So much of my life revolves around travel. I make my living planning trips for students, which keeps me on the go via planes, trains, and automobiles. And when I'm not travelling for work, I'm putting the paycheque I've earned during all that time on the road, towards travel of my very own.
My passion for travel (and more specifically for forests and all things green), all started with my desperate search to find some direction. When I was 20, my life got a bit stormy, and I needed to take myself out of my comfort zone for a while to gain some perspective. So I packed my pack and set out to work in the small village of Garabito in Costa Rica, nestled in the rainforest. During my time there, I helped build a school for the community, waking up every day before the sun rose, mixing cement, paying bricks, sawing wood, etc. It was one of the most challenging and rewarding things I have ever done and I could not be more thankful for the experience.
It is here that I fell in love with the rainforest. On my lunch breaks, I'd hike to the nearby waterfall, sit and eat my plantains and beans, and admire the beauty of this place. Not just a forest, but a haven, a sanctuary for all of its inhabitants. I have since been lucky enough to travel to many countries, but I don't just want to travel to SEE the difference, I want to travel to MAKE a difference.
My hectic work schedule just isn't conductive to me packing up, flying out somewhere, and dedicating my time to conservation projects, as much as I wish to. And with the recent passing of one of my best friends, I started to feel that storm coming in again. I lost my way for a little while, my world left spinning, longing for something to focus my energy on, something I knew he would be proud of me for. So when approached with this opportunity to help raise money to purchase land where we can create sanctuary for wildlife in Sumatra Indonesia, it seemed like the perfect fit.
So I'm on board. Let's build these animals a home they can thrive and live freely in. Giving these animals a safe place to live is the greatest gift we could give not only to this planet, but to ourselves. THIS is my passion project, an initiative I am incredibly proud of and indescribably grateful for. #CONSERVEDONTCONSUME