The Start of my Backpacking Trip Around the World!

Not all who wander are lost. — J. R. R. Tolkien

October 2018:

Almost 3 years since my last adventure, the time has come to embark on the next solo journey.

Destination: Asia for…. 6 months!

I’ll be ‘wandering aboot’ Nepal, India (again!), Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia (at least, that’s the plan for now!).

Yep, 6 months is a long time (the time it takes a newborn baby to start crawling!). The only explanation I have for choosing 6 months is that many decisions in my life are simply based on feelings of intuitive knowledge… While vagabonding in India in 2016 for 4 months, I emailed my mom:

“…I’ve had ample time to think about my near future, reflecting on life, and what I want for myself in the next year. At this point, the most important thing for me is to be happy with how I am living life; to have a smile on my face; to follow my heart and continue learning how to be myself.

I have the full power to make this happen. The best way I know to so is to return to Montreal, leave my job, and embark on another impactful solo trip for 6 months….” The 6 months number was formed from pure intuition of the heart.

Did I return, quit my job, and fly off again?

Flying off like my Spongebob kite

Nope. I returned to my job in audit, and moved to LA a few months later, where I started a new career in mergers & acquisitions. I wasn’t ready to ditch the finance world for a life of uncertainty and potential financial instability!
BUT, I knew deep in my heart — this 6 months trip is just postponed. It WILL happen…. That time has finally come.

If you’re wondering what draws me to these impactful trips, here’s the rest of the email I sent my mom:

“I cannot express how much this solo travel trip has taught me in such a short duration. It opened my eyes to real aspects of life, as opposed to simply the realm of finance. It showed me an alternative way to living in a materialistic society.

I wish for anyone to have the experience as I have been blessed with the opportunity to experience.” You will get a further taste of what I mean by all this in future posts about my journey.

These trips are driven by a thirst to learn more about myself, and a quest for to connect with others and with the world we live in. So, yes, I guess you could say I’m “soul searching,” or “finding myself”.

En route

After busting it for the last 3 days prepping for this trip, I made it to the airport with only a gash on my forehand, a black eye, and a sliced finger.

To be transparent, I’ve been dangerously anxious in preparing myself for the trip of my dreams, which resulted in injury after injury. Drastically changing my life for the next 6 months has stirred up my panel of emotions, and I’m coping the best I can.

Finally nestled in my Turkish Airlines seat, relief, calmness, and excitement have arrived. Stay tuned for the next post on my whereabouts!