“Nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit than a secure future.” The powerful words of Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild, have wound their way into my thoughts with every crossroad I reach in recent years. Krakauer tells the compelling true story of Chris McCandless, a disaffected young graduate seeking to break with … Continued
Adventure is a funny thing. We have heard the word used and over-used on so many occasions, but have you ever stopped to truly think about what it means? Adventure is the only thing that you can spend all you have, yet somehow make even more. This summer I had the incredible opportunity to embark on … Continued
There is no feeling in the world, like that of sleeping under the stars for the first time. Looking up at the endless blue-black universe smudged with stars and mist, you cannot help but feel an overwhelming sense of belonging. Of intoxicating infinity. Like the head rush of falling in love, and the tragedy of … Continued
“Where do you see us after Paris?” I asked my boyfriend of one year and a half as we walked the grey, frigid streets of Luxembourg. “My priority in life is my career, and I will never make a decision based on a relationship, not even our own,” he replied, firmly, coldly, as my heart … Continued
For me, life has been a constant journey of challenges and survival. Living in an egocentric society dominated primarily by males, we have been taught since our childhood that our opinions and dreams hold no value. Marriage, child bearing and domestic responsibilities are the sole function of a woman, while self worth and self … Continued
After a 48-hour journey using all common modes of transportation: bus, plane, boat; I arrived to the middle of nowhere or the centre of the universe depending how you look at it. Futaleufú is a town of 2,297 inhabitants, nestled in the Chilean Andes and just eight kilometres from the Argentinian border. Everything seemed miraculous; … Continued
CONNECTIVITY MAKES ME FEEL FREE I grew up in the American Midwest, namely Oklahoma. For four decades, I led an average life; I grew up, went to school, got my first car, fell in love, started a career. I spent twenty years working for a major telecommunications corporation as a so-called ‘cubicle dweller.’ Then everything … Continued
“I’m a control freak,” Andrea said, “and I like to walk fast.” It was a fair enough warning. The four of us had taken the train from Antwerp to Ghent for the day. We’d trooped after her, she with a map in hand and a plan in mind, through the streets of Ghent on … Continued
Straight from college, I landed my very first corporate job and never stopped working ever since. Not until I was retrenched last year. During my six years of being employed, I will see travel pictures of my friends and relatives and has always felt envious. To not feel miserable, I say to myself that my … Continued
In September, 2009, I got on a plane with my just-thirteen year old son, bound for Uganda via London. My husband stayed at home; my daughter was in college. Other than an acquaintance from nearly fifteen years before who I’d reconnected with on Facebook, I didn’t know one person in the country. I didn’t even … Continued