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:: Fulfilling a World Travel Dream
April 16, 2000
Fulfilling a World Travel Dream
I've heard that young people buy things; the middle-aged buy
security; and seniors buy experiences. Capricorns - my
astrological sign - are born "old children of the Zodiac" but
become more youthful with age. I'm certain there's more than a
bit of truth to that. At a time of life when most of my peers are
plunking big cash into retirement funds, I'm about to spend
$20,000 to travel the globe.
Why now? The dream has been demanding my attention for more
than 20 years.
During my first year of college, a buddy invited me to spend
three weeks in the U.S. Virgin Islands. I had been overseas
before but this time was different. I had my own money. So I
didn't ask my parents if I could go; I told them I was going.
That was quite a moment. The next moment leading to my journey
occurred 10 years later when an ad the size of a postage stamp
beckoned me. It contained a cruise ship icon and three words:
"The Working Vacation."
Two days after I mailed my résumé, the owner
called to ask if I could sail to Costa Rica the following
Tuesday. Payment for my passage: Conduct two workshops.
As I was eager to establish myself in a new job and build a career, a
short vacation notice to my employer seemed like a poor strategy.
So I didn't go. But "The Working Vacation" called again six
months later, this time dangling two weeks to Scandinavia and
Leningrad.
When it was time to go, I became uneasy because my cruise
departure date collided with a critical project at another new
job. The decision, my employer told me, was mine.
I didn't sleep for a week.
And I didn't go.
This pattern continued for five years. Then, with garlic bulbs
and talisman in hand, I finally landed in Costa Rica. The next
year, I joined a "Working Vacation" cruise to the Caribbean and,
six months later, I moved to Singapore and traveled throughout
Asia.
The curse was finally broken.
But it was in 1989 that my boss told me something that would
change my life: He was taking a six-month leave of absence to
travel around the world. Stunned, I thought, how does a person
actually do this? Peter had saved $20,000. He purchased an
"around the world" airplane ticket that would take him to
21 ports in six months, backpacking to hostels and
low-budget hotels.
I never saw Peter again, but through his dream, mine became
possible. I took globetrotting courses, read how-to books and
checked into transportation options. My travel file grew as I
discovered that there are as many ways to see the world as people
in it. But traipsing the globe alone felt overwhelming, so I
searched for a travel companion. Everyone I approached was
intrigued, but not enough to put his or her stake in the
ground.
Then in 1996 I received a cruise brochure announcing a world
tour. The itinerary was limited, but the brochure planted a seed:
By cruising, I could go alone, feel safe and easily manage my
lodging and transportation. I added the brochure to my
collection, knowing that one day a cruise line would offer an
itinerary with my name on it.
That day came last fall. Four months, four continents,
35 ports. Again, I didn't sleep.
A steady path has characterized my early adulthood: solid
education, meaningful employment and 14 years of doing the
right thing. And I have no regrets. Those decisions have served
and will continue to serve me well. But I'm not getting any
younger. And while dreams don't die, they do fade. As I looked
20 years into my future, I knew that passing up this journey
would cause too much regret to abide.
So that night, I took out my checkbook, planted my $2,500
stake in the ground and settled in for a peaceful night's
sleep.
The M/V Riviera sails April 12 from Cadiz, Spain. She and I
will head west into the Atlantic, the Caribbean and through the
Panama Canal. We will follow the west coast of South America into
the South Pacific to French Polynesia, the Celebes and the South
China Seas in Indonesia and Asia. We'll visit islands off the
coast of India and Africa and then make our way to the Red Sea,
through the Suez Canal in the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
We conclude the journey in Athens on Aug. 4.
I'm excited about seeing the world. But more than that, I
greatly anticipate the life-expanding opportunities the trip will
bring my way. I know this journey is pivotal to my attracting the
people, experiences and world views that will open me to better
living my values. The realization of my 10-year dream is also the
platform from which I take a leap of faith into a new life.
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