes to my travel experiences, but I wish I had taken steps to travel more when I was younger.
What I Would Tell My Younger Self:
- Figure out a way to travel more during high school. Save some money through part-time work and consider applying to live and study abroad for a year.
- Don’t go to college in your same city. Go to another state and, if possible, another country.
- Look for travel volunteer opportunities during and after college.
- Make travel a priority when choosing a career.
- Travel more with your kids when they’re young.
- Explore the idea of moving to and working in another country.
- Learn about travel writing at a younger age.
- Spend fewer dollars on things and more money on travel.
I love to write about travel, and my husband and I coauthored a blog that I turned into a book when we first lived in Mexico. I’ve also been working on a children’s series, ‘Nana and Bad Grandpa Move to Mexico,’ regarding my Mexican adventures in Puerto Vallarta and beyond. I also created several handy travel journals with inspirational travel quotes.
If you found value in this article, please consider looking at a couple of others in the ‘Conversations with My Younger Self Series.’
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Marcia Gage currently resides with her husband in downtown Minneapolis. She has four adult sons and five grandchildren. Marcia is an AWAI Certified Copywriter and a member of International Travel Writers and Photographers Alliance (ITWPA). She specializes in travel, wine, CBD and alternative health, psychology, and self-help.