Why I Travel: A Journey of Healing
Traveling is a powerful and transformative experience that has the potential to shape our perspectives and worldview, challenge our comfort zones, and inspire personal growth. For many, including myself, the decision to travel is fueled by a deep-seated desire to evolve and change in a way that helps us to become better people and to see the world for others who may not be able to.
While it may look like I’m always on an airplane (and in this line of work, sometimes I am!), I want to share some of my personal reasons for why I travel– it’s not just to explore new places or enjoy a sense of adventure, but also as a means of finding solace and healing after the loss of my mom and brother 17 years ago.
When I was 21 years old, my mom and my ten year old brother, Chase, died in a car accident headed towards a family vacation at a cabin in Central Oregon. Sadly, they never made it there.
As you can imagine, that event and loss changed the entire trajectory of my life and was foundational in forming who I have become as a person today. Not only did it bring into visceral focus what is and was truly most important in my life and the kind of legacy I want to live, but was a raw and real reminder of how short life is, and how in an instant, everything can change.
In the aftermath of that tragedy, on one of the things that stuck with me and broke my heart was the fact that my mom lived and dreamed in the future for “sometime when I ______.” She was always planning for the future and setting goals she wanted to accomplish, many of which included travel.
“Sometime I want to take a family trip to Hawaii.”
“Sometime when we save for it, I want us to all take a cruise together.”
“Sometime I would love to go to London together at Christmas time.”
“Sometime I want to see the Christmas Markets in Germany.”
“Sometime I want to get a motorhome and take a road trip around the US.”
Sometime when I… sometime I will go…
Unfortunately for my mom and for my brother, that “sometime,” never came. We even had a family trip to Walt Disney World booked at the time that they died, which they never got to experience.
My mom and step-dad sacrificed so much for us and put our family first, always. This came at the expense of some of their travel hopes and dreams, and after my mom and Chase died, I remember lying in bed one day, not wanting to get out of it, but knowing that nothing I did was going to bring them back. Nothing I did could change what happened to our family. No amount of being angry, of lying there wishing and hoping, begging God to change the circumstances, would take away the nightmare we were stuck in. Instead, the only choice was to live. To see the world where they could not. To meet people that they never would. To go places they would never be able to.
And so, that is what I have done so far. I’ve spent the better part of 17 years now trying to honor my mom and brother’s legacies and live in a way that would make them proud. (And hopefully doing things that they would be doing alongside me if they were alive right now.) I believe they are in a much better place than here, and while their time on Earth was purposeful in its own way, I want mine to be, too. I want to see the world for them. I want to meet people for them. I want to make an impact for them. I want to get outside of my comfort zone and explore for them. I want to make memories for them. I want to give back for them.
The loss of a loved one, especially a parent and/or a sibling, leaves an indelible mark on our hearts. In my case, my mom and brother’s deaths created a void that seemed insurmountable to me. Through it, though, I discovered a different kind of healing through travel. Traveling became a form of therapy, allowing me to channel my grief into a constructive journey of self-discovery. The act of visiting new places and meeting new people served as a balm for my soul, helping me find moments of peace and inspiration and to see just how big the world was, and just how small I was within it.
When I was 18, I got my first passport, and I haven’t looked back since. Travel is my passion and it always will be. But, it has a bigger purpose for me because I never want to take for granted the time and ability that I have to do it when so many others cannot or could not. Traveling provides me with an unparalleled opportunity for personal growth. Stepping out of my own familiar surroundings and immersing myself in different cultures allows me to confront challenges, navigate unfamiliar situations, and develop resilience. Every journey becomes a lesson, teaching me more about the world and, perhaps more importantly, about myself.
Cue my godmother, Mary Jane.
My godmother Mary Jane “adopted” me right after my mom died. She was my mom’s best friend, and took my under her wing and helped me navigate a new world without my mom and Chase. She was with me during some of the hardest times of my entire life, but also was with me during some of the best seasons of my entire life, too. She’s seen me through 17 years of a new reality and all of the ups and downs that have come with that. She loved my mom and Chase, deeply, and we miss them every day.
And so, we’re off this week on a travel adventure of our own. Earlier this year Mary Jane and I got the opportunity and idea to take a trip in my mom’s honor this December— a girls’ trip that she would have loved to be a part of. You see, my mom LOVED Christmas. She lived and breathed every moment of the season with childlike wonder. She created the most incredible Christmas memories for us growing up, and she even named my middle name “Noel” and my sister’s “Holly.” She was Christmas. So we could think of nothing better than to go right into the heart of the festivities and the Christmas season and take one of the dreamiest, most Christmas-filled trips we could think of to remember her and celebrate her life.
We’re heading to London to see as many Christmas lights, Christmas teas, and Christmas markets that we can in three days, and then we are flying to Munich, before taking the train over to Nuremberg, Germany as we embark on a five night “Festive Season” Avalon Waterways river cruise to Frankfurt, taking part in many different traditional Germany Christmas Markets along the way. It’s truly going to be a dream trip for both of us, and one that we know that we’ll feel my mom so close to use throughout the entire time. You can follow along on my social media channels, and I will be sure to share all of my experiences when we return, in case you’d like to plan your own holiday getaway to Europe in the upcoming years to come as well.
While my mom and brother cannot physically join me on my travels, I carry their memories with me wherever I go, so they are still with me in spirit. Each new experience is an opportunity to honor their legacy and the values my mom instilled in me— generosity, appreciation, adventure, resiliency, and more.
Through travel, I am discovering that growth and transformation are not only about the places we visit but also about the profound changes that occur within us along the way.
So, I’ll keep traveling for as long as I can.
…and that is why I travel.
XO,
Megan