So, ever since I decided to backpack across the world, my parents have been telling me that they didn't think it was that great of an idea. They support me in anything I do, yet the worry will always be there. That's how parents work, they worry about you and love you because they don't want to lose you. If you can't appreciate that, you've got some re-thinking to do in my book. :) If you are adamant about doing something potentially dangerous, though, you need to find some way for middle ground. They are your parents after all, they have raised you since you came out of the womb. That's not something that can ever be changed and shouldn't be changed. I love my parents (And stepparents!) and want to make them at least a little bit more okay with me traveling. The premier reason that they are scared is because there are so many unknowns out there that could be either good or bad. It's not like you can anticipate every little thing that will happen on your trip. There are ways to make them feel more at ease though, and you should do anything (reasonably) possible to help. That's one reason why I'm doing a blog, and why I'm going to make a skype account to help communicate with the people that care for me. I know for a fact that every step of the way, there are going to be people worried about me. I am not going to let that get in the way of my dreams though. I'm going to make them a reality and it's going to be marvelous! (I love that word!)
So, to help, I'm going to make some decisions to help go a long way to make them feel better about my travels. First and foremost, I'm going to outline an action plan as to where I am going step-by-step. That, however, will come later. It will make it much easier so they aren't freaking out without any idea where I'm going to be for that one month or that one week I can't respond to them because there isn't any internet service where I'm at. There may be quite a few of those times and it's difficult to judge because I'm not going to plan exactly where I'll be every single day or every single week, though I can possibly give a general time frame. I'm going to have to decide where I'm going, how long I'll be gone, how long I'll be in a certain area etc. I won't always stick to that time frame, I know that. There is always something you didn't expect, something that you hadn't heard of before and that you know you want to see before you leave. There may be unexpected problems along the way (yes, I said problems dad :P). Things don't go according to a plan out there in the world all of the time.
The next thing I'm going to do is get travelers insurance! Yeah buddy, get some insurance to help with all of those unforeseen problems that you didn't expect. My plan is to get a $100,000 plan that should cover any problems that arise. No, I don't expect to get hurt or sick or anything of that nature, but things happen. Life happens, in fact. I don't know whether I'll need more or less but I do know, that if I end up needing $100,000 worth of insurance, I'll definitely be heading home. Fingers crossed, there isn't anything that will happen. I'm not stupid, and I'm not too terribly clumsy (except when it comes to snow sometimes). I'll be doing my best to stay out of any life-threatening trouble and should be fine.
Thirdly, I'm going to be generating an income while I'm on the road as much as I can. I won't get stranded in a foreign country with no way to get back and I know that will help their peace of mind. Money isn't but at the same time it is a big deal. There are always ways to make money. There is always something you can do to support yourself, no matter if it's teaching English to Thai people or if it's cleaning dishes at a restaurant! My primary way of income (I'm hoping) will be a travel blog. There are so many others who have done this same thing and I'm going to be one who succeeds. I'm going to do my best soon to get my own website up and generating income as soon as I can. That way when I leave, I won't be worried about it not getting enough viewers, or not getting advertised enough. There are going to be ups and downs, as life always has, but hopefully, I can do what I want to do instead of stooping to cleaning toilets. That's not to say I won't have a starting amount of currency that I can use because I will. I plan to save (at least) 25 to 30,000 before I leave. That way I have enough of a head start that anything that doesn't go according to plan, I'll have something to fall back on.
Another thing that I think will help is the fact that traveling isn't a bad thing. No one ever gets worried if you go on vacation to the Bahamas for a week or 2. Okay, bad example seeing as this will possibly be a multi-year trip. Traveling like this won't be something I'll regret. Ever. It's something that will help my own confidence immensely and that will help build a portfolio for jobs in the future! How would that look on a resume? "I traveled on my own two feet around the world with a pack on my back." It's got so many benefits it's unreal. It shows that I can plan ahead. It shows that I have organizational skills that any job will look for. It shows that I'm not a quitter and that I'm not someone that can't handle a big load dumped on them because I've traveled the world and nothing I've ever done before comes close to it. It will be an incredible educational experience, learning new languages, history about cultures and countries! Most people study new languages in a classroom, while I'll be on the front lines learning from the source! I'll get so many more social skills than I have right now, seeing as I'll be meeting new people left and right and everyone I meet will make an impact on my own confidence with people!
The world isn't a bad place. 99% of the people in the world are good people, they aren't all out to get me. The world is safer than it's probably ever been with the advances in technology that have been made even in the last decade! I know for a fact that my parents did some crazy stuff in their youth that they would scold me for doing and this is something I've got to do. The only thing I'm asking of you guys, mom and dad, is that you support me and my dreams and wish for the best. It's going to be a great time and I know it will be 10 times better with you guys behind me. I love you, hopefully you understand why I have to do this.
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