My travel addiction: The girl I met when I was 16

At this point in my life, I spend four months a year on the road (and I’d do more if I didn’t love gardening so much back here in Vermont). Traveling so much isn’t common, so I’m often asked why I do it.

Today, young people flying all around the world at an early age, but I didn’t step foot in Europe until I was 17. In fact, that was the first time I even boarded an airplane. But you’d have to say I was already a traveler, visiting nearly 40 US states and Canada before graduating high school. Those were road trip and thanks to my parents’ own love of travel.

The wider world first caught my attention when I was 16. You see, I met a girl.

Wendy was her name and she had just returned from a year as an exchange student in Germany. She’d had a great time, I loved her stories, and so I decided I wanted to do the same.

There were some hurdles to overcome, though, including money, but my mom stepped forward and turned her quilting hobby into a business to earn money to pay for my trip abroad.

The business was wonderfully successful. Not only did it send me to Sweden for a year, it produced a very good living for my parents for years to come. I’m eternally grateful to my mom for her support.

In Sweden I lived with a family, attended a local school, and made a wide range of friends. I emersed myself in Swedish life as one can only do when spending a long period in another country and culture. It’s not something that can be rushed. The deepest insights and connections only come with time.

The depth of my experience in Sweden, I believe, is what sparked my addiction to travel. And in many ways, I’ve been seeking to recreate the same in other countries ever since. I’ve traveled to 45 countries and lived and worked in Switzerland, Italy, and Spain since, but it has been different. The family, the school, and most of all being young and open to friendship made my Swedish experience unique. But no matter. When you’re addicted, you’re addicted. Today my travels are different, but I still love it in so many ways. It is all good.

If I ever find myself in a body cast with two broken legs, you’d still find me at the airport looking to talk my way onto a plane.