When I was 21, I traveled by train from Zaire into Zambia, across Tanzania to Dar es Salaam, and up to the Masai Mara reserve in Kenya. I’d spent two years as a Peace Corps teacher in Zaire–now the Democratic Republic of Congo–and took a few more months to explore Africa before returning to the US. Along the way I traveled solo, made some new friends, met up with old friends, and more than once was taken in by African mamas who did not like to see a young woman traveling alone. I wouldn’t say I was fearless, but I had a lot of curiosity and a lot of faith in both myself and the world.
Fast forward a decade, and I was still traveling, but differently: now I had a husband and three rowdy mancubs in tow. We had a blast as we camped, skiied, and road-tripped across the country, and I rarely left home without a cooler packed to feed a crowd.
Through twenty years of family adventures my boys grew up able to navigate their own travels and create their own fun, and they are busy launching into the world. And in a way, I am launching too.
As parents, we get really good at organizing calendars, at cheering on our kids, at being the safety monitor (my husband used to call me OSHA.) We work so hard to raise competent, confident kids, but when all that work pays off, and our kids successfully leave the nest — we can’t help but feel a little lost. Travel with kids is so fun that it’s easy to forget how to exercise our own sense of adventure!
I’ve decided to look at the empty nest era a little differently, and I hope you will too. I think it’s the time to rediscover your curiosity about the world, to challenge your strengths both physical and mental, and find yourself outside of the context of your family. It’s time to reclaim some fearless curiosity.
For me, that happens by exploring the far corners of this blue planet, adventuring through landscapes, food, and cultures as often as possible. Finding unexpected moments, off the beaten track and unplugged, are the best parts of travel for me, and those are the stories you’ll find on Blue Planet Travels.
That whole empty-nester thing? Trust me — it’s not so bad.
In between adventures, we always feel lucky to come home to Bend, Oregon, land of endless trails and happy campers. Jeff fixes teeth and keeps people smiling, and I write about sustainability, education,
beekeeping, and interesting people.
Find more of my writing at SuzanneMyhreJohnson.com