After my relative passed away some years ago....I felt both alone, and I felt this urgency to live my life to the fullest. The reality that I could pass away alone in my apartment sort of freaking me out, and the fact that I felt the last person who really truly loved me as family had died, left me sort of adrift in some ways.

So, I didn't think wisely, and I refinanced my car to pay for my trip. Yeah, this was VERY silly. The job I had at the time had me on a semi-tight budget, and it would have taken me more than a couple of years to save for any sort of international travel. At that time my debt was less, my savings was higher, and I was on a tight budget.

Do I regret refinancing my car? In some ways yes, I do, as I am still paying on a car that is almost 10 years old (I bought it used). On the other hand, the thing that makes me the happiest, and brings joy to me when I think about it, is when I traveled. I went to a few European countries and man, I smile when I think of the places I visited.

Now, for some people, traveling is no big deal. International travel is normal for them. But for me, I came from a family and a childhood where I would count out pennies in order to get up money for the local budget matinee and some super cheap dollar menu type fast food. That was a splurge when I was a kid. So, to see places that my parents never got to visit, AND, to visit them on my own, as a solo woman traveler, means a heckuva lot to me. I always smile when I think of the different transit systems, reading signs and directions in a different language, the unique types of food, etc. I feel more vibrant when I am traveling.

It may not have been the best decision, but I traveled on a budget, I stayed at the cheapest (but cleanest), hotels I could find, and I felt this super duper energy that I don't always feel now. I am working on regaining that energy and joie de vivre as I have been lacking in it lately.