18 and Traveling the World (Cassidy's Story)

“But no matter, the road is life.” -Jack Kerouac

When I was growing up, I never imagined that I would be spending a good deal of my youth traveling around the world. Admittedly, I spent most of my younger years with my head stuck in a book, dreaming about fantasy lands and adventure, usually the kind that involved long quests and fighting mythical beasts. It was only after I decided to spend my junior year of High School studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, that I realized that all I really wanted to do was travel; to explore new places, meet new people, and learn everything I could.

Before starting my senior year back in my hometown of Flagstaff, Arizona, I had already made up my 

mind to take a gap year and travel instead of going straight to college. It had been a life-long dream of mine to visit Machu Picchu, the legendary city of the Inca built high up in the Andes Mountains in Peru. I also wanted more opportunities to practice my Spanish, having become pretty fluent in Spain. When I told my parents that I wanted to go on a solo backpacking trip to South America after I graduated, they told me they supported my decision (this was their crazy daughter who had gone off to live in Spain when she was 15, after all). I was particularly inspired by Jack Kerouac's novel On The Road, and had vowed to fill my life with as much uproarious living as I possibly could. 

So I graduated and worked through the summer and fall, saving up money to travel. I also received a grant from school, which had paid for my one-way ticket to Lima, Peru. Finally, in the beginning of January, I embarked on a long and roundabout flight and found myself alone in a foreign city. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. I remember taking a taxi from the airport to my hostel late at night, staring up at the huge buildings and watching people cut across lanes and blare their horns nonstop. This is going to be one hell of an adventure, I thought.

I met Elliot about a month into my trip, during the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu. He was by my side when I saw the city for the first time, my heart filling to the brim as I experienced it’s beauty and majesty, even more grand than I had imagined it. Upon returning to Lima, we made the decision to keep traveling together for a little while. “A little while” has turned into six months of side-by-side adventures.

I invite you to read our blog for advice, stories, and inspiration. Having found happiness and each other in our travels, we can only wish the same for others, and want to help all we can!

Cassidy

(PS. My blog with lots of info on studying abroad in Spain can be found here.)

Then and now: how I ended up in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Before I get started, I would like readers to understand, my story is of a guy who loses it all and finds almost everything through an unexpected series of events that started on the 14^th of November 2014. You may have heard of similar stories before, tales of white collar warriors sacking in the nine to five for a life on the road or maybe this is you, or maybe you’ve been thinking you want this to be you. This is a blog about exactly this, self-discovery and adventure of the wildest kind. Not to mention a totally awesome new girlfriend I met along the way, which is how I ended up nine countries later here in Arizona, USA.

It’s best I start at the beginning. A little over half a year ago, back in my home town in Cheltenham, England, I remember how I felt in my little wooden paneled office with the leather bound desk, Laptop PC and cluttered cabinets. I worked as a financial consultant for a large financial institution called Lloyd’s Banking group. I had all the normal commitments such as bills, rent, two large credit cards and a loan for my car. For so long I felt trapped.

Then, one day, the completely unassuming assuming email appeared with a red exclamation and calendar invitation.

"All Consultants please attend an important mandatory business update tomorrow morning in Birmingham. Cancel all appointments for the day and rule out your diaries accordingly. Lunch will be provided"

This was the last time I closed my laptop at the bank. In the meeting that followed, the bank informed us they were going to let go / lay-off / make redundant, one thousand members of my national team and that was that. A reminder there is no such thing as a free lunch. 

Seven months later, this is how I ended up happier than ever in Flagstaff, Arizona. The payout I received from the bank gave me the opportunity to clear the majority of my debts and give just enough to do some traveling on a shoe string. Several years ago one of my close friends spent a year traveling through South and Central America. He subconsciously planted a seed that grew over the years. The stories and experiences he shared inspired me to visit this amazing part of the world. Now Cassidy and I want to share our experiences and provide you with information on what we did and how we did it, or perhaps just inspire you.

Cassidy and I met on the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu in Peru. Spending five days hiking through rough mountainous terrain at nauseatingly high altitudes was an unforgettable experience (and a hell of a first date, might I add) – I highly recommend this as a cheaper alternative to the Inca Trail, more on this in another post. As other solo travelers may understand, deciding to travel with someone else on a permanent basis is a big decision and one not to be taken lightly. It turns out this was the best decision I could have made and I wouldn’t change it for world, no pun intended.

As a result my two month trip turned in to six and counting. We worked our way through most of Peru, including the remote Amazon rainforest in the north, partied in Colombia, road tripped through Panama, became beach bums in Costa Rica, climbed a volcano which nearly erupted on us (check my short video blog on this here) in Nicaragua and took in some extraordinary views in Guatemala. Instead of travelling home I then took up Cass’ invitation to stay in Flagstaff before continuing the next leg of my adventure - Australia! Even better, she is coming too, another reason we decided to start our blog together. Armed with working Visas, Cassidy and I plan to settle ourselves in Queensland and experience the iconic backpackers dream there and then continue with our mission statement to: Take Over the World. 

I made this short video with some highlights from the trip so far, enjoy!

Elliot