Somewhere out there is a man who has no idea how our chance encounter has altered my life (and maybe a few others too). I don’t know where he lives, what he’s doing now. Hell, I don’t even remember his name—but I do know I’m grateful we randomly met.
He was assigned the seat next to mine on a 9 hour flight to Rome. I felt bad for him. I’m sure he hadn’t bargained for such a long-haul sitting next to a 5-month-old and a stressed-out new mom covered in baby puke. Poor guy. Naturally we got to talking and I asked him why he was traveling to Rome. Turns out he wasn’t. It was just a stopover on a trip to Amsterdam to see the Tulips—he and 30 other passengers. I was flabbergasted. It got better. Not only was he traveling with 30 other people, they were senior citizens and he was LEADING them through Europe. I didn’t even know people did that.
He was raised on a farm, got married young and naturally became a farmer himself. He saw that as his bread and butter and his way of life until noticing a huge void in the senior community in his town. He was from somewhere in the Midwest and wanted to make a difference so he started by hiring buses and taking seniors on day trips to get them out and about. From there it grew into a full-fledged tour company and he had entirely devoted his life to connecting people with the world around them, personally escorting them every step of the way. I’ll never forget what he said. He said, “I was a farmer. I have no education, but I’ve seen the entire world and now I get to share that with other people. Do you have any idea how fulfilling that is?” Talk about living your dreams, right? He asked me, “What are you doing with your life?” I took a hard swallow and said I was a high school English teacher, feeling suddenly unimpressed with myself. “Perfect,” he said. “You need to start sharing the world with your kids. If someone like me can do it, what kind of an impact can someone like you make? You have your whole life ahead of you.”
He praised me for my bravery in taking a 5-month-old to see the world and encouraged me not to stop there. At the time I was embarking on what I believed to be my last trip to Europe. I’d been once before in high school and had high hopes of becoming a world traveler. I promised myself that one day I’d go back. But one day turned into one year and slowly life began to happen. Before I knew it I was married and had a baby on the way. Society told me my chance was gone. We praise the young unattached twenty-somethings, encouraging them to seize the day while they can and explore and so on, but once motherhood calls, we are supposed to kill that hunger to roam and replace it with an urge to compete with other mothers about who’s birthday party was the most pinterest-worthy, who breast-fed longer, and who sacrifices more for their children. It’s a great calling, don’t get me wrong, but I never considered that there was an alternative way—that I could (with more bags and more work) wrangle my own children and traipse through foreign lands. I especially didn’t think I could do it with other people’s kids. Was it a lot of work? Totally! Was it worth every hassle? 100%!!
The mystery man and I exchanged pleasantries the rest of the flight, but his words stayed with me. What was I doing with my life? Is it really possible to share the world with kids like that? Senior citizens, sure, but students?
It took me a little over a year to work up enough courage to take my first trip, and also a gentle nudge from a colleague, but I took the leap and it has turned out to be one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I used other tour companies as a crutch at first, believing that I needed them as a security blanket, that I was just some frail little woman who needed their knowledge of all things travel. It didn’t matter that I had over 15 years of travel experience or that I’d lived abroad for a year. One day, with another gentle nudge, this time from my husband, it hit me. They are just dudes in a cubicle. They are no different than I am. The only thing that separates me from that man on the flight is that when my dreams come knocking, fear makes me ask them to come back another day. I was tired of paying big bucks for someone else to do something I enjoyed so much—the planning was the fun part. Deciding where to go, what untouched gems to discover, local traditions to learn from, flavors to taste for the first time—these are the things I love, and things I totally didn’t have a hand in when I was outsourcing tours to someone else—I was petrified that I wasn’t worthy.
Sixteen countries later and my very own tour company and I can’t believe I ever worried that one trip was going to be my last. But collecting stamps in my passport is hardly the best part. By far the travelers are what make the experiences so worthwhile.
Watching travelers is hard to describe. It warms places in my heart I didn’t even know I had. I’ve witnessed many beautiful moments while traveling. Here are a few of my favorites. I had the privilege of watching a dear friend of mine come alive after heartbreak, realizing her life isn’t over just because her marriage was. She took a huge leap in coming on the tour and watching her take the reins of her life—refusing to be a bystander--was a beautiful thing to witness. Another great memory was watching a couple on the brink of divorce rekindle their love for one another while on tour and rebuild a strong and healthy foundation for their family. I’ve seen strangers take on other travelers as their own children when they were in a tough spot or low on money. I’ve seen beautiful friendships (that would NEVER happen in a traditional school setting) develop and blossom as a result of travel. I’ve seen students who receive special services absolutely flourish with self-confidence and adaptability as a result of travel. Barriers are broken down. People are challenged, and they ALWAYS rise.
I could go on and on, but I promise I won’t. I have been able to truly realize how blessed I am because of the experiences and connections travel has helped me form with students, friends, family, and strangers who become some form of all of these things. If you have traveled with me or entrusted your children to my care: THANK YOU! You guys are amazing! I truly believe that giving your kids the experience of travel is setting them up for a lifetime of success. Also, those that invest in themselves and travel know what life is all about: people, history, culture, connections—you name it, travel does it!
I wish I could find that man and thank him, but the likelihood of that happening is slim—believe me, I’ve spent hours randomly searching “Midwest Senior Travel Company” and scouring pictures on the internet hoping to catch a glimpse of a familiar face. My students, friends and anyone who has traveled with me and benefitted from travel have him to thank! I wish I could tell him to his face, but since I can’t—let’s honor him by living our own lives to the fullest every day. Whatever that means to you, get out there and DO IT! For me, that’s sharing the world, one person at a time. If that sounds like your cup of tea too, come with me! Seriously. No catch. Just us making the world our oyster. We may know each other well, we may just be acquaintances, or total strangers, but I know after traveling we will all feel like family.