To wander is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves. To allow your soul to transcend self-imposed restrictions, and to flow freely and wildly out into the world, guided by the answer to the only question you need ask yourself: what makes me feel most alive?

Today, we are living in instants. We are among a time in which it is very easy to make the world feel small by clicks, taps and likes. Perpetual, ever changing feeds often shield us from the innate feeling of just being. The reality is, these fillers in our phone screens, will always be better in ‘reality’. Let this feed your desire for experience, not contentment. For, we rarely lead ourselves into blind unknowns – often jading the magic that lies behind the element of surprise and lack of expectation.

Now more than ever, I believe it is absolutely vital to throw yourself into a new place with new people, becoming no stranger to change and uncertainty. What will you find when you open your mind to perspectives from those who grew up over 12,000 miles from you? When you stand on the same ground that held the people in our history books, in the same spaces that fostered revolutions? When you learn that the very things that surpass the confines of spoken language, are the ones that continue to fuel our faith in humanity and hopefulness that world is, indeed, becoming a better place.

In the fall of 2018, I set out on solo backpacking trip in hopes of chasing summer down into the southern hemisphere. What began with a one-way flight and a loose 3 month travel plan, quickly became twelve more plane tickets and four and half months of hostel hopping, rounded out by a total of eight countries.

It is not uncommon for me to find the most profound pieces of advice and perspective in places I least expect. If there’s one thing this world has taught me, it’s that everyone has a story – but there are very few who will truly listen.

The Travel Monologues was created with the intent of sharing not only my individual experience, but more specifically, the significant moments and lessons cultivated with those I met along the way. I invite you to read on with an open heart, as it is my hope that maybe some of these wild and often serendipitous moments shared, will be equally as inspiring for you as they were for me.