Despite them not having money sitting around waiting to be spent, they said yes. And now, as an adult and a mother, I wish I knew how they went about deciding I could go and that they would pay. As I write this, it makes me a bit misty eyed and I vow to ask them the next chance I get. Anyways, I digress.
So they said that they would pay for the trip including: hotels, flights, food etc. However, I would have to save up for my spending money. My 14 yr old little mind, with little life experience, had absolutely no idea how much their decision would impact me and my future. You see, their decision created something inside me that only those in the world who have travelled would understand. Call it a passion, a desire or a need. Like air to breathe. It is a necessary of life and can only be explained as indescribable.
So at 14 I was attending high school full time and began working nearly full time hours at my first job making $4.25/hr and it didn't even phase me. Why you ask? Well because I was living on adrenalin and wanting nothing more than to be able to fulfill my parents demands. So for the next year (or perhaps it was less...at the time it felt like an eternity and now 20+ years later, it's impossible to remember those kinds of details) I saved every penny I earned. And when I say every, I truly mean every.
By the time our trip rolled around I had saved over $1000 and I was very proud of myself. And this was the beginning of my dreams, my passions and my desires. Over the years, I have gone on various trips around the world and I am still left wanting more. But now, I am a single mother.
My son is 5 and I actually went on vacation to Jamaica when he was only 5 months old and no he did not come with me. Who would do that?! I don't know...but I did. The history and the reasons why are complex and long-winded and perhaps better told another time. But suffice it to say, he was in good hands (Grandma and Papa) and I left to attend a friends wedding, on my own. I was the only single person that attended and it was at times, awkward and uncomfortable. But despite those fleeting moments, there was heavenly bliss.
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Look how wild and carefree I look...wait that was just the wind!I had convinced myself that I would likely not travel again for many years to come and this really made me sad. I mean we have done many, and I mean many, long drives through the mountains to visit my parents, gone on camping trips into the States and various trips to those annoying theme parks to visit the animals. Simply because the marketing teams that these companies employ are geniuses in getting kids to convince their parents that they MUST go to ABC-land. *sigh*
That was until recently. Call it a midday meltdown or a breakthrough...both would be accurate. I quickly ran across the street (truth be told, I actually jay-walked...I hate those people!!) to quickly get lunch while I had a reprieve of the insanity of my work. As I walked through the building on my way to the Food court, I slowly walked passed a travel agency and something made me stop. It was the insanity of my life banging on the walls of my chest...saying get yourself on the next damn plane and get the HELL out of here.
I walked in, simply to pick up some brochures to browse. For anyone who knows me I don't travel by brochure. I usually pick a place, book the ticket and go. I find you're more likely to actually leave your home this way. Anyways, now my life is different. I have to make more calculated choices because I am a parent/single mom, right? Perhaps. Perhaps if I was someone else, someone else who didn't have obsessive and compulsive behaviors. In those seconds from the time I walked in, to the time I opened my mouth, I had apparently made a decision. A life altering decision and I say to the woman: "Hi, I am a single mother of a 5 year old child and I NEED to find a way to travel. I can't NOT travel. I have travelled quite a lot and I really need to find a way that I can continue to do so, but with a child". And there my next adventure began.
The travel agent, or my Adventure Provider as I like to call her, asked me if I would be interested in taking a cruise. I emphatically stated NO! She I'm sure was taken aback and I tried to soften my stance by explaining I had taken a cruise before and really did not enjoy it. I hated that I was stuck on a boat and that I was not able to mingle with the locals and actually get to experience the local foods and cultures. I continued on with my soap box rant that if I wanted to go on vacation with other Canadians and Americans, I would simply stay home and travel from within Canada. Perhaps she wasn't getting my desperate plea when I initially approached her. What was wrong with her?! At the time, I wasn't sure.
I went on and on listing some of the places I want to explore such as: Africa; more of Europe e.g. Ireland, Scotland, Greece, Turkey, France; Morocco. And she suggests a cruise? I was a bit trepidatious about my choice in agents, but she was so darn bubbly and excited that I couldn't help but want to give her a chance.
