Sunday morning, I arrived in Hong Kong, and I was in a mood.
It had been over 45 days since I’d had a room to myself, tasted Jif peanut butter, or used a computer. I was burnt out from traveling and wanted to cross my arms, stomp my foot and pout. More than that, I wanted to go home. I had one more night in Asia, and was heading home on Monday afternoon.
Or so I thought.
I took a deep breath. “One more day of traveling,” I told myself. “Then two days to travel home.”
I arrived in Hong Kong knowing that there had been protests across the city and in the airport and saw the aftermath at the arrivals area. A few protesters were there handing out informational pamphlets and holding posters. In fact, they wanted to have conversations to educate travelers about why what they were protesting was important. I had a couple of quick conversations and went on my way to find the bus and head into town.
What was Hong Kong like during the protests?
Hong Kong was so lovely! I spent the day with my Couch Surfing host taking the bus up Mount Victoria and walking around the harbor. We took ferries and had a little photo shoot and lovely conversations. We cooked dinner in his home and heard some shouting outside. He lives in an important tourism area, and we saw a parade of a few hundred protesters saying their piece. The police came and monitored the situation, and it was all over within an hour.
Victoria Harbor On A Day of Tourism
Later on, I went out alone to go see the harbor by night. There were no remnants of a protest on the street and I felt completely safe. Life in Hong Kong had resumed.
My couch host told me that the protests were planned to be in one of three areas the next morning, but that all of them would likely impact my bus to the airport due to crowds.
Heading to the Airport
I had an 8 pm flight and decided to leave his place at 3- I figured it would take an hour to get to the airport but left plenty of extra time for issues. I arrived at the airport at 4 pm to be greeted by crowds of people chanting. They held up signs, and they held up traffic. It was announced while we were still on the bus that the airport was being shut down, and that every flight after 4 pm was canceled.
The protestors had snacks, took naps, chanted, and gave information to the public. Their words are being heard worldwide as they try to hold on to the strings of their democracy.
And me? I got back on the same bus and went back to the city.
My couch host was amazing and let me go back to his place even though he was at work. I called everyone I could think of to figure out my flight situation – the booking site didn’t have the flight registered as cancelled yet, my credit card told me I could file a claim later, the US consulate was closed for the day, and the airline’s website and phone systems had crashed.
I was tired, I wanted peanut butter and my own bed and to stomp my foot and just. be. home. But here I was, spending another night in a city that I wouldn’t have otherwise chosen to visit, sitting on a couch trying to find the cheapest way home.
Putting in the Work to Get a Flight Home
Yes, cheapest. I was never in danger. The protests are controlled and most of the violence is coming from the law enforcement, not the protestors. I was nowhere near either of them. Price took precedent over safety, because safety wasn’t a concern as long as I wasn’t on the front lines of a protest.
Getting Home
Long story short, I purchased a ticket from HKG –> ORD –> AUS and got into Austin only a half an hour after I would have landed in Dallas had my original flight stayed the same. I was able to get a full refund on my canceled ticket and took the hit on my new ticket.
I went to the airport the following morning a few hours before my flight and got through security and customs without issue. When I landed in Chicago, I had myriad messages telling me that the protests had gotten worse and shut down the airport again. Thank GOODNESS I got out of there. I was ready to be home.
You’ve Seen the Iconic Photo in the News of 5000 People at Arrivals – This is Tuesday Morning’s Aftermath
Tuesday Morning Aftermath – See the American Flag? They Want Democracy.
So here I am in Austin, still with the same 30L backpack and 8 pairs of underwear. My beautiful friend Brittany and I are hanging out for a few days before I head to Dallas by bus on Friday.
I Must Be Grateful
I’m grateful that the people of Hong Kong are being heard. I am grateful that I could get a refund on my original ticket. I’m grateful for my couch host being so incredibly gracious, and for my credit card company insuring my travels so that some of the additional expenses are covered by insurance. Of course, I’m grateful for all of the people that reached out offering to help me find alternate ways out of Hong Kong, and some even offered their points or other monetary means to help. I’m grateful that I am in a position where this was an inconvenience rather than a safety issue, and I’m grateful to be sitting in a coffee shop in Austin, drinking American coffee and eating Jif.
