Wanderlust…it’s been in my blood since birth. I love traveling and seeing new places, learning about new cultures, eating great food and making new friends. When Kenin and I left the retail workforce and sold our house to travel full-time in July 2012, I never had a second thought that I was doing the right thing. I wanted to see the world and make the most of my short existence on this planet.
Where are we headed?
When we became travel bloggers, I truly believed it was the best job on the planet. We went from city to city trying out new restaurants, staying in fancy hotels, and doing all of the best activities those cities had to offer. It was quite a rush. We would basically do all of the fun stuff a city had to offer then move on to the next place and do it all over again. Then something happened! I realized over a short time that some of my most heartfelt writing turned out to be some of our most popular posts. These posts all had something in common. They were all articles where I wrote about places that gave back to their communities in one way or another. In a very emotional instant, my travels felt hollow.
While Kenin and I went from city to city taking part in their fun and foods, using up resources and then promptly leaving, my travels began to feel selfish and leech-like. While I don’t want to settle down and have a permanent home, I want to give back. I want every place I touch to be better off when I leave than it was when I arrived. I don’t want to be a travel succubus. While I can write articles like Big Cat Rescue and The Calgary Zoo and gain awareness and donations, I want to get my hands dirty. I want to go out into a community and help build houses and feed the hungry.
