The etymology of this iconic phrase dates back to 1595, with variations seen as early as 1380. Regardless of when it came about, we would be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t conjure images of fairytales when they read or hear those words. Whether or not we define life as a fairytale, it can certainly be one entertaining story, which is why I think “once upon a time” is an excellent place to start.
Saint Augustine of Hippo once said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” Is there any better call to the wanderlust? If we truly have only one life to live, it is my deepest desire to avoid the unexamined one.
I spent years chasing a successful life, one bound by conventional wisdom and rigid structure. Excel in school, get a college degree, find a good job, get married, save for retirement. The list goes on and on.
My five-year plan looked like a blueprint of a booming metropolis, each turn detailed to the month, sometimes, the week. I spent such an inordinate amount of time updating it each month, that I never noticed how quickly my imagination was waning.
Don’t get me wrong. I certainly enjoyed aspects of my old life. I was taught early on to strive for greatness, maintain a lofty ambition, and work hard to be the best. In many ways, I shaped my life perfectly to fit these parameters. I was at the top of my field with a myriad of opportunities before me and I was doing very well financially. But something was wrong.
I was not happy.
“Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion.”
-Jack Kerouac
Not since my personal Kerouac experience in 2011 (I will relate this journey in a future post) did I have any spark of creative inspiration. It is little wonder that I found immense joy when I became an Annual Passholder at Disneyland Resort in California, then at Walt Disney World in Florida. For the first time in years, I found an imaginative outlet. Many people I knew thought it strange that a 26-year-old man would be so passionate about a theme park branded toward the young. But it was then that I realized I was truly young at heart, and my inner child was begging to be released.
The rest is history, as they say.
My travels over the last 6 years have taken me to 32 states in the continental U.S. and 26 countries worldwide. Each experience has created a lasting impact on who I am, an impact that is difficult to convey unless you know me as a person. With that in mind, I intend to treat this blog as an opportunity to narrate my personal tale.
Past, present, and future.
As we become more acquainted, you will soon learn how much my love of books drives my desire to explore the world and share these experiences with each of you. Hailing from a small Texas town with a population of around 4,000 people, I know firsthand what it feels like to see the world as an intangible object. Something that I am a part of but will never experience beyond my circumstances. Books were the only way I thought I would ever be able to explore. The stories were just stories. Never real or attainable.
Life is a peculiar thing. Novel Excursion Travel (NExT) is an idea that arose at the precipice of a life-altering period of transition. My brilliant and beautiful wife, Amanda, and I decided that after a tumultuous collapse of our former lives, we wanted to build a location-independent lifestyle that would enable us to travel, experience different cultures, and give our children a broad, service-driven worldview.
So, amid a pandemic, while self-editing my first novel, homeschooling my daughter, and having a new baby boy, I drove to Hondo, Texas to register my new business. The 27 miles of country roads separating my home from the county clerk office gave me ample time to contemplate my inexperience and wrestle the anxiety of entering a new venture.
Then, the nice lady handed me my official paperwork certifying my business for 10 years. It was happening and the only way out was failure. By the time I returned home, my motivation was sky high and the eager reception I received from Amanda assured me that we could accomplish anything together.
Months later and many late night conversations gone, we have determined that our long-term goal is to create a community that supports a healthy, sustainable, culturally-sensitive, and open-minded world full of active learners and service-driven people. My father once told me that we can never stop learning as long as we keep an open mind. This is the philosophy we hope to inspire and cultivate at Novel Excursion Travel.
The road ahead is daunting and seemingly full of obstacles. However, I am ecstatic to be embarking on a new road full of things about which I am truly passionate. I am extremely fortunate to have a partner in life who shares my passions and is working diligently by my side to build a fulfilling life.
This blog will cover a wide variety of topics, most sharing travel as the common trend. I hope to bring stories to life through my personal experiences. I will relate firsthand accounts, those of my clients, and discuss points of interest that I read. My blog will detail the path I take from idea to fruition (fingers crossed), ideally giving you a way to change your life if that is your desire.
From starting a business, to building a website, to chronicling our traditional Christmas Eve dinner (a different country each year), to homeschooling my children, I hope to advise by allowing you to be a part of the learning process. Like Kerouac said, I have nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion. So, the pages are empty, a tale just waiting to be written. I will give you the good, the bad, and the ugly as we embark on this novel excursion together.
Life is all about the NExT chapter…let’s start imagining!
Thank you for joining our adventure
--Michael, Amanda, Sarah, & Adrian
~"Change the world one nameless stranger at a time."~
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If you're ready to start planning out travel for 2022 and beyond, or maybe even later this year, feel free to contact us! You can find info and good deals for travel visas at CIBT Visas. Click the icon below and let them know Michael Camarillo sent you.
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