The Venture Novice

Wanna know where one of my favorite places to be is? Every time I'm there, I get this feeling of excitement. Anytime I think about being there, this sense of joy overcomes me. It's an adventure I never get tired of. And every time I visit, each experience is different. This wonderful place is...the airport! Haha.

Bet you weren't expecting that, huh? Lol. Honestly though, as someone who loves to travel, the airport is the precursor to the impending adventure. The "pre-party" lol. I actually enjoy the entire process. From getting my boarding pass, to going through security checks, finding my gate, airport food and vendors, boarding, the whole shebang. For me, the airport process is just as much a part of the travel as what I do at my destination. I'm one of those weird people who would get on one of those "flights-to-nowhere", just to satisfy my thirst for the travel experience.

Interestingly enough, I never really traveled until I was in my late-20s. There had long been a desire in my heart, though. In college, I had briefly looked into studying abroad, but grades, money, and a relationship made me give up on that idea. Even still, for years, I'd come up with all sorts of travel ideas - planning out all the details- with hopes that they'd one day turn into actual trips. Just domestic travel destinations. Sometimes out-of-state, sometimes a road trip up the coast, and sometimes just literally spending a weekend venturing around SoCal. I just wanted to explore! Even still, there always seemed to be things/people holding me back. So, I came up with an idea that I'd hoped would help me to take the first steps to living out my plans. I decided to start a travel blog. Hence, The Venture Novice was born.

It wasn't long before it "died" though. I had done a few activities that I blogged about. Went skydiving; took a swimming lesson. But, what I thought was really going to kick my blog off, was a trip that a friend and I were planning to Australia and New Zealand. I just new it was going to finally be the trip that started them all. It didn't happen though. I was in a rocky relationship at the time, and my ex told me that if I went on the trip, it would be the end of us - because I would be taking the trip with a (mutual) male friend. My heart was torn in two. I ultimately decided to try and save the relationship (failed attempt), which then led me to letting my friend down, and giving up a trip that just might have set me off on a new path, personally.

All of that was back in 2016. I did end up taking my first international trip to Japan in Spring 2017, with the hopes of adding it to my blog, but, life happened, and I never did. By the time 2018 rolled around, I had a lot of changes and happenings occurring, and decided to take a 3-week solo trip to South Korea and Japan. It would be the very first time I had ever traveled alone. A trip I needed to help me get over all of the things that had happened in the year. As I was alone for the duration of the trip, I decided to document it in my Instagram Story on my personal account. I'm glad I did. As I shared my journey, I had friends and family commenting and "liking" along the way. They were all so encouraging and interested in where I was, or what I was up to. It encouraged me to keep it going. Here I was, once again falling in love with the idea of sharing my travels with others.

I kept up with documenting things I was doing through my IG stories. Canada, The Philippines, Seattle, concerts, museums. I was getting back to getting out there. Finally trying to live out my desire for exploration. But I still hadn't gone back to my The Venture Novice account. It still sat there, with no new updates, and probably about 10 followers, if that. Then came the pandemic and subsequent shutdowns.

Like most everyone else in the country, I grew bored with being stuck in the house 24/7. Yes, I absolutely felt a need to be responsible and social distance, but those travel pangs were intense. So, I decided my next best option was outdoor extensive travel. Solution: hiking and camping!

Labor Day weekend was approaching and I decided I wanted to take advantage of the extra day off. So, I very last minute decided to pack up my car and go camping, alone, in Bryce Canyon NP. I'm so glad I made the last minute decision to follow through on my crazy idea. I had never camped before, I had never visited Utah, I had never driven that far of a distance on my own. It was such a rewarding experience. I got back home, and the spark was ignited. The Venture Novice was back in commission.

In fact, I, soon after, took a break from my personal IG account to focus more on my passion of travel. At the start of this year, I gave up my personal account indefinitely. The Venture Novice has opened me up to a whole community I wasn't aware was out there. Sometimes, I get disappointed in myself for not having taken my account and blog more seriously in the past. It's coming up on 5 years since I had first decided to take a chance on my passion for travel. I could have been so much farther in it by this point. But, the past is the past, and all I can do is move forward. Unfortunately, until the borders open up again, I'm limited in the type of travel I can do, but I'm still going to take advantage of what I can in the meantime. But, I honestly can't wait to travel internationally again. One of the biggest reasons I love travel is because of all the potential it has of opening my mind up to things unknown. I want to learn. I want to thrive as a global citizen. I don't ever again want to lose that spark.