In late 2018 I set a goal for myself to see 30 countries by the time I was 30. The clock was ticking as my 27th birthday was approaching in January 2019. I also wanted to visit every continent. At the time I thought finances would be the biggest variable of the equation as I could not have imagined a global pandemic. By the time winter 2022 rolled around, I turned 30 with an entirely new perspective, which was my goal. Although my international travel plans were indefinitely postponed in priority of lockdown and staying healthy and I wasn’t able to complete #see30by30, it was still incredible and transformative to visit as many countries as I have, just as I predicted. Today I feel incredibly lucky to have experienced any international travel, which has permanently altered my perspective, and look forward to the ability to explore more of the world and learn from new cultures yet again.
My #see30by30 goal was set when the mountain resort I work for hosted a major mountain biking and cycling competition. I spent most days this summer working at the zip line and I was chatting with a pro cyclist who mentioned one of the perks of his job is getting to travel the world and he’s lucky to have been to 30 countries through work despite being only 41. I immediately started counting how many places I’ve visited, realizing that I’d already been to 10 countries and I don’t get paid to travel! (I’ve since been to 24 countries.) I was already planning a new trip and thought, “why don’t I see what a timeline would look like to see 30 countries in the next few years?” I knew I wasn’t a contender for Forbes 30 Under 30 list, but I’ve also realized that my life isn’t about taking the traditional routes.
