At the beginning of March 2020, I had big plans. I would soon graduate college, fly to Europe and hike the Haute trail through the Alps. After traveling around Europe for two months, I would come back to the US to begin a career in public relations and marketing.
Much like many others around the world, everything changed with the COVID-19 outbreak. My flights to Europe were cancelled, classes were moved online and I moved back home to finish my last semester of college. Just like that my plans were changed to no plans at all.
Despite these setbacks, I still had an urge to travel after graduation. The thought of going straight from sitting in a classroom to sitting in an office all day made my heart sink, especially as I watched vanlifers and adventurers on Instagram travel around the country visiting interesting places.
I always thought they had amazing lives but I never thought it was attainable. I had always believed that I absolutely had to procure a stable office job immediately after graduation and that was just the way my life was supposed to go.
Even though I was looking forward to hiking the Haute trail, I kept feeling like there was a weight on my shoulders. I didn't know why I had this weight, but it made it hard to be excited about the future. It took my plans getting cancelled to make me realize what that weight was.
What is really holding me back?
With my post college plans cancelled and me living at home, I started seriously thinking about what else I could do to celebrate graduation and start a career. I certainly wouldn't be able to safely travel abroad, so I thought maybe I could take a road trip across the country.
As this idea developed over a couple of months I went from planning to travel around in a small van for two months to thinking that maybe, just maybe, I could make a life out of this. Graduation was getting closer and I began realizing that there really was nothing holding me back from pursuing that dream.
A sense of relief
Armed with my new perspective and plan, I set out to find the vehicle I would be traveling in for the foreseeable future. As I started searching online and planning out the route I would take, I began feeling relieved.
My previous post graduation plans were exciting, but this was somehow even more exciting. I realized that this new sense of anticipation was because, while my trip to Europe would be temporary and in two months I'd be sitting in an office, with my new plan I could travel, explore and work out of my van indefinitely.
Moving forward
I'll be writing this blog, doing freelance work and climbing up mountains while traveling around in my Eurovan camper. I'm excited for the future and everything this adventure brings my way.
All of this is new to me and I'm sure there will be many trials and tribulations along the way. I'll be posting regularly about my experiences to share what I am doing and to help others get outside, explore new places and stay active, even if they don't plan to drop everything to travel the country in a camper van.
There has been a lot of change in my life (and many other people's lives) over the past few months. In my case it helped me to clarify and pursue what I really wanted. I look forward to the future, and I'm excited to share this new adventure with you.
Comments