THE INTERNATIONAL WOMAN OF MYSTERY

 LIZ DEFINED (n) 1. creative, on the edge world traveler 2. writer, speaker and personal motivator whose expertise on how to travel cheaply yet comfortably around the world will wake up all those little travel bugs who have been sleeping  inside you for far too long!  synonymous with: Adventurous, Free Spirit, wanderlust, nomadic, a dreamer and a DO-ER!!!

I have always marched to the beat of my own drum. From the moment I was born, if something had to be done, it had to be done my way. “NO” was one of the least favorite words in my vocabulary (I sure liked to say it a lot, but I hated hearing it.)

 From stripping down naked during one of my brothers baseball games when I was little because my mom didn’t let me pick out my own clothes that day, to spending nearly a decade of my life in two long-term relationships (when everyone else tried to convince me it wouldn’t work) to becoming “psychologically unemployable” (surviving on top ramen and money I earned donating plasma to avoid giving up my entrepreneurial freedom.)

I’ve just never been a fan of conforming to the rules and limitations someone else has placed on me. If someone tells me I can’t, I  go out of my way to try and do it anyway.  Call it stubbornness, tenacity, determination, or maybe I just don’t know how to quit. My dad calls me long-suffering, which I guess means I put up with a lot more when most people would have thrown in the towel a long time ago.

It’s not that I don’t care about what others think of me. I think it is human nature to always seek the approval of people around us. Everything we do from the way we dress, to the cars we drive, to even the people we date, seem to be influenced by how we want others to perceive us. Unlike most people, I’m not afraid of appearing foolish, or failing at something I might not be good at. I know deep down there’s a certain level of respect or admiration for trying anyway.

Courage is not the absence of fear; it’s the action in spite of it.

Which is how I like to approach everything in life. As long as I gave it my best effort and learned something in the process, that’s all I can do.

I decided to begin traveling as a way to celebrate my 30th birthday, a monumental crossroad in my life. With much to discover about myself and the world, I decided to make the goal of visting 30 countries to celebrate. Coincidently, I also only had $30 dollars in my pocket, but I didn’t let that stop me. 

Having only been out of the country once when I was 17, I packed up my bags, put my real estate career on hold (well really the economy put it on hold) and took a job on a private yacht traveling to the Mediterranean to help me save money for the rest of my adventures.

And here I am, 24 countries later, still at it. Working, saving, volunteering, and in my off time exploring, experiencing, and growing. It was, and continues to be one amazing, exciting (sometimes frustrating) adventure! So join me on my journey as I discover what I can about the world, about myself, and about this amazing journey called life. Hopefully we can meet each other somewhere soon!

Me on my 30th birthday in Syracusa Italy