When “one of these days” became “today”

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Have Passport, Will Travel!

I know this phrase is a play on the old western television show, but it has guided me to six of the seven continents on this Earth. Oh, and I plan to see the seventh continent when the price is right!

For me, traveling isn’t simply about fancy hotels, tours, or taking the same photo of La Tour Eiffel millions of people have taken over the years. No, for me traveling is all about adventure.

Growing up in Compton, California, I dreamt of being a spy. Yes, a spy. The first movie I remember watching in its entirety was Cleopatra Jones. I wanted to be an undercover agent and spy just like her. She was a cool sista who got paid to travel the world! Who wouldn’t want that job?

However, life didn’t work out the way I dreamed. I didn’t become a spy or an undercover agent, mainly because I didn’t know where to go to fill out an application, haha. So I had to find another way to satisfy my appetite for adventure.

There was a major obstacle that always sullied my palate — fear of traveling alone. So I’d always ask friends, family, and even co-workers to travel with me. Heck, a few times I even offered to pay their expenses, including airfare and hotel accommodations.

Their reply was always “one of these days …”

Then one day something unexpected happened; something completely unimaginable. What was this remarkable, almost devilish event? Was it an epiphany or religious vision. Could it be some dramatic Shakespearean-like family drama?

No, it was the day a work colleague told me “I use to say ‘one of these days.’ Now, I say ‘I wish.’”

I went home later that day and booked my first solo adventure. Ever since, I’ve made it my mission to explore the world, meet new people, to see the things I read about in history books, and to make my childhood dreams a reality.

If I must accomplished this as a solo traveler – then so be it! I promised myself to never let fear of traveling solo, or the dreaded ‘one of these days’ mentality stop me from #ExploringTheWorld.

And that is one promise I will never break.