Growth - my biggest gain as a traveler

by Sonya Stephens (United States of America)

A leap into the unknown Ecuador

I consider myself an adventurous person who has taken some leaps into the unknown in my 38 years. Two years ago, I signed up for a trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro when I’d never even summitted a mountain over 5,000 feet. Three years before that I traveled to Iceland to run a marathon in Reykjavik and see a bit of the country. I followed it up with several international marathons and I’ve been on my fair share of solo trips. I’m also moving across the continent in two and a half months, to begin studying for a master’s of tourism management in Canada. I’m both excited and scared about this move, appropriate emotions if you ask me. In November 2019, I visited Ecuador with a friend on a guided tour with Bike Hike Adventures and my two favorite parts about travel: leaping into the unknown and making local connections were reinforced on this trip. In Ecuador, I stretched my limits by biking up and down steep mountain roads, in the rain, with cars. I took a surfing lesson in the Pacific Ocean and enjoyed every bit of it despite the enormous amount of saltwater I swallowed and inadvertently rubbed into my eyes. I went white water rafting for the first time - which was the most intimidating part and yet I can’t wait until I can go again because the river guides were awesome and the whole experience was a rush. I went horseback riding in the mountains, twice, and I am not an experienced equestrian. I also lost all of my inhibitions when it came to speaking Spanish with locals. On the second horseback adventure, I enjoyed conversing with our guide and with the head brewer at BeerKingo brewery. We spoke about additions to the brewery’s property, the beers, and how he wanted to keep distribution small and very local. We also had a delightful conversation about Chicago weather and I explained the polar plunge to him - and acted it out for effect. On many of my trips, but especially in Ecuador, I was absolutely outside of my comfort zone, which is ever-expanding, and loved every minute of it. Part of what made Ecuador so memorable for me was the local connections I made while in the country. Our guide with Bike Hike was not Ecuadorian born, but he’d spent nearly all of his adult life there and was had such a wealth of knowledge about the country, the culture, and the people. He introduced us to friends along the way as he seemed to have them in every town. He convinced the two of us North Americans to eat guinea pig, roasted grubs, and fried ants. These are three items I had never eaten before and there was a lot of pep-talking and encouraging that happened before we ate the grubs, and there is video evidence to prove it happened. My favorite part of traveling is talking to locals and making new friends, whether they’re a connection for a day or they become lifelong friends. For so many years, I thought of myself as a shy person. That solo trip to Iceland in 2015 debunked that story I had about myself and was the start of my identity and life as a confident adult. I made several friends on that trip; one who I am still close with to this day. We communicate weekly and we are close enough friends that I attended his wedding in England in late 2018. What I’ve learned from taking many great leaps and talking to people to make local or far-flung friends is that as humans, we all just want an authentic connection with other humans. Talking to strangers and traveling solo are no longer great leaps for me, but activities I thoroughly enjoy. I talk to tourists in my city, on planes, in restaurants, wherever I feel that my energy and connection will be reciprocated or is needed. Travel has taught me so many things about myself and life. In Ecuador, a beautiful country with warm and friendly people, I realized how much growth I’ve experienced through travel and how much room there is for more.