The Decision to Go
February 8, 2020
Travel is a passion for G and I. We’ve been together since high school, well over a decade, and one of the only things to stand the test of time for us both is the love of travel and new experiences. We thought so much more would be certain entering our 30’s, but the reality is, we’re 100% certain we want to see and experience as much as we can while we can.
I majored in Psychology and French in college, originally wanting to become a Child Psychologist who helped children overcome trauma. After finishing my Bachelor’s degrees, I worked with at risk youth for a little over a year, where I realized I would need to make a career change in order to meet our financial goals. G had worked at a wonderful brokerage firm for a couple years and he thought I’d really like it there, so, I gave it a shot.
We paid off our student loans in less than two years, began investing for ourselves, and redefined our future. I had never imagined I would be successful in a corporate setting, let alone in finance; but, I thrived in that environment. I realized I had a high need to learn and develop new skills, and I learned one of the best ways to help other people was to educate and empower them with their money, so my new career had a meaningful purpose.
Year after year, we prioritized travelling somewhere new; and, year after year, we weren’t ready to settle down like we thought we would be. We observed friends and family around our ages buy houses, get pets, have children, but we weren’t ready for any of that like we had planned on. We were happy for those close to us who had began to settle down, yet we just weren’t there, and I can’t stress enough that both are okay and neither are wrong. Our timeline isn’t meant to be the same as someone else’s.
Even though we prioritized travelling somewhere new every year, there were still countless places we wanted to go, and after numerous discussions, we decided the only way to see the majority of places we want to see is to make it the priority for a while. So, we began planning this journey about a year ago, and deciding it in the first place and sticking with this decision have not been easy.
Our employer is likely going to be bought out. We care deeply for the company and the people in it. Had we found this out prior to our planning, we may have waited, but we already had a few months of our adventure booked, and we weren’t in a place where we could cancel.
Then, less than a couple months after that announcement came out, G’s father passed away unexpectedly. Many doubts arose as to if leaving was the right thing or not. We wanted to be there for our family. Our family was supportive with our plans, and we knew G’s father wouldn’t want us to bail on this once in a lifetime opportunity. Plus, one of our top reasons for wanting to go now is we aren’t promised tomorrow, and we don’t know what life after retirement will look like. We only know what we have today.
So, here we are, and we choose to look forward to where we hope to be tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Thank you for joining us on our journey. We hope it will be enlightening for all of us.
-T