“If every life were a book, what kind of book would you want yours to be?”I once posted this spur-of-the-moment question on Facebook:
I said I wanted to be an encyclopedia too—a rich collection of everything I had learned from around the world.
When I was little, country names were nothing more than a source of crushing pressure in geography class, and world history—with all those facts I could never keep straight—was even more of a nightmare.
“Studying abroad” was a fashionable phrase I heard from classmates back then, and of course I had my girlish fantasies about it.
But as I saw how hard things were becoming financially at home, I sensibly pushed the idea to the back of my mind and gradually forgot about it.
Then I happened to hear the phrase “working holiday in Australia,” and it felt as though a beam of divine light was pointing me south.
That was when I realized I had merely tucked my dream of going abroad carefully beneath my pillow.
For a penniless young rookie with no financial footing, a working holiday was undoubtedly the kindest opportunity imaginable.
So after graduating at 22, I decided to leave Taiwan for a while and set off on my first independent trip: a working holiday in Australia.
I still remember how many classmates and friends questioned my decision and even urged me to think it over.
Some debated the practical, long-term consequences with me: “If you go abroad and play for a year, you’ll be two or three years behind everyone else when you enter the workforce!”
Someone even said, “Travel is for after retirement. If you don’t work hard and save money now, you’ll regret it later.”
Butif I was going to spend forty years of my life working, what difference would being one or two years late make compared with those forty years?
If there is somewhere you want to go but you keep telling yourself there will be another chance, you may be unable to step away from work while you still have the strength—and by the time you finally have the time, you may no longer have the strength. Unlike work, that is not a regret you can make up for simply by putting in a few more years.
Little did I know that once I left Taiwan, this little frog from her tiny well would finally discover just how vast the world was.
I thought going to Australia had already broadened my worldview enough. It was only while traveling through 16 European countries that I realized my so-called worldview had consisted of nothing more than Taiwan plus Australia!
In Europe, historic sites can be found everywhere. Every castle, every stretch of land, every local tradition, and even the ethnic backgrounds of the people I spoke with reflected the landscapes and boundaries left behind by centuries of intertwined history across Eurasia.
To my surprise, all I could think about was picking up my old geography and history textbooks again. I was ravenous to learn more about the world.
Only when I stood before the world did I realize how enormous it was—and how little I knew.
I also went from a girl who had never traveled independently and was merely “pretending to be brave”—afraid of heights, water, and death—to someone guided by the belief thatlife is about constantly trying new things. That belief pushed me to climb Uluru, go skydiving, learn to dive, and attempt all sorts of things my former self would have refused to do even under threat of death. My confidence grew day by day, until I eventually decided without a second thought to complete an 85-day solo journey around Europe. That is how courage is trained.
By 27, I had gradually traveled through 26 countries across Europe, Asia, and Australia—and that record is definitely going to keep rising. (Yes, yes, so is my age…)
And yet traveling around the world has never been my dream. So far, I have simply visited some of the places I dreamed of, and travel is how I made that happen.
For me,travel is not about how many places you have visited or how many spectacular sights you have seen. Even traveling as cheaply as possible is not the point—it is merely a way to make the dream happen.，
The true meaning of travel lies in how these experiences change us. No matter how near or far the country, or whether the journey lasts a few days or several months,every trip has meaning. Even if you return feeling disappointed, as though nothing has changed, time has already been quietly painted with new colors.
So, what kind of book would you like your life to be?
About Creya! Yes, I canThe outline of this book reads:
《Sharing》
‧2015 Travel columnist for Upaper, the Taipei Metro newspaper
‧2015–2016 Contributing editor at Sports Note
‧2015–2016 Contributing writer for udn’s Travel and Food channel
‧2015/2 Partnered with FunTime Travel to host the travel talk 《I’ll Die If I Don’t Travel! A Budget Girl’s Guide to Seeing the World for Less》
‧2015/5 Travel talk for the Dream Life Club at National Tsing Hua University and National Chiao Tung University
‧2015/5 Travel sharing event hosted by Wandering ing: 《So What If You’re Broke? 900 Days Away from Home》
‧2015/10 Partnered with DateMeNow to host the travel talk 《The Warmth of Creya’s Travels❤Encounters from 900 Days across Europe and Australia》
‧2016/3 Life education lecture at China University of Technology
‧2016/4 Travel sharing event hosted by Wandering ing: 《A Sudden Streak of Aurora—Sweden Aurora Travel Talk》
‧2017 Outdoor hiking contributor in partnership with the OUTSM sports meetup platform
《2010/2–2012/5: Two Years and Three Months on a Working Holiday in Australia》
‧Completed a circuit of Australia through work exchanges for food and accommodation, campervan travel, long-distance buses, self-drive road trips, and local tours
Traveling through famous destinations including Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Cairns, Darwin, Perth, Western Australia, Alice Springs, Central Australia, Adelaide, and Tasmania
‧Worked as a bartender, barista, and server at a casino; a server at a Japanese restaurant; a drink-shop clerk; a cashier at a stadium concession stand; a corn factory worker; and a hotel cleaner
‧Took on skiing, flying a light aircraft, climbing Uluru, skydiving, and diving
‧Also traveled independently in Singapore and Malaysia during this period
→ Read the articles about my working holiday in Australia
《2012/6–2012/9: Euro-Legging It Around Europe for 85 Days》
‧Traveled through 16 countries: France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Vatican City, Greece, and the United Kingdom
‧Spent half the journey CouchSurfing
‧Completed the trip by train using a two-month Eurail Pass covering 22 European countries
→ Read the articles about Euro-Legging It Around Europe
《Little Trips Around Asia》
‧2013/4 6-day independent trip to Kyoto and Osaka
‧2013/8 4-day independent trip to Hong Kong
‧2013/10 4-day guided company trip to Okinawa
‧2014/1 8-day independent New Year’s trip to Tokyo
‧2014/5 4-day, 4-night independent trip to Seoul →Read the articles about my Korean holiday in Seoul
‧2014/11 5-day guided company trip to Angkor Wat, Cambodia
‧2014/11 9-day guided and independent trip through northern Vietnam →Read the articles about never wanting to stop traveling in Vietnam
‧2014/12 4-day, 4-night independent trip to Bangkok
‧2015/4 4-day, 3-night independent trip to Seoul
‧2015/8 6-day, 4-night independent company trip to Guam →Read the articles about Guam, America in miniature
‧2015/10 14-day semi-independent trip to Tibet →Read the Tibet 西藏踢北去 articles
‧2015/10 6-day independent trip to Kyoto
‧2016/3 11-day run-cation for the Nagoya Women’s Marathon
《2016/1: The Sequel to Euro-Legging It》
‧12-day trip to Sweden in pursuit of the aurora →Read the articles about how the dreamlike aurora was no dream
《2016/5–2017/6: New Zealand to the Ends of the Earth》
Hiked 3,000 km from north to south across New Zealand on the Te Araroa Trail. The journey lasted six months, including 120 days spent on the trail, followed by a six-month working holiday.
Facebook PageCreya! Yes, I can—Traveling through Life https://www.facebook.com/creyanet
