The makings of a Time Traveler

Let's start with my fears. First, traveling solo. In my past, I've always had a faithful companion. One to help me on my way, keep me entertained and entrust with my safety.  A minimal fear compared to recent current events and on the forefront of travelers' minds with the attacks in Europe. There are also travel barriers (passports errors, visa expirations) language barriers, eating new foods, getting yourself lost. And at the bottom of my list, the social faux pas in new countries (not your typical socks with sandals) who knew with Thailand pointing is a no-no? All incased by the fact that I'm a single woman, traveling alone. Not to be confused with lonely single woman traveler. Very different. I'm not doing this because I'm heart broken or looking for love or even to find a better sense of self. I have a curiosity of cultures.

I'd been flirting with the idea of a world trip for the better part of my adult life. First encounter of my idea (for the sake of a more romantic name for my curiosity let's call it Romeo) came the moment I left on my own from South Dakota almost ten years ago. The feeling I had that day is now a tattooed into my frontal lobe blocking my inhibitions.

Moving from the Mid-west to Arizona was not exactly around-the-world travel but the adventure and spirit of forging on my own is still the same concept in my mind. I've learned that once you've forced yourself past your comfort zone you truly test yourself by confronting your fears head-on.

My friends and family were quick to give their impression of my Romeo, spotting the obvious dangers and circumstances that come with this sort of flirtation- stolen luggage, third-world diseases, imprisonment and even risk being kidnapped as if I hadn't been thinking about that from the start.

"You're sure to get the Hep," says my friend who also pronounces Germany's third largest city, Munch, like she's eating a sandwich. But some were in favor of my daring plan, telling me of their trips to distant lands with friends and family but never on their own.

Romeo started with just Thailand. A country very different than my own, smiley people, colorful temples and exotic cuisine. What is not to love? I consumed my research, for two years. Everything Thailand. Signed a contract to teach English, felt like a new Romeo at first but soon discovered this was too much of a commitment in one country and without really even knowing the extent of this Romeo adventure, it turned out to be too much. Fear took over. I panicked and took the 9-5 job offered to me in my comfortable desert town.

But this is not the end of my story...

I learned to day dream. And any who has daydreamed know this is a fabulous trick. It's like reading or falling in love or working out. You can time travel- day travel, really. Time is a relative tape measure to the average person it can take a long time to map out but to the expectant person, the person who has something to dream, it can be a virtue.

I would imagine myself a modern Amelia Earhart or Nellie Bly the famous journalist, ripe for a story to tell or mystery to uncover and ultimately the aviator of my own adventure. I rummaged the local magazine racks and travel sections of book stores looking for inspiration for my new Romeo adventure.

My mother an avid enthusiast of all things South Dakota, would voice her disdain of my solo trip outside the homeland. After an hour conversation of comparing apple cider vinegar to a shot of vodka, my mother slipped in that my linage actually supported this wild idea of global discovery. I am a part the last of the Vikings and direct descendant of Roald Amundsen. He was a Norwegian explorer, first to reach the South Pole and to navigate through the northwest passage, putting its place on the map. This heritage I found through my mother and was in my back pocket the whole time. So maybe we can call my Romeo more than just a curiosity, a true genetic drive for adventure.