From Layoff to 7 Continents Week 5: Five Continents in Three Years; Here's What It Actually Took
Five continents in three years. Here's what it actually took.
Where it went, year by year
My first trip after the layoff was Egypt, the UK and France.
I wrote about that one last week — it was the one that made the rest feel possible.
The year after that was "The Year of Europe" in depth: Italy, Vatican City, Switzerland, back to France, and Spain.
Europe brought out my creativity.
The year after that was "The Year of Asia," with a stop in New York first.
First Indonesia and Malaysia.
Later on, traveled to India, the UAE, and back to Egypt (because I had 5 more dreams about traveling to Egypt after returning from the first time).
Asia really helped me be in the moment.
This year was about family in Oceania. Australia and New Zealand, then staycation in San Francisco.
We have memories that'll last an eternity.
Written out like that it looks like a plan.
It wasn't.
It was one trip at a time, each one booked without knowing whether the next would happen.
The visa that nearly ended a trip
The India leg presented a challenge in travel planning.
The first time I completed my visa application, it was rejected.
Not for anything dramatic — I had completed the application incorrectly.
But by then everything was booked, the itinerary was set, and there was no way in.
I wasn't deterred.
I thought about my grandfather, how he nagged me all my life that "You need to go to India."
It was his dream.
I wasn't about to let him down.
I paid for another visa application and made sure everything was correct.
For a time, I didn't know what would happen.
Then a blessing.
The approval came through while I was in New York for a wedding — one week before departure.
Relieved and overjoyed, I told everyone, "My India visa application was finally approved."
I saw my grandfather and told him, "Grandpa, I'm going to India!"
What the hard stretches taught me
I expected the lessons to come from the destinations.
Mostly they came from the parts that didn't go as planned.
Plans are not promises. In life, it's important to be flexible.
A mistake isn't a verdict. The visa rejection was my error. It felt, briefly, like proof I had no business attempting any of this. It was just a form, filled out wrong, that could be filled out again.
As my grandfather always told me, "Life is an adventure."
What transformed me
I'm not the same person I was when I went to Egypt the first time three years ago.
I'm better at problem solving.
I've become more confident in setting ambitious dreams.
I'm more comfortable when things don't go as planned.
There are certain things a classroom can teach.
And there are things only exploring the world can teach.
The part nobody sees
None of this happened alone.
I'm grateful for My Forever, who is my rock, who balances me and supports all of our dreams.
I'm grateful for my son, for his curiosity to learn about the world, different cultures and languages.
I'm grateful for my family, who believe in my goals no matter how crazy they are.
I'm grateful for my friends who inspire me.
Together we grow.
In five weeks: the last two
South America and Antarctica.
Then seven.
Three years ago I was clearing out a desk.
I had no idea this was where it would lead, and I want to be careful not to make it sound inevitable.
It wasn't.
It was a series of decisions, several of which nearly fell apart.
Now I'm weeks away from making my dreams reality.
I still can't believe it's happening after everything that's happened.
If you're building toward something right now: the setbacks aren't a sign you've chosen wrong.
Mine were the parts that taught me the most.
Allison Coleman is the founder of Dream Worldtrotter, where travel is transformation. Follow the From Layoff to 7 Continents countdown for a new post every week.
What's a setback that ended up teaching you more than the smooth stretches?
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