I had always dreamed of traveling to far away places and living an adventurous unconventional life, far from the safe traditional upbringings of my childhood. I marched to the beat of my own drum and was always being reprimanded for my creative and adventurous outlook on life. I was worked like putty to fit into a mold already made for me since the day I was born. “Girls don’t do that” and “Your going to break your neck” are phrases that repeatedly haunted my childhood. I was expected and forced to follow a path that had been laid out before me. Because of the backlash and disappointment I always received I felt an extreme sense of guilt to not do what was expected of me. It would have been easy to fall into that path, but I would be lifeless, miserable, and unhappy. I’d be sitting in a cubicle trying to climb the corporate ladder and play office politics while simultaneously working towards the allure of the retirement carrot placed in front of me. Is this what life is supposed to be like? Work your entire life and give up the best years of your life for a time that is not fully guaranteed. Then, if that retirement time does come your body is already well past its prime both mentally and physically and you likely will be incapable of living your dream. It just never made sense to me.
When I graduated college I came to a point where I needed to decide where I wanted to go career wise. I visited an ad agency in town to interview their staff and see the logistics of how this type of job worked. I left disgusted. I didn’t like what I saw. I was passionate about design and being creative, but didn’t see this as a viable option for me. ‘What now?’ I thought while feeling lost.
A design contest I had entered and won got me an entry into a student conference in town. It was there a speaker talked about how he started his business straight out of college despite the naysayers. It was like a light bulb went off in my head… if he could do it, so could I. I made a leap of faith, without any career experience, and started working as an independent graphic designer. My friends, family, and college career services all expressed deep concern for my well-being and worked hard to persuade me otherwise. I had already made up my mind though. It was done.
I was told I would fail, never be successful, and should quit being ridiculous and get a real job. Actually, I’m still told that I should get a real job. Although the first few years were rough I eventually made it. I put in a lot of hard work and it paid off. I made a good living and was able to live out whatever dreams I had at the time. I was an amateur motocross racer backed by sponsors, volunteered in Vanuatu, traveled throughout the States, and backpacked South America for 5-months. Even in my success the people I wanted to be most proud of me weren’t. In fact, they were disappointed. I could always see it in their faces and hear it in their voices. The way they talked about me and the way they talked about others were completely different. It broke and continues to break my heart. They never said this unconventional path was easy. Despite being criticized for every little thing I did and being the black sheep of my family I continued on my path. After all, it’s my life. Had I listened to them I wouldn’t have had any of the amazing adventures I’ve had thus far such as swimming with sea lions in the Galapagos, finding the Lost City in Colombia, or watching a volcano explode.
My business was doing well and I had just returned from my volunteer trip in Vanuatu. It was my first time out of the country and opened up my eyes to the world. It was the happiest time of my life and I instantly knew I wanted to travel and learn more about the world. I was reading many travel blogs and people on around the world adventures and was inspired to do the same. I began to prepare for and plan my 3-year trip around the world. I started www.whereisjenny.com and documented the process. Then entered a boy named Curtis. He had just returned from a trip backpacking in Europe with his dad and expressed similar interests. We fell in love and my life changed. I put my RTW (Around the World) trip on hold and began building life with him. We settled into a routine and always talked about one day taking off to travel. He was a pilot and was always on the road. I envied that. One day, my wanderlust grew too strong and I had to take a trip myself. We came to the conclusion that I would take a solo 5-month trip through South America (the 1st leg of my planned 3-year RTW) and maintain a long-distance relationship. Upon my return we would save up for several years and take off for 6-months to 1 year to backpack every continent in the world throughout our lives together.
When I returned home from South America I was a changed person. I really struggled to fit back into routine and start this life again. I had found out what I wanted and had a renewed passion for it. After a year of routine a situation popped up that Curtis and I had to deal with. The situation made me realize that although Curtis and I were great together and we had an amazing relationship we wanted different things out of life. If I stayed with him, I could see myself settling into a routine and life I didn’t necessarily want. A quote popped up that said, “Life is too short to make compromises,” and it was then I decided to leave the relationship. Since Curtis was the only reason I was living in Houston I knew it was time to open up the next chapter in my life. My dream of traveling the world would become a reality. I stopped thinking about what I should be doing and started thinking about the things I wanted to be doing. This all leads up to the moment I’m in now. I’ve decided to sell everything I own and leave for the ultimate adventure around the world. Where will I start? Where will I go? How long will I be gone? These are all questions I don’t have answers for just yet. We’ll just see where the wind takes me.
Visit my site, read my adventures, and watch me go through this life changing process. I’ll be working hard on my businesses prepping them for full on location independent working and ending this chapter of my life here in Houston as I sell all my belongings. Leave everything behind and come with me.