*Sidebar -- don't you hate that when you type a word and it shows it's spelled incorrectly and you have to stop and google to make sure you've spelt it right. jeesh! For those of you who are grammar geeks, feel free to check out this blog on trepidatious and this one on the usage of spelt, which is also a type of wheat apparently. Interesting. Anyways, in case anyone ever reads this blog and thinks that throughout my writing I am spelling words incorrectly, I'd like to point out that I am: 1) Canadian 2) raised by an American 3) a finance/marketing educated girl and not an English major...so my linguistics are totally messed up :)
Ok, back to our regular programming or long-winded chats with myself.
So I continue to listen to this woman discuss various options, mostly involving Cuba or the Dominican as possible locales and again I cringe. Not that I don't think both countries are heavenly travel destinations, but I was really looking for something a bit more life altering. I was desperate, for the love of God!!!! Couldn't she see this? Well, I departed with some books in hand. Some on cruises, others on Europe and Sun Destinations.
As I lay in bed exploring the well marketed pictures, I struggled with my decision. What was I looking for? I wasn't sure. Actually, I'm still not sure. But luckily for me, my OCD kicked in and I started obsessively writing lists of the good, the bad and the ugly about the various destinations.
As I browsed through the travel mags I started looking at "Sun Destinations" as I had planned on taking 6 weeks off work in December/January to escape the nasty winter commutes and of course the brutal cold/wet winds of the Outaouais region. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr, is all I can say and I AM CANADIAN, so that should say a lot.
Freezing your tush off...but damn, it's beautiful!!!
Every girls' Princess Dream, come true. 
Who doesn't like giant hockey skates?? We Canadians take our hockey very seriously :) I considered going back to Jamaica because of all the places I've been it was one of the nicer experiences. The food was AMAZING. The scenery was heavenly and I mean truly heavenly, and the people, despite being quite poor, seemed to live life with vigor; which I LOVE!! But I decided I wanted something new. That I didn't just want to park my butt on a beach chaise and watch the waves crash on the shore. Granted, I enjoy doing that too, but I wanted to do something else. But what can you do with a 5 year old, I kept asking myself.
So I moved onto the cruise magazine. I started researching the Caribbean cruises out of Florida and was NOT sold. I did not want to spend all my time on a boat...as previously exclaimed to the travel lady. And then, low and behold I saw a trip out of Puerto Rico with only 1 day at sea. How is this possible, I thought to myself. It's a cruise!!! aren't you supposed to be at sea? Well, this might have been my saving grace, I thought. As I continued with my explorations into the various port options, I found countries that I had seen on various travel shows where disgustingly rich and wealthy Canadians and Americans went to live and I thought to myself...that might be interesting, NOT!
*sidebar -- I do not by any means, intend to say that all there is to do in Jamaica is to sit on a lounger on the beach. Gosh, there is so much more to see and do. Perhaps another time I will go into my trip there. It included Zip-lining, Catamarans, Waterfalls, back country road trips in a taxi without shocks/struts and so much more!!!
Until...I found locales like Barbados with sea turtles and caves, St Kitts and St Lucia with Volcanoes and rain forests and my heart started to sing. These were things that I could do with my son and NOT hate myself for doing the touristy thing, right?!
But if you think that all those great and amazing excursion options were what sold the cruise option for me, you are wrong, DEAD wrong!!! It was the fact that when I looked into flying in destinations there were few options that allowed me the opportunity to leave my son at the kids club or to have babysitting services. Whereas, on the cruise there is the Kids club AND the option for babysitting services. Hey, hey!!! don't get me wrong, I am a great Mom and I do want to spend time with my gorgeous little boy but I also am in desperate need of a break. Some ME time, time to regroup and relax. I mean, com'on look how relaxed this woman looks. I could do that relaxed!!! I think ;-)
So with all of that, came me changing my life and starting in a new direction for myself and my son. How you ask? Well, not by booking a cruise that I was adamant I did not want. But by trying our first trip together in a reasonably safe and fail proof manner. By getting some sun, some rest and exploring locales that both of us can enjoy, all the while figuring out how to continue on this adventure called, "Around the World, in a lifetime". And next year, we move on to somewhere a little more adventurous.
Now if only I could survive the next 2 months before this...
Stay tuned...for the real deal!
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