The downside of being a frequent traveler

What do you mean there are downsides to traveling?

It does sound a little weird, even to me. But I've realized recently that being a frequent flyer comes with some unexpected twists that I must say I'm not a huge fan of.

First: it's easy to sound like a huge asshole.

Last night, one of my friends was telling me about all of the different states she wants to visit (Oregon, Colorado, Vermont, etc.) and my first reaction was "oh I love [insert state here], it's so beautiful!" I meant it in the most genuine way, trying to encourage her to visit, and telling her that it's totally worth it. Turns out it sounded like I was bragging. I got a response like "of course you've been there" in a sarcastic tone.

It happens to me way too often. I only mean to share experiences, and it's not like I'm trying to brag. I don't walk up to people saying "Hey, guess what! I've been to 35 states and a bunch of countries! I'm so cool!" but sometimes people react as if I did do that. But I don't want to keep my experiences to myself either. I make it a huge point in my life to travel. I save money to make semi-regular trips, and plan them out (or take random trips to Europe) both ways work pretty well for me, so why shouldn't I share it? This is one downside I'm not sure I'll ever be able to resolve, to be honest.

Second: once you start, you can't stop.

Isn't that the story with everything?

Every time I get back from one trip, I'm ready to start planning the next. I just can't get enough. I'm not the type of person to only go to a city once, either. I like to take a couple of trips, just to make sure I see everything.

And let's not pretend this isn't at least slightly a downside. Traveling is expensive. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with spending half of my (very small) salary on traveling. In fact, I wouldn't want to spend it on anything else. However, it doesn't leave much room for saving for things like a house or a car, at least not any time soon.

Are there any downsides to traveling I've missed? Let me know!

Bucket lists - good or bad?

Do people even keep bucket lists anymore?

Most of the people I've talked to don't keep a "real" bucket list. A lot of my friends will pin things that could qualify as bucket list items; most people have things they absolutely want to do in their lives, but do they keep lists?

When I was younger I was never really sure what a bucket list was, or why I would want one. Why would I keep a piece of paper with me my entire life? Now, I know that it doesn't necessarily have to be a physical piece of paper, or even really written down. However, I find that keeping the traditional idea of a bucket list alive is so charming, and incidentally a huge part of my life.

Whenever I'm feeling uninspired, I pull out my bucket list.

Yes, I do keep a very literal bucket list. I made it when I was in high school, and have continued to add things to it as I come up with them. I've even been able to cross some things off!

I wrote my bucket list on a piece of paper from my favorite notebook (I have this weird, sentimental attachment to it, I only write *very* important things in it). I used a "pretty" pen and used my very best handwriting. It started as a list of things I wanted to do during my gap year - which I never actually took, but that's a story for another time. It's since evolved to include more life experiences than simply places to visit.

For me, this list represents my innocence. It represents the dreams I've had since before real life hit. Things that are true desires, that had nothing to do with showing off to my friends on social media or to add to my resume. They're raw dreams that can't ever be tainted. And they're forever written on this piece of paper I guard with my life (not really, but it is stuck in my journal, so it's kind of the same thing).

Some people never had that innocence, they never dared to dream big, so maybe that's why they don't keep a bucket list of their own. Others may fear never achieving all of the things their list, so they never dare to write it down. In that sense, I can understand the fear. Some people can't give themselves the room to dream big, or to be disappointed, and to each his own. If I hadn't had that bucket list I made so long ago, though, my dreams would have stopped ages ago. I probably wouldn't have made it as far as I have in life. For that, I must thank high-school me, and my bucket list.

Choosing a life path

I like to use "life path" and "career" interchangeably. In my mind, your career is your life, and your career dictates your lifestyle (and your lifestyle dictates your career, for that matter). However, life paths can lead you to many different careers, but they'll *probably* all be connected in one way or another.

So I still haven't finished college, but I'd like to think I've got the right idea on choosing a path. I've changed my mind so many times up until this point, I've at least got the internal debate part down. I don't know exactly where I'll end up, but I have come to realize that there doesn't have to be one single choice that will dictate your entire life.

The school I go to (NYU Stern) is a business school, which I had to choose before I even applied to college. So my major (business) has been pretty much set in stone since Dec. 31st 2013; however, I do get to choose a "concentration" and minors, which has given me a whole lot of internal debating to do. At first, I was 100% interested in finance, then I moved on to marketing, now I'm more interested in entrepreneurship and management.

The real kicker is: I've decided that my choice in concentration really doesn't matter for me. Sure, if I wanted to work for Goldman Sachs (I used to, but that's not really my thing anymore), I should probably follow the clearly outlined path for finance. But I don't want to live life according to a very specified plan.

I want to live a life I can always be happy with. 

That means I'm probably going to switch jobs 20 times, all of them being in completely different industries. I'll probably get bored at the first few, then too stressed by a few more, until I find the perfect one. But for now, I'm setting myself up for those changes that will make me happy.

I'm learning a little bit about all different types of business, and even things outside of business, so I can do whatever my heart desires when I "grow up." I want to spend some time building my own company (if I can ever come up with an idea, that is). I might want to go to law school (who knows!), or maybe I'll move to an island and scoop ice cream for a year or so (actually a dream of mine). But for now, my life path is to have an ever-evolving path. It's no yellow brick road to Oz or anything, but it is (hopefully) perfect for me.