Lost in the Adventure: Trauma and Traveling

So it’s been a little over six months since I launched Lost in the Adventure in May. I have loved sharing my memories of my past trips and the tips and tricks I picked up along the way. About a month ago, I was feeling stumped on what to write next. Where do I go from here? I was having a serious case of writer’s block when I had an idea. My friend had asked if I had ever thought about writing about how I use traveling to deal with my issues and heal from my past traumas. When she mentioned this, it scared the hell out of me. This also might be the reason why I have procrastinated with even writing this piece. But the more I thought about it, the more it started to make sense to go in this direction. From now on, this blog will still talk about travel, but it will also include an array of different lifestyle topics and how to heal and cope while you are lost in your own adventure: life.

    When I was trying to choose a name for my blog, I felt like I kept coming up short-handed. I was not liking what I could find and if I did like one, there were already several blogs with the same name. I was playing around with words related to traveling and phrases when I stumbled upon the one: Lost in the Adventure. It was perfect for me. The people closest to me will tell you I make anything into an adventure. Need to pick up the dry cleaning? Getting ice cream at 2 am? Hiking in an unknown place? I could put them all under the Adventure label. If you read some of my solo travel blogs, you know sometimes I can feel a little out of place and alone. I do sometimes feel lost in life; not knowing what is coming or which way I need to go. But also, getting lost while traveling has an alternate meaning besides not knowing where you are. It can also mean that you are lost in the culture and the way of life of a new place. I knew I wanted my blog to be Lost in the Adventure because of the different ways it could be interpreted. 

    It’s weird for me to think of the things that I have gone through as trauma. Growing up, it seemed that that word was reserved for people who had gone through physical pain. I’m still getting used to the fact that trauma can mean physical, mental, and emotional abuse. My childhood trauma has affected me in many different ways. I won’t dive into all of that now, but when I think back to those times, I wasn’t thinking of how it would impact me years later. I recognize that as survival mode now. I was doing what I needed at the time to stay safe and keep the peace. Now, I’m a work in progress, learning how to evolve and stand up for myself. 

    For as long as I can remember, I was always thinking of faraway places and all the different things to see and do while traveling. The travel bug bit me in 2014 when I traveled internationally for the first time to Costa Rica. It was so different than good ole southern Illinois, but in some parts, it was the same. That’s what drew me in. The fact that you could be hundreds or thousands of miles away from home, in a place with people who look and act differently than you, but also feel like you had just been welcomed in with open arms. Traveling allows us to experience life, not just our own, but the lives of others around us.  

    I feel like my healing and traveling journey started around the same time. I started therapy again and had my first international solo adventure in 2018. Looking back now, I can see how handling my mental issues and letting myself explore the world helped me grow. I know I have become a better version of myself, but healing isn’t always linear. I have times when I feel I am going backward. I try to remind myself that it will pass and that I have come so far from the person I used to be. When I go on trips, I take advantage of my new environment and allow myself to figure out things in my life that I have been questioning. 

It has taken me a while to open up and write about my life so freely. I even missed a few weeks trying to make sure I conveyed what I wanted to before posting it. Traveling has helped me process my childhood trauma and start healing. By sharing my story, hopefully, I can reach someone else who might be going through the same thing. I think that this new chapter of Lost in the Adventure will open up opportunities to grow my blog and grow as a person. I hope to one day turn this into a business and write and travel while getting lost in the adventure.