So… you can get on a plane by yourself and go visit out of state family. But without that family or adult friend on the other side, you can’t really do much of anything – besides getting off the plane, that is.
You bolt out of your seat, barely having time to think as you fly past the pilot and rapidly breath out the only half recognizable words; “Thanks-so-much!” You feel a steady wave of exhilaration – and heat – tickle the hairs on your body as you stumble carelessly off the overcrowded, stuffy-aired plane full of well-groomed men on a mission, straggle-haired women with colicky babies, and the elderly feverishly groaning over the excessive bathroom lines as they wait for a handsome man to come out after fifteen dragging minutes. You, however, happened to notice that he went in after a rather gorgeous looking woman never came out five minutes earlier.
There you are, feeling somewhat small amidst the crowds of families and couples alike, looking around for your luggage line, and soon enough, an hour goes by, two, maybe even three, and as you look at the clock, those hours are only forty-five minutes, or, no… maybe two hours and forty-five… wait. You pull out your phone and only fifty minutes have passed. You’re forced to face the fact that you’re not as old fashioned as you thought you were. But you’re totally old enough to do this on your own. You find yourself marching confidently to the baggage claim, and you don’t see anyone from your plane. You aren’t sure if the botoxed face is staring at you or not, but you definitely know that it wasn’t hacking up a lung in the row in front of you, or farting in its sleep in the seat beside you.
Perplexed as ever, you slowly back away as you hold onto the straps of your carry on backpack. It doesn’t have much in it but a few snacks, a coloring book and some pens, none of which you used, because you had your phone in pocket, earbuds, a portable charger… oh, and your flight was only an hour and a half long and you have six hours worth of all your favorite songs. When you find your flight’s claim, you notice that the only other person there is a skinny, well-dressed man. He smells of eucalyptus and musk, and while he’s only about five feet, eleven inches, his power seems to tower over you in all its mighty might. You avoid eye contact. He does too. You act like each other do not exist. You then notice your duffel bag, and without tripping over the moving line and getting your hair caught in the cracks, you just… effortlessly pick it up. But, on the way out of the majestically large revolving glass door, you trip over all the mounds of awkwardness that seemed to pile up as you were standing next to the mystery man. The best part is, as he’s walking by your mangled body laying on the floor, not only does he walk on past you and realize that his black, shiny car is right there outside patiently waiting for him, but you too have a realization of your own.
You are seventeen, which means you have your license, but you’re seventeen. You can’t get a rental car until you’re twenty-one. You’re seventeen (You know, in case you missed that or something).
Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.
William Shakespeare
Without a car, or anyone you know, you decide to take public transportation. Cool, you think to yourself, this won’t be so bad after all.
But after two real hours of waiting, you think, crap, maybe it is so bad.
You brought about fifty dollars to buy food and other trinkets, but you are now using it to buy a metaphorical set of wheels. But those wheels either take too long to roll, or just don’t…
So now you’re stuck in an overpriced tourist area with no place to stay, no food, no car, no friends or family, roughly ten dollars and most importantly, no job. Yay.
And you’re there for two weeks. Sounds like fun, right?
Unless you’re some crazy teen renegade who gets a thrill from, well… that, then no, it probably sounds like hell.
And it should.
Start Budgeting.
Budgeting? Me? But I’m only a teenager!
Yes, you. You’re seventeen? Cool, it’s never too late! Thirteen? Cool, it’s never too early! As soon as you get your first paycheck, make a budget! Get paid $100 biweekly? Your budget can be as simple as putting $50 in savings and keeping $50 out for expenses you have to pay like gas, phone bills… etc.
Make a Plan.
What helped me, in the beginning, was making a detailed list of where I wanted to go. Like, my top 10 (later blog post!). Now, I continuously revisit my plan, look it over, and reflect on it. I frequently look at my plan and I like to imagine the places, look at pictures, and have sneaky little fantasies about walking through the streets of Sydney, Australia, as I pass cute coffee shops and trinket stores. Ohhh, yeah.
Create a Dream board/Motivating Travel Workspace
So you go to physical high school, or you do high school at home from your computer, or you dropped out, maybe, and you’re all still here reading this blog. It doesn’t matter what stage of life you’re in, if you dream of traveling badly enough, you’re going to get there.
So, create a space that really, really motivates you in the direction you want to go in. If you read my most recent blog post, you’ll know that I wanted to be a surgeon, so I had a dream board for that. I had it hung up above my desk where I did my homework, and man, do pictures of brains and bloody scalpels motivate you to learn anatomy terms like nothing else.
Focus on Getting Other Things Done.
It’s hard, I know. If you’re a freshman in high school, then you probably feel like it’s so far away. It won’t feel so far away, though, if you just focus on getting the other things done in your life like spending time with family and friends, getting your homework done, and finishing up your homework at the coffee shop, alone.
You don’t always have to have people in your life all the time. You can be alone without being lonely. I love to sit in my bed sometimes with a cup of tea and watch YouTube or edit videos and blogs, even write stories. Fill your life with meaningful moments, take photos, hang them up, and just live. You’ll grow up soon enough.
Great Minds Think a Hike 