The Imaginary Life of Wanna-be Traveler

Have you ever dreamt of picking up all of your belongings, or at least the things you absolutely need and a few things you want, and driving away with no end in sight but every destination in mind? It is my dream to travel, to explore new places, to see places not many people try to reach, to meet new people, to learn about different cultures and ways of life, and to document and share it all through photography. I have not spent nearly enough time appreciating the people and diversity around me, but I oddly find it a tad difficult to do so because everything here feels normal; growing up in Stockton, of course I know it is diverse, and there is so much to appreciate about Stockton, but it feels strange trying to make my home a place to travel through considering home is some place people feel safe and comfortable in and is a place people should know well.

Stockton is my home, and as much as I want to appreciate it for all of its glory (with an understanding that it is not doing too well at the moment), I crave a change in environment and a shift in culture. I have a desire to explore new things and new places, and traveling is my solution. My first destination? Wherever I attend after high school. University, no matter where I go, is my first destination—my “new place” to explore. Hopefully, being away from home will bring the desire to explore a place that I should know well but do not, while simultaneously feeling strange trying to explore it.

The first place I want to travel to aside from college is Northern California. I would love to drive north following the coast to see the mountains and snow to drive back toward the valley and then to Southern California. If I were to miraculously win the lottery today, I would push school back for a semester or a year, and I would travel. In that time, I would hope to somehow figure out a way to make money through self-employment or maybe a career that does not require me to be tied down to any one place, but my point is, if I had to opportunity to do what I love, I would not stop myself from doing it as long as I plan the trip and whatever comes after it accordingly. Traveling alone may seem like a lonely concept, but I want to start my journey by myself and possibly meet people along the way with the same desires to travel as I have.

I hope I am not the only wanna-be traveler out there. When we can, let's get out in the world again and appreciate all that the world has to offer!