GROW WITH SARAH GRACE

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here. It actually dawned on me this past weekend that it’s been nearly a year so I thought I should break the silence on a random Thursday. Life has been getting in the way lately but I think it’s time I talk about a matter that means a lot to me – visiting my 30th country. I got to check this bucket list item off in June and I haven’t been able to form into words what this milestone means to me until this very moment. 

When I was 16-years-old, most of my friends were dreaming of a white dress and an elaborate party to celebrate the rest of their lives. I won’t lie, I used to envision this life right alongside them. Some of them even had binders they had started when they were eight while others just found the perfect guy and the future didn’t seem so scary and lonely anymore. 

The others had dreams of a stable job and a white picket-fence to accompany it. They wanted to stay in our hometown and build a future and while I don’t think they were wrong in that thinking – it just wasn’t for me at the time. I had a binder full of pinterest photos of countries around the world because I dreamed of seeing the world.

I dreamed of running away from my hometown and never looking back. I owe all this to my first international trip to Costa Rica with EF Tours through my high school. After this trip, I set a personal goal for myself:

“I want to see 30 countries before I am 30-years-old.”

I didn’t tell many about this goal because frankly, at the age of 16 I had no idea how I was going to achieve this but I was determined to prove myself wrong. I guess the younger me had no idea what her future was about to hold. 

After Costa Rica, I went on to see some of the Caribbean on a couple of cruises and took another high school trip to Spain, France and Italy. This iconic trio really opened another door for me. I became obsessed with Europe and I dreamed of a life that made Europe a norm. 

Then, when I was 21-years-old, I was able to study abroad in Rome, Italy for 6 months through my University. This opportunity not only brought me amazing relationships but also allowed me to see so many bucket list places like Santorini, Paris, Amsterdam, London and Venice – to name a few, of course.

It was a remarkable experience but it simply wasn’t enough for my traveler’s heart. After that experience, I had only been to 16 countries. And while seeing that many by the age of 21 is note-worthy, it wasn’t enough for me. I felt my goal getting closer and closer. 

So, after I graduated from Loyola University Chicago, I accepted a job in Paris, France as an Au Pair and I spent a year making Paris my home while exploring many more countries I had yet to see. I saw small and historical towns in Germany, tasted burek for the first time in Croatia and saw the Budapest Parliament building lit up at night. I enjoyed a sunset on a rooftop bar in a small rivertown in Portugal, walked most of Prague on foot, saw my dream F1 track in person in Monaco and tasted chocolate in Belgium.  

I saw so much and loved every second but get this – at the end of my year in Paris, I had hit 29 countries. Only one short of my goal at the age of 23. Now, one thing about me is that I am not a patient person. I felt my dream so close and I knew without a doubt that sometime between the age of 23 and 30, I would see another country but now I could taste it on my tongue. I wanted to complete it by 25. I had only myself to prove so I did just that. 

A pretty interesting opportunity fell into my lap and it would’ve been stupid to turn it down, so I didn’t. I was going to the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, Canada (a country I had yet to see even though it was right there). I was fearful Canada was “too easy” but I knew that being able to tie such a big event to the moment would make it feel even bigger so I did it.

Canada turned out to be the perfect 30th country. Montreal had pieces of Paris in it that made me feel a sense of comfort and most of the locals spoke French which made it feel exotic. I got to watch my favorite sport in person and drink at unique speakeasies. I got to explore a new city with my father by my side which was the perfect way to celebrate a milestone that I wouldn’t be experiencing without him in my corner. 

So – to make a long story short – I hit my 30th country at the age of 24. I got to see and live in remarkable places in a matter of nine years. The dreams that younger me had, have come true. Don’t get me wrong, I sometimes dream of a white dress and a party with loved ones. Though I only think of it on a long, overseas flight, the second the plane wheels touch foreign soil, my head focuses on me, a new location and making younger me more proud.  

I can’t write this piece without saying how beyond fortunate and grateful I am to have lived the life I have lived. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help of many that I hope one day I can repay. 

Cheers to 30 countries and hopes for about 100 more to come!