Choosing a Life of Oceans over Offspring: Travel over Tradition
I have always jokingly called myself the family disappointment. Not because I genuinely feel like one. But because I have never been the type of gal to follow the ‘normal’ societal path that is drilled into us as littles. So, moving through life, I have consistently shrugged off my interesting choices as keeping the title of the family disappointment alive. From getting a neck tattoo at 18 to wanting to abandon a life of routine for a life of travel are examples of what would fall under this self-appointed title.
But in all seriousness, my family supports and even encourages my unique desires. And I know that my mother loves her single, childless (thank god for that) daughter just as much as her daughter who’s married, with a house, a dog, and a beautiful baby girl.
After all, my mother always told me that her job in life was to give me wings so that I could fly. And so I am.
Life Without a Timeline
Something I realized recently is that I am the first woman in my family who has been completely independent in her twenties. While my sister, mother, and grandmother were hosting kids’ birthday parties and renovating their dream homes at 26, I have been single-handedly keeping Smoky Bay Vineyard in business and navigating tax season every year all by myself. That’s no small feat.
Sure, I’ve had a couple of men here or there briefly enter my life, cause mass destruction (as they do), and then be banished for eternity. But generally speaking, it’s just been me.
Jokes aside, it feels extremely powerful to be your own safe space. To be the one that has healed your mental wounds and has encouraged yourself to take each scary next step in life. How liberating is it to know that even if you fall, you’re capable of catching yourself?
Not Made for Nesting
By my teens, I knew that I didn’t want children of my own. Maybe it was maturing and finally understanding how much my mother sacrificed for us, or maybe it was the blossoming of my free-spirited nature. I’m not entirely sure. But what I do know is that the response I always got to this was, ‘Just wait until you are older, that will change.’
Well, now I am older, and my perspective on children is more concrete than it has ever been.
When I picture a happy life, I see the ocean, I see peaceful mornings. I also see a neighborly welcoming community, and loving female friendships. I don’t picture the standard nuclear family.
If you do, I love that for you, and I think that’s beautiful. It’s just simply not for me.
Over the last 8 years, I have been able to fit all of my important belongings in my car, ready to get away and change things at any moment. And that is how I prefer to live my life. Seriously, having my dog, Moto, for the last 11 years has been enough to tie me down. Imagine 18 years? A lifetime?
The Travel Bug Ruined My Life (In a Good Way)
In December 2024, I spent a month solo traveling Australia, and can say that it was the happiest time of my life. The only thing missing was, in fact, my geriatric, disabled puppers (sorry Moto, but the outback doesn’t have any wheelchair ramps and Mommy didn’t know where she’d end up). But before I even left for Down Under, I requested a 6-month leave of absence from my place of employment. I knew that 4.5 weeks in Australia simply would not be enough time away to tame the fiery spirit within me.
That leave was approved pretty quickly and my last day of work for 6 months is November 28th, 2025. I have a flight booked on November 29th to go to New Zealand. After that—maybe Europe? Maybe Northern Africa? Maybe Central and South America? Who knows.
Big shoutout to my mom for agreeing to watch Moto for 6 months.
Staying Connected While on the Move
Since sharing this exciting (for me) news, I have had multiple people ask me, ‘Aren’t you afraid you are going to miss your family?’. Each time my response is that yes, I will have days where I am desperately missing my family. But I am more afraid of missing out on life.
At 18 I left my childhood friends and took off to Kamloops. At 21 I left my university friends and moved across the country to Quebec. And now, at 26, I am leaving the community I have built in Gatineau, heading back to Vancouver Island, again chasing change. Throughout it all I have stayed connected with the ones I love most.
Embracing an Unconventional Life
I can honestly say that I don’t know where I will end up—over the 6 month trip or in this life. But not knowing is freeing, and exciting. This blog won’t just be filled with travel highlights and mishaps, it will also have a heavy focus on how life comes in all shapes and sizes. Kids or no kids, partner or no partner. I’m sure you get the idea.
With each step I take, plane ticket I buy, and spontaneous decision I make, I hope you come along for the ride.
Don’t expect any wisdom or grand life lessons. If you’re looking for someone with a roadmap, you’re in the wrong place. I’m just a girl that’s massively winging it daily.