The Bottom Line
If you take nothing else away, take this: Hong Kong citizens are fighting for democracy. What was an inconvenience to me is detrimental to their voice. They are being painted as terrorists by one of the biggest governments in the world for standing up for their fundamental freedoms and ability to uphold their own constitution. Their cultural identity is being threatened. When you watch the news, know that the demonstrators are millions of peaceful people resisting communism and being met with police brutality and China’s heavy hand.
How does that old saying go? If you want to make God laugh, make plans – or something like that. Well, two weeks ago I planned to go on a two-week vacation. Today, I quit my job and decided to stay.
I packed enough underwear to do laundry once while I was traveling. Now, it’s me, my (very small) backpack, and no plans for the foreseeable future.
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Today is my first day, but it’s not my first rodeo.
I’ve taken time off to travel in the past.
After college, I took 6 months and spent time in Colorado and Brazil
After my first ‘big girl job’, I took 4 weeks and visited Canada, took a huge US road trip, and moved to Florida
I studied abroad for 5 months, and worked abroad for 3 months (separately, but both while in school)
So maybe that’s why this doesn’t feel all that climactic to me.
Yesterday, I Quit My Job.
Today is my first day of officially being off the corporate grind.
No, I’m not just taking a break. No, I don’t have a baked out plan.
To be honest, it doesn’t really feel like anything. There was no wave of relief that came over me. I didn’t experience a huge shift in my life. Which means that this is 100% right for me.
I’m happy with my decision. In fact, this is exactly where I wanted to be at 27 – a little bit tan, a little bit surprised with myself, a little bit hungover in a hostel lobby. My life is punctuated with bowls of pho and long walks through foreign cities.
Yes, I will thrive. Of course, I can sustain myself. Yes, I do have a skeleton of a plan.
I am so happy to be taking the next step on the entrepreneurial, nomadic journey that I’ve always dreamed of.
Thank you for joining me and supporting me as I do my best to make you, myself, and God laugh.
You’ve had your slices of pie, now here’s a slice of each of the 3 countries I visited over Thanksgiving break:
Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras and the homicide capital of the world in 2013. Known for baleadas (a delicious egg and cheese and plantain dish inside a tortilla) and colonial architecture. Also home to the world’s deadliest airport due to a sharp turn to avoid mountains coming in and a very short landing strip.
Playa El Tunco, El Salvador is where the elite of El Salvador spend their weekends. By day it is a surfing hot spot. By night it’s full of beach clubs and mosquitos. I wouldn’t know though, because I was in bed by 9 to wake up to surf!
Antigua, Guatemala is the former capital of Guatemala. The city is surrounded by volcanoes and is home to Mayans, cowboys, and myriad taquerias.
Atitlan, Guatemala is a huge lake also surrounded by volcanoes. The hostel I stayed at (where this photo was taken) offered no wifi, no electricity, and attracts some of the best folks I’ve met while traveling. We had family style meals and spent our days hiking around the lake- over volcanoes and through forests, from village to village.
I was in a market in Panajachel, Guatemala and this guy had a hand me down ISU shirt. I couldn’t resist a photo!
Hiking from village to village on Atitlan takes several hours. The alternative is a boat ride which costs anywhere from 50¢ to $1.50. I shared a freezing cold hostel dorm, hikes, meals, and a chicken bus ride with these two- a South African and an Israeli.
Notes to self for my next trip:
– Check the weather before you go. Just because Guatemala is South of Florida doesn’t mean it’s warmer. Mountains. Are. Cold.
– Bring Tylenol and Emergen-C. The two day flu sucks worse when you’re not at home, and drugs might help alleviate the discomfort.
– You packed just the right amount. Less baggage wins every time. 2 shorts, 2 tank tops, several underwear, one dress, several socks, one sweater, one sandals one shoes is the perfect amount of clothing for 10 days. Good job bringing sunscreen, too! I heard from almost everyone that they only wish they had less to carry.
