I was born in Anchorage, Alaska. My parents chose to raise me as a traveler. We took trips two to three times a year. We simultaneously moved cities every two to four years. By the time I was 10, I’d lived in six states and been to two countries. I took my first solo international trip at 15.

We explored Australia and New Zealand for three weeks. The trip was with the People-to-People Student Ambassador program. So, it wasn’t 100% solo. Yet, it was not with friends or family that I knew before the program. I’ve identified this trip as the moment I fell in love with traveling. I climbed the Sydney bridge, repelled a 1000-foot wall, scuba dove the Great Barrier Reef, surfed, and learned to play rugby. We met with foreign diplomats and an Aboriginal Tribe of the Māori people. I even ate kangaroo and crocodile for the first time.

I was only a teenager, so several years passed before I surrounded myself with travel again. When I was 19, I left for the Navy. I was hoping I’d be stationed on a ship and get paid to travel. Unfortunately, I was put on shore duty and stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi. I finished out my training and was restationed to Norfolk, Virginia.

After two years I returned home to Denver, Colorado. This is where I began school at Metropolitan State University of Denver (or MSUD). I studied Italian and go to study abroad because of it. I quickly enlisted in a program that allowed me to live in Italy for four months. I was able to backpack Europe for an extra two months as well.

It was the cliché college European backpacking trip. I flew into Rome, a month early, so I could backpack for a month with the Eurail pass. I made my way to Italy and studied for four, before backpacking another month after the program finished. I visited 98% of Europe’s mainland countries during my six-month visit.

Every weekend was the time for travel. I visited a different Italian region or took a cheap flight with Ryan Air to different countries. I went bungee jumping in Interlocken, Switzerland, and cliff diving outside of Marseille, France. I stopped into Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, then visited the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. I went snowboarding in Gstaad, Switzerland and spent Christmas in Venice, Italy. I spent New Years in Amsterdam and visited Budapest, Hungary to soak in the healing waters of their thermal baths.

After nearly two months, I felt like I could do this forever. Unfortunately, I had previous commitments back in the U.S. So, I had to wait. I spent the next ten years traveling on occasion, trying to decide when the time was right.

During this period, I followed a few bands on tour around the States. I dipped out of the country from time to time, for the occasional international adventure. I visited Costa Rica and Nicaragua for two weeks. A couple years later, I knocked out my biggest bucket list destination, by visiting Macchu Picchu and Peru. On that trip I backpacked parts of Chile and Colombia, for a total of three months out of the country.

A couple years passed, and I consistently tried to plan the right moment to begin doing this. Every time I would feel it was the right opportunity, I’d find an excuse to procrastinate my departure. Well, I’ve finally realized there is no better time like the present. It’s time to travel now and I want to see the world. It is my life goal, so why not give it a try?

If there’s something I want to see or do, then I say DO IT! You never know when God’s going to knock. I don’t want to regret what I do in life. We only get one shot, so we might as well live the way we want. It’s time for me to live my best life, and I’d like to invite you along for the ride!