Turning 30 in Mallorca, Spain

As my backpacking trip led up to my birthday weekend, I decided to fly to Spain to reset, reflect, and reconnect with myself before entering a new decade of my life. For those of you who are new here, Spain holds a very special place in my heart as it is the country that I took my first ever solo trip to. Coming back to Spain to celebrate my journey felt like a full circle moment because if it weren’t for me taking that step to solo travel all of those years ago, I wouldn’t be where I am today, I wouldn’t be who I am today, and I wouldn’t have experienced all of the amazing things that I have in my twenties. Because I was brave enough to go alone, I have seen things most people only see in movies and I have done things most people only dream of doing in this lifetime. From becoming an au pair, teaching english abroad, volunteering at a surf outreach program, bungee jumping off of the tallest bungee bridge in the world, backpacking across countries at a time, to all of the amazing experiences in between. I can proudly say I have lived life to the fullest in my twenties and I plan to continue to do just that and so much more in my thirties.

It was a month ago now that I turned thirty while sitting on a beach in Mallorca and wrote a list of thirty things I would go back to tell my twenty year old self. I want to share that list in hopes that it can help somebody else in their journey of becoming. With the ebbs and flows of life, we must find beauty in everything and take up as much space as we need to.

1. It is never too late to change the course of your life.

2. You can restart as many times as you need to.

3. If you have no one to go with you, go alone.

4. Get out of your comfort zone often.

5. We all have different versions of success. Find yours and embrace it.

6. Life doesn’t end when things do not go as you thought they would.

7. No one is coming to save you, only you have the power to do so.

8. Travel any chance you can, there is so much more to life than the town you grew up in.

9. Say yes to new adventures and new opportunities.

10. Let go of control and see how your life unfolds.

11. Life is a classroom and each season is teaching you something.

12. Date yourself instead.

13. Let go of the things that no longer serve you.

14. Healing is a journey and one you will thank yourself for later in life.

15. Show up for yourself as you would for your best friend.

16. Give yourself grace, you are doing the best that you can.

17. Cherish the little moments as much as you cherish the big moments.

18. Be present with the ones you love.

19. Grief is equivalent to feeling love.

20. Take the pictures, one day they will all just be a memory.

21. Invest in your health and your future.

22. Sit with your thoughts and feelings, do not run away from them.

23. You do not have to have it all figured out, no one does.

24. We are all on our own timelines in life, you are not behind.

25. Experiences over material things, always.

26. Spending time alone will teach you a lot about yourself.

27. The world will teach you more than any classroom will.

28. You can do the hard things.

29. You matter and you belong here.

30. You are so incredibly loved.

My twenties have been so incredibly good to me and I am grateful for all of the lessons I have learned along the way. As i go into my thirtieth trip around the sun, one thing is crystal clear to me: I want to be a living scrapbