Almost 26 And About to Fulfill One of My Greatest Travel Dreams

October 30, 2015
1:53 AM (Philippine Time) 

Exactly 29 days from today, I'll be celebrating my 26th birthday. In less than ten hours, I will find myself stepping foot on a new continent—one that has been floating in my travel dreams since I was a teenager.

I am writing this post aboard our Manila to Dubai flight just because I cannot stand the long hours asleep and idle. After this 10-hour journey, we’ll embark on a six-hour flight to Kiev, Ukraine then another two hours up in the air until we finally reach our destination: Vienna, Austria.

I'm bursting with so much excitement that I spent the last two nights wide awake until dawn, reading about my destinations, packing and re-packing to fit my must-haves on my carry-on, and daydreaming about cobbled pavements and red-roofed abodes. Alas, after everything, my itinerary is still not set on stone and I just spent a few embarrassing moments at the airport with my own That Thing Called Tadhana moment as I reallocated the contents of my overloaded baggage. How ironic is it that on the trip I consider the greatest of my life, I'm only bringing a carry-on and I haven't planned to the core?! Oh well, I leave it all up to the universe. Please surprise me in a happy way! 

I still cannot believe that I'm fulfilling this dream before I enter my late twenties. I wasn't sure that this trip would push through until early October when I got my approved Schengen visa. Even though this whirlwind trip will bring me to six countries, I still consider myself a travel rookie compared to some friends and fellow travel bloggers. 

But when I think about that, I stopped in my tracks and think of this person that I know since I was a little girl. He is as adventurous as me, even much more crazy, confident, and carefree. Between the two of us, if there is anyone who would be raring and daring to venture into the open road, that would be him. Unfortunately, life happened and he found himself stuck in the middle of the journey. Slowly, he's picking the pieces of his life back and putting it together with the hope that someday, he'll be able to see and experience the world. My wish for him is the same. I think about him on this trip and lift it up to the heavens that, hopefully, soon will be his time to do what I do now in life. 

So what exactly am I babbling about? I guess I just want to remind myself that, despite everything, I am blessed and relatively happy. To you who is reading this: stop comparing yourself with others. If you love to travel, stop counting countries.  When you feel inferior about your travel history compared to others, think of the people who has so much passion to taste and experience life but don't have yet the means to do so. Wherever you go—whether it's in the next town, a neighboring country, or a new continent—appreciate life and make the most of your time there. Do it for others who can't. Do it to see the world in a new light. Do it for yourself and in your own way. Travel and explore just because. Don't struggle to answer the why now. Eventually and along the way, you will discover it.  

As for me, I have to stop writing this now because I have a place to discover and see (and yes, my eyes are begging me to sleep). I’ve been hopelessly praying for this so just today, please allow me to write what my heart is yearning for: EUROPE, HERE I COME! 

How do you feel about growing up and getting old? Do you go to a new destination to celebrate your birthday? Follow my Eurotrip adventure on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook by searching for the hashtags #GirlChasingSunshine and #Europamore.