I am a twenty-something who is lost.
I believe that feeling “lost” is the glue that holds the millennial generation together.
It seems that everyone has an opinion on how to run our lives; through blogs, brunches with avocado toast, and never-ending think pieces of all of the industries that millennials have single handedly ruined in our short time in the consumer culture.
How do we stay true to ourselves when everyone is telling us who to be? How do we not become lost in the most connected but unintimate time in history?
While this blog isn’t solely about traveling, I still want to share it with the U30X family that started me on this journey.
Lost
Over the past two years, I became complacent. I graduated college, started a very stable job, found a very stable boyfriend, lived a very stable life.
I know how fortunate I am to have found all of these things early in life; however, in becoming complacent, I found myself lost.
In being lost and trying to find myself, I started to push.
I started to think about all of the things that I wanted out of life that I wasn’t currently getting.
Did I want to start volunteering? Did I need to pick up a new hobby?
How could I gain more experiences, more enjoyment out of life? And most importantly, why did I feel so lost?
But being lost has its perks. And being lost helped me find Under30Experiences.
Over late night drinks and the bustle of DC, I was sharing all of these thoughts with a friend. Having completed Semester at Sea, she was well-traveled and basically the coolest person that I knew.
She casually brought up a travel company that her friend told her about in passing. She sent me the link and from there, I knew I wanted to go.
Fast forward to a few weeks later.
In the dead of winter, DC gets gray. After a few days of gray skies, I brought back up the U30X website.
Seeing the endless pictures of beautiful, lush green scenery - I made the impulse buy.
In a few short months, I would be on my way to Costa Rica.
Found
I had no idea what to expect. I was too scared to go alone so I convinced my boyfriend to go with me.
Arriving in Costa Rica was nerve-wracking. Going through customs, standing in lines, and realizing how much of the Spanish language that I had lost since graduating college was a little overwhelming.
Although Costa Rica is known for having a large Ex-Pat community, I wanted to show my respect for allowing us into their beautiful country.
It is amazing how quickly most members of my group were able to pick up Spanish again.
While in Costa Rica, I did things that I have never done.
For such a short trip, I was provided opportunities that allowed me to push myself farther than I ever expected.
On one of the last days, I white-water rafted down the Rio Savegre. Hands down, this was one of my favorite memories!
Five days later, I found myself.
I found myself laughing with people who used to be strangers.
I found myself letting go of the stress.
I found myself loving life and dreaming big again.
But that is what traveling can do - help you when you are feeling lost.
A word to the wise: don’t be afraid to lose yourself first.
