Until you decide you are
Getting around to write this marks a personal challenge I finally dared to face in 2019. With a heap of support from loved ones and a collection of experiences of a lifetime, it’s finally time to spit it all out for the sake of empowerment.
Traveling is part of me, traveling has been with me since I started communicating- my mum says. And traveling, as far as I’m concerned won’t be out of my bucket list anytime soon.
I’m quite aware how privileged I am to have had a family vacation together, or to at such a young age be able to spare savings for a yearly getaway. Truth is I wish I could impact absolutely anyone who wants to see the world. So for now & for those who just need a little encouragement, or just a small seed planted on the back of their mind, I truly hope my words will tempt the hell out of you-then again, I’m also here as a living proof of how going on a backpacking trip is not necessarily a thing for the crème de la crème, you just need a little push.
The turning point
Back in my freshman year, I discovered the perks of youth: first paycheck, powerful voice, social skills… No rest was needed at that time, and the ambitious voice in my head challenged me and made me wonder what a backpacking adventure would be like since I had become so open to changes in my personal life. I found myself around that mindset that didn’t seem to go away as much as the rational voice (and actual voices around me) would alarm me how delusional I sounded.
Let’s face it: the life of a young Brazilian girl traveling alone should be no picnic (not to mention I was underage at the time). But since no one agreed to come along, how was I supposed to fulfil my dream? How do people even make money to travel?
The odds against me seemed even more harsh when I dared telling people the destinations I’d like to visit. Why did I feel I was getting further to my dream instead of closer? The more I asked people, the more I googled my questions, the more I tried to understand why people thought I’d gone mad, the least ready I felt for this.
Realizing this negativity was a state of mind just as much as my willingness to see the world was the most crucial lesson I learned. Only then did I finally agree I’d never be ready until I accepted this mindset. So with a lot of planing, a lot of dreaming, some networking and a lot of guts I finally made a decision.
The questions went from “how are you gonna get by?” to “where do you want to go after?” See the difference?
I patiently waited till I turned 18 to avoid bureaucratic paperwork to travel abroad, I methodically saved pretty much all the income I had (at the time 5 USDa day!) and I daringly informed my parents I had made a decision and saved the money, I just needed to borrow their credit card to buy the air ticket . And with no further explanation I decided to hop on thi
Getting to it
A thousand dollars (at the time) was what I had saved and was precisely what I used for over sixty days in Europe with no particular destination. By the time I turned 19, I had fiercely travelled through 12 countries in European winter, from northernmost to southernmost part of the continent. ON MY OWN – But that’s a story for another time.
Now when I look back, I might tell people’s opinions on my business had no further base than negative media images, racism or just plain ignorance and I can’t stress enough how glad I am I ignored all conservative comments and turned the status quo around.
My point is: it’s always been pretty clear to me I’d do some backpacking wherever. I just didn’t know my ambition would make it happen so quickly. When I think about it, gosh was I bold to do this. But gosh, I’m so proud I’ve taken then the hardest and most important step of my current identity.
I am Marina. I’ve stood at least twice on every tropic-touching continent. I’ve ticked my 35th country before my 23rd birthday (not that I believe in current border limitations) and anyone who knows me a tiny bit knows this is what I stand for.
I’m proud to realize most of my achievements have been bought, planned, executed & enjoyed by me along with some loving friends I made along the way. At the end of the day I’m not a big deal, I just listened to the ambitious voice and that took me so far.
If so many rational voices have impacted me until I decided it was enough, can you imagine what an actual encouraging voice can do to you? Are you over this “parent’s independence phase” but still haven’t taken the first step? Will you trust me to instigate the ambition voice inside of you?
Todo o conteúdo deste espaço foi irreverentemente produzido por uma gar♀ta