When the Travel Bug Bites

When I was small... (oh, I am still small with a height of 4 feet 11 inches, but I still insist that it's 5 feet), when I was a child, I always day dreamed of big houses, luxurious cars, beautiful clothes, pale, flawless white skin. I always dreamed to be rich. And I bet, that was normal especially for a girl born poor and fatherless.  

My dream never changed until I passed the CPA Board. Actually, poverty lit up my passion to do my best, so I can have the most stable stepping stone to achieve my goals. That empty stomach while having classes, a salted egg for the whole day, instant noodles, isaw and canned goods, I bet poverty in the Philippines is known worldwide so I do not need to elaborate. All these adversities tested me and molded me into who I am today. And I never regret anything, either joy or sorrow, either success or MINOR failure. 

Few months after my first MAJOR disappointment (that was when, I have no money to buy extra tickets for my foster parents, and so they did not even witness my "formal" transformation from a dreamer to full pledged licensed accountant. Oh! I bet they would be in tears of joy), the travel bug bit me.

Being bitten by that kind of bug is very hard to get through. You will experience a selective amnesia. I forgot about big houses, luxurious cars, beautiful clothes, pale, flawless white skin. I forgot that, once, I have  dreamed to be rich.

The first thing this kind of bug damages is your dream. I perfectly know that every person has his own mission. Every person has his unique source of happiness. Right after being bitten, I knew, with all my heart and sole... I mean, soul, that traveling's the one for me. Why? I have realized something, and this becomes my philosophy:

If I will spend majority of my time working to earn money, and all those money to be invested in material things (big houses, cars, clothes, gadgets, and the like) for sure on my death bed, I would count all those things, remember how hard I have worked all my life to buy them, and it would make me feel that it is hard for me to let go. Death would be the scariest thing for me, and the hardest thing to accept. I will spend my remaining hours scared, fearful and regretful. Worse is, I may end up as a ghost because I became too attached to those things.

But I choose to invest in memories. Imagine this, you are that old, smelly and saggy skinned half human half rotten vegetable. In your death bed, you only reminisce, all those places you have gone to, all those people you've met along the way, all those cuisines you have tasted, those songs from different lands you've listened and tried to sing, the laughter, the joy, the WOW's, the nerve wrecking bungee jumps, the splashes of your first cliff diving, the first  dolphin you have swum with, the first century old turtle you have greeted, the deepest site you have dived. And then you'll find yourself spending your last days happy and fulfilled. Death will never be a hard thing for you. And your final words would be: "Hey, I think all my experiences in this world is fairly enough, it's time to move on and meet my creator."

Second damage, your loved ones’ dreams for you. When I asked my foster mother what are her dreams for me, she honestly told me that seeing me in my wedding gown, to have a nice home, and a car to drive, all those would make her fulfilled and happy. Oh-oh! My new dream and hers won't collide. What now? 

I asked from her a little of her time, and asked her to just listen to me. This was my speech (in tagalog, but I just want to translate it):

Ma, I know that your dream is not that specific. I know that your only dream for me is my happiness. I admit, that before, I told you that having all those material things will make me happy. But everything has changed. I fell in love with traveling. This makes me happy now. Please do not worry about my future. I am still saving. And I thank you and I really appreciate that you do everything for me, even dreaming for my own bright future. But please understand. This is what I want for my life. This is how I want to spend my days. The number of places or countries I will see is now my measurement of success. Don't look at my travels as expenses but rather a fulfillment, a trophy, a dream come true. Please stop worrying. I just want you to be happy for me, just blow me a good luck kiss every time I would travel. Also, I need to borrow your faith in Him, and say some prayers for my safety too. I just want you to understand.

Wheeww! 

Third damage, financial freedom. Obviously, every trip involves money (unless you have a sponsor). So from my previous budget which focuses more on saving to buy material things, my current budget goes like this:

My current salary per year, including guaranteed 14th month pay and bonuses is:    more than 400,000 pesos. (I did not disclose this to brag, just to give a concrete sample of how a self-proclaimed traveler budgets her money)

2% - tithes and donations. I know this have to be 10%. But since I am still supporting my 72-year old foster mother, I can only give this much.

28% - Expenses. I give this amount instantly to my foster mother. She does the  budgeting for our daily expenses at home. 

5% - Personal necessities: transportation allowance and pang-kikay allowance (make up/ lotions/ vitamins etc). 

10% - Savings. I put this on savings account and serves as my emergency fund. I put this on an ATM savings account so I can easily get it when I instantly need it. The “Need” should be well justified.

30% - Investment. UITF. Stocks. This will be my "well of wealth". 

25% - Travel fund. This does not mean, every month you have to travel. You can just have a separate bank account, and just put your money there. So when the seat sale is on, you can easily go shopping.

The fourth damage I can think of is lifestyle change. When I first had my salary, I did shop, big time. Every month, every payday, every pay check turned me from Certified Public Accountant into a certified shopaholic. But those days are over. Now, I only buy clothes when I feel there's a need to. I stop being addicted to coffee and doughnuts. And thank God, electronics and high tech gadgets are not my interest. I maintain a nokia C3, with 8 gb memory microSD card. I did not even buy this phone. I got this from the cheapest plan of sun cellular. I don’t have any plans to dispose it for the next 5 years, unless given a free phone, of course.

Spending my time also changed. Before, I kill time by DVD marathons, or sleeping after eating that much. Now, I spend time going somewhere else and burning fats. Or if I feel like staying indoor, I would face my laptop, search for my next destination, or finish itinerary for my upcoming trip. The secret is, work hard during weekdays, enjoy twice harder during weekends.

The fifth and last damage I can think of is, insanity. Yes. You become too excited. Always looking forward to your trip. Smiling. Dreaming of being happy. If wanderlust is some kind of neurosis, please I don't need to be treated....:)