IT'S AN ADDICTION

I started travelling as a way to postpone the hunt for a career in 1999. Little did I realize how it would immediately penetrate my bloodstream and become an essential part of who I am.

At the age of 29, I sure ain't rolling in the dough, and I sure ain't any step closer to financial freedom or retirement at the age of 40. Though I've finally found a place where I actually consider developing a stable life, I'm genuinely happy about my past decisions. I understand that working in different places and experiencing the world through travel, like for many of you other addicts, is a vocation in itself. And for risk of sounding cheesy, I was paid with a mental reward that will never be lost, like the paycheque that goes to pay for that pizza or new pair of shoes.

I've realized that there's no magical answer that lies in buying a plane ticket and staying in a few random guesthouses, but I also realize there's no magical answer in simply wondering what is out there and relying on hearsay about the beauty of temples in Thailand, the hardiness of people in Africa or the snootiness of people in Paris. I seek to experience things for myself, and I hope you do the same thing, too.

Exploring is my salary, my SUV, my picket fence, my trophy husband. I'm grounded in Vancouver, but I'm still mentally addicted.

Eat your heart out, pessimists.