Bearly Home

Honestly, if you’d asked me that prior to my thirties, I would have answered, “Um, yeah, why? Why leave the comfort of your own home where you know exactly where to find the silverware? Why put the boundaries of your town behind you and step into lands where nobody knows you?“

Then, as I entered my thirties, my parents invited me on a ten-night Oceania Cruise from Rome to Barcelona and I said “Yes! Of course, I’ll come along!” Did I have a choice, really? The trip was life-changing. Sure, it started with a long flight to Italy on which I was the only person awake, swelled with anxiety, but … once I leaned into the adventure of it all … life-changing.

The moment I was back in the comfort of my home, I was ready to start another adventure. And I would with additional invites from my parents (cruises that covered Stockholm to London and Istanbul to ??). Later, after gaining an insta-family, we dove into RV adventures deep into Canada and as far south as Key West. I eventually talked my clan into a cruise and they, too, were instantly sold.

As I witnessed that love for adventure awaken in my own children, I knew that all the convincing was worth it. Traveling beyond our comfort zones sparks something within.

It wasn’t until I walked the roads of history (real history, not the US version that is just a few hundred years old), mingled among foreign languages, and rubbed shoulders with other explorers that I truly fell in love with travel.

Travel opens a window to the world, allowing one to step through the glass and become fully immersed. We often reference travel in terms of “getting away from our daily lives” but those willing to explore often find that true adventure enables them to learn more about themselves, even reshaping their own daily lives and stories.