When I purchased a globe to sit on my desk at home, although it was for decoration, I knew I would use to set my sights on locations I wanted to visit. As I sat it down I turned it so Greece would face me daily while I worked on projects. I had been wanting to visit Greece since I could remember and I felt like this was the right time to go. Even though, at first thought, I had no idea how I would make that happen. I was in grad school, just moved into a new place in LA, and spent a ton of money buying all new furniture and getting settled. I just knew I wanted to go, I wanted to go soon after graduation from USC, and I wanted to go alone. Yes, alone.
Traveling Soulo was born out a desire to really start living and traveling. I would always plan trips with friends and plenty would say, “I would love to come!” but would really never follow through. It wasn’t always their fault but I have learned when people want to make something happen, they do. That’s where I was. Since my best friends passing two years ago, I have never been more aware of death and life for that matter. Because of this new found awareness, I was hell-bent on making things really start happening.
This is the first time I had friends say repeatedly how they wanted to join me on a trip and this was the first time I would have to say, “I love you but no.” This trip wasn’t about whether any of them would really show up or not, I needed this for myself. This wasn’t some Eat Pray Love thing I was pulling. I wasn’t planning on going to “find” myself. I just wanted this trip to be mine and mine alone. My time, my schedule, my everything. I earned this and I wanted to be selfish.
The Plan
I am not a planner. Not in the sense that I can plan something a year out anyway. I am more spontaneous. But in May 2016 I put it out there, I was going to do this in a few months, not a year. Besides, who has time to wait that long? To me, planning something that far in advance is a risk I didn’t want to take. How do we know we will even be around next year? Tomorrow? There are no guarantees.
“Book it, the money will come,” I kept telling myself. I wasn’t going to put it on my credit card. I just knew that if I believed it, and worked for it, it would come. And it did. On July 20th, I booked my trip to Greece departing on September 20th. I will be flying into Athens, then cruising to Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos, Heraklion, and Santorini.
As I get ready to embark into the unknown world (literally and figuratively) I am excited, curious, and even slightly nervous. It’s not the first time I’ve traveled internationally but definitely the first time I’ve traveled solo internationally. But I’m ready to do it. I have felt more alive in the past year than I have in a long time. For the first time I am in true love, not with anyone but with the world. Sunsets bring me to tears, possibilities and opportunity have never been so abundant. I know, I feel, waiting and living do not go together. So I’m going.
Here’s to the dreamers and the leapers; the doers and the seekers. This isn’t just my story. It can be anyone’s but it’s time we all start taking back the pen and writing it ourselves instead of letting others write it for us.
Cheers!
-Lorena
