“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.)
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