Traveling Every Continent And Why You Should Create Goals That Scare You

I had just turned 23 and was working my first-ever 8-5 office job at a university after spending the previous year working abroad for three separate occasions; the summer in DC & NYC as a faculty advisor for international leadership conferences, then six months as a tour guide and social media manager for a study abroad company based in Italy, then back to Europe to work another conference.

My travel bug was at an all-time high, and even though I enjoyed working the 8-5 job I had at that time, I knew it wouldn’t be the end of my travels.

Feeling inspired after reading “The Happiness of Pursuit” by Chris Guillibeau, written by a guy who has traveled to every country in the world, I created my own travel goal: to step foot on all six inhabited continents in my 20s.

*Florence, Italy - Europe & my 2nd continent - studying abroad in college started it all*

It wasn’t every country in the world, but it was a goal that was attainable, yet a bit of a stretch.

Not knowing how long I’d be at a traditional 8-5 (I lasted two years before moving to California and working online for myself), I wanted to ensure that I would actually achieve it.

Going after my travel plans with what I call a “work + travel lifestyle” years ago gave me the drive, motivation, and resources (aka money funded by working travel jobs or working online) to help make it happen.

The best part about completing this goal?! The journey along the way: the memories of visiting unique countries & cultures outside of my comfort zone. Meeting cool people (some of which I’m still in touch with). Trusting that with time it would happen, and that any barrier along the way was a stepping stone in disguise.

The thing is, sometimes good things take time. If there is something you really want to do, keep your eye on the prize, stay focused, and enjoy the journey along the way.

4 Tips For Creating Goals

1. Make sure it stretches you

*Hong Kong in 2017 - Asia was my 3rd continent - I visited China for a travel job in 2015*

If you create a goal that is simple, like “Go on a weekend road trip” - and you’ve already planned and scheduled the road trip for next weekend - then it’s really not a stretch.

The journey of working toward a goal, travel-related or not, is the exciting part.

It’s the initial planning period that makes it exciting.

It’s the part where you don’t exactly have all the details yet, but trust that all the “unknowns” will fall into place.

It’s when you have the opportunity to advance toward the goal, but it stretches you outside of your comfort zone in ways you’ve never been stretched before.

And because of this, you realize your potential is far greater than the limits you’ve placed on yourself. Now you begin to ask, “If I made this happen, what else can I do?”

2. Something that excites you…and scares you just a little bit

There’s a quote out there that says something like, “If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.”

Pretty much the only reason we feel fear (except in terms of physical danger) is because we are doing something that is different than what we’re used to.

The brain loves habits and routines because it makes it easier to process all the actions and decisions we have to make during the day.

When the brain picks up on something different, it stands out. Our human instincts go, “Wait! This is different, are we in physical danger?” because back in the ancient days, noticing something out of the norm used to help alert us of physical danger.

Keep this in mind when you’re creating a big goal. It might scare you a little, and that’s okay. In fact, it should scare you a little bit. It means it is something that will stretch you, help you grow, and be an adventure.

3. Make it doable but give it a timeline

*Cartagena, Colombia - South America & my 5th continent*

For my goal of visiting six continents in my 20s, I specified the six inhabited continents. I knew that getting to Antarctica could cost upwards of $6-8,000 minimum, andddd I don’t really know of any travel jobs I’d be qualified to, you know, work for in Antarctica. Haha!

I wanted to be certain I would achieve it, even though it would stretch me and make me prioritize new travel jobs or experiences.

For example, when an opportunity came up to work for a study abroad company in Central America, I leapt at the chance. It was the perfect travel job for me at the time, I knew I’d love it…and also knew it would bring me one step closer to South America. After the semester was over, I hopped down to Colombia, crossing continent #5 off my list.

Be sure to give yourself a timeline, too.

Releasing pressure by giving myself a long time-frame (but still an end date) was key. I gave myself the rest of my 20s (about seven years) and completed it in just under five years.

4. Be Flexible

*Sydney, Australia - my 4th continent - wasn’t in my 2017 travel plans, but I took advantage of an opportunity and went!*

Sometimes you may be working toward a goal, especially one that takes months or years, and things come up. You may have to make changes, push something back and revisit it later, or prioritize something else for a bit.

For me, there was the time I planned a trip to go backpacking in Southeast Asia and found a crazy good flight deal from Asia to New Zealand.

What did I do? I changed my plans to add in NZ & Australia...which got me to visit continent #4!

Had I not created the goal to visit different continents in my 20s, I’m quite certain I would have saved Australia for “some other time.”

Then there was the time my Africa trip fell through a few years ago. I was working a conference in Europe for two weeks and had planned an extra week to go on safari in South Africa. The HR department didn’t approve the extra week off, so I had to push back Africa.

Even though I was bummed, I knew that I would still get to Africa before I turned 30 and that safaris weren’t going anywhere.

Fast forward to this year, and Africa was my last remaining continent.