Day 151 of World Trip
I love big occasions to celebrate like Christmas, Halloween, St. Nicholas Day. But even more, I love specific reasons to celebrate, like birthdays. Today our oldest turned 22. Because she likes to travel, we haven’t always been able to celebrate her birthday in person, like her 17th, 18th, 19th. Then we had her back for a couple of years to do 20 and 21, and this time we are the ones flitting about the world and she is at home in school for 22. Another skype birthday had to be done.
Her younger years were spent doing a lot of road trips. Our budgeting priorities were more centered around extracurriculars than travel. At age nine we went to Europe for the summer and our love for travel expanded from there. Our priorities shifted–less dance and Kumon, more international experiences.
Here she is at age ten, hauling all of her stuff on one of our summer Europe trips. Who knew that these experiences would foreshadow how much she would tote her backpack all around the world…often without us. I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t ready for her to do solo travel as early as she was eager to do it. But Paul said, we’ve been showing her the bigger world since she was 9. We can’t plant seed and then be surprised when they take root. It was true.
age 10
At 12 the traveling solo or with small groups began. First, she went with her dance group to Europe to participate in a Guinness Book of World Records Dutch dance.
At 14 she lived for a month on a sailboat with other teens in the British Virgin Isles, and decided she someday would live on a boat.
At 15 she went to Costa Rica with one group, to Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina with another.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
At 16, after living in Guatemala with us off and on since she was 13, she lived for a term on her own.
From ages 17-18, after graduating from high school in Guatemala, she spent a year in Madrid.
Madi spent the summer with her sister in Madrid.
At 19 she spent a summer in Peru.
At 20 she lived in Oregon and then did an epic road trip cross-country to Florida. 
She also went not-solo to Japan with 12 members of her extended family.
At 21 she spent a month in Bolivia solo, and then joined us in Costa Rica.
Travel affects different individuals to various degrees. In Kier’s case, it has transformed who she is, and will likely be a significant influence in how she evolves as a person. Already it has made her a more curious, kinder, adaptable, empathetic, determined, courageous person.
Off to new adventures. I’m excited to see where the world will take her.