I watched myself fall long after I thought I had caught myself.
I packed my love and a boarding pass, and left us out of my line of sight.
I knew I couldn’t rely on you to stop me, or to catch me, so I ran. I shed every piece of the person I was when you loved me. On the second lap, I breathed into the fact that
I.
Am.
Still.
Whole.
I loved me, too.
I did it all right. I wrote my name in the sky, and renamed the North Star.
With no experience traveling, I packed light: a broken record even I was tired of hearing, a bottle of red wine.
I can use what I carry. Weighed down by nothing but my own understanding I move forward.
I used to love to write. I’d write when I felt inspired, and felt that I had things that people would appreciate learning from. I say used to, but I’m still not sure what happened.
Maybe I was new to traveling, and felt that everything was exciting. Maybe now I’ve started to take my adventures for granted. Maybe I wrote when I was passionate, and I have become a bit lackluster. Maybe I’ve turned some of my emotions off this past year, and am working on turning them on again.
Just because I haven’t been writing, doesn’t mean I haven’t been tackling my goals of visiting all 196 countries before I turn 50!
As a reminder, that’s an average of 6-7 new countries each year! So far in 2017 I’ve visited 4 new countries – Denmark, Sweden, Poland, and Canada!
Not only that, I’ve visited a few new states and landed in Fort Myers, Florida for the foreseeable future.
Here’s a few highlight photos and stories!
Part 3: Funemployement.
I took 3 weeks between jobs to travel from RI to Montreal to Portland, OR, to driving all the way to Florida!
My friend Chris was the first friend to come visit.
This was one of the most nerve wracking things I’ve ever done. I learned a lot from it though, and I have a couple of things to note here.
First, note what I kept on my cubicle walls.
A list of every country in the world, with some already highlighted
An article from my grandma about a woman who quit her job at 33 and has been self funding her travel ever since, with a handwritten note from my grandma that says, “This has shades of you!” I can’t wait to travel more!
A list of books that I’m going to read this year
Soft goals of possible grad programs or other future possibilities
Which means… all I thought about at work was getting out of there.
I wrote this note to myself about a year ago when I started my old role. It says, “WE all want to be valued members of a winning team on an inspiring mission:.
Which sounds great, except…
I eventually turned it over and wrote this on the other side. I didn’t realize the symbolism behind what I wrote on either side, and that I had all but given up on the ‘inspiring mission’ team quote until I was getting rid of all my things at my desk.
Read that one out loud to yourself, though..
“If you can’t change your situation, change your mind.”
I needed to get out of there, and I’m so glad I did.
Part 1: Using the last of my PTO
I had planned for several months to visit Copenhagen. Once I got there, I spent time in Sweden, Copenhagen, and even flew to Gdansk, Poland for a long weekend.
Why do I travel? Why is my goal to visit every country? That’s a big question. But it boils down to three things.
People. Plates. Places.
I can’t tell you why I travel because there is no reason. Maybe that’s the beauty of it.
I travel because there’s something primal about eating when I’m hungry, finding food in an unfamiliar place, and consuming things I’ve never heard of.
Travel reminds me that gestures and smiles are more meaningful than words and that they are a universal language.
I travel because the world is imperfect. It is unfamiliar, shocking, and beautiful. It is humbling to pull myself out of a routine and reframe my conceptions. Just as people love watching babies discover the ordinary for the first time, my adult mind expands when exposed to concepts for the first time.
I travel because it makes the world better.
I don’t travel to be better than you. Sure, I hang my hat on the arbitrary number of countries I’ve visited, but only because I can’t quantify the experiences I’ve had or the people I’ve met.
I don’t travel to chase thrills or be wild. Instead, I do what feels right for me.
I don’t travel to check boxes or spread wealth. The whole world puts one foot in front of the other, every day. There are billions of people to learn from and to teach, to share with and to meet. Regardless, travel is a two-way street.
In a canyon in Morocco, Country #51
I’m confident that I will visit every country.
Until recently, I did not know that no woman has ever visited every country (or at least not documented it). Of course, I found out that the record was open after it had closed.
A 23-year-old woman from Connecticut traveled to every country in 3.25 years, and had it all funded by a ‘Peace and Sustainability’ organization. The trip cost over $200k, which was privately and crowd funded.
Let that sink in. Not counting for time spent at home in the US, that’s an average of 6 days in each country.
This is where I have opinions.
And that’s all they are. I’d love to open more of a dialogue about these ideas.
The more you spend, the fewer people you meet and you’ll encounter less culture.
Let’s look at two extremes to illustrate my point:
Situation A: You fly first class and don’t see your plane neighbors ($2200). You take a private car($100) from the airport to your hotel and have an English speaking driver(+10), but you paid for data on your phone and do not engage in conversation anyway. Upon arrival at the international hotel chain($200/night) that you have points at, the concierge, check-in desk, and bellhops all speak English. You get to your room, relax in a private bath, and venture out to a restaurant($60) that the concierge recommends, and finish off the night with a glass of wine from the hotel bar ($15). =$2585
Situation B: Flying coach isn’t anyone’s cup of tea; if you’re lucky, the middle seat is open ($400). After plummeting through the air with 200 of your best stranger friends, you arrive at a crowded airport, make your way to the bus lines, and drop a few coins in the machine for a ticket ($4). 45 minutes later, you’ve seen the ‘real’ parts of the city you arrived in and check into a hostel ($20). The people in the lobby are playing cards and pulling together supplies for supper. You stop by the grocery store down the street to contribute to this version of Stone Soup($5). Go back to the hostel, make dinner, and all share a 6 pack ($5) while telling travel stories and making plans for the next day. =$434
Which Is Better?
Plane ticket, Transport, Lodging, Food, Drink. I’m nobody to say who had a richer experience, but I think that my opinion on which situation encountered more of the local vibe is clear.
A personal point: I traveled to 3 central American countries in March and including plane ticket spent about $1000 in 9 days. I traveled to 5 eastern European countries in November and including plane and car rental spent less than $1300. That’s an average of less than $300 per country including plane tickets.
Is Fast Travel Fair?
While we’re looking at numbers, let’s all remember that I’m imperfect. I’ve spent maybe 8 hours total in Luxembourg.. and I’ve been there twice. I spent about 5 hours in Slovenia.
On the flip side of that coin, I integrated into communities in Brazil, France, and Cyprus for at least 2.5 months each.
I can’t spend the 3-5 months that I’d like to in every country. To be fair, if I did, it’d take me at least 43 years to visit every country in the world… not completely out of the question, but also not likely.
What is the ‘right’ amount of time to spend somewhere? I’ll never see every nook and cranny of Rhode Island, nonetheless large countries like Russia, China, Australia, or the US. How will I immerse myself in the culture everywhere, when so many places have so many cultures?
What is traditional American food?
Someone asked me the last time I traveled what a traditional American food is. Great question. BBQ in the south, lobster in New England, meat and potatoes and corn in the midwest… What is a traditional American pastime? Career path? Manner of Speaking?
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Here’s My Piece: Traveling Fast, Traveling Slow
I travel to find common ground. I leave every place wanting more.
If I can find one person that I relate to in a place, I leave it happy. If I can connect with people at work or on a farm in Croatia, I have forged a bond between two cultures.
I travel to create a global network, whether that takes an hour or a year.
Cassandra De Pecol is the first female to visit every country in the world, and the fastest person to visit every country. She is 23 years old.
Am I a little jealous? Maybe. I’ll get there eventually, and I’ll do it on my own terms. She had her goals, and I have mine.
I’m 25, I’ve visited 25 countries and 4 territories (Palestine, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Vatican City, Guadeloupe), and I will visit every country before I turn 50. 25 years to visit 6.84 countries per year.
Update: I’m 28. It’s March 2020 and I’m in Germany for Coronavirus. I’m unable to travel. I’ve visited 51 countries and 45 states. With 22 years to complete my goal, I have 145 countries to go. That’s still about 6.59 countries per year.
My feet will lead me to where my heart is. People. Places. Plates.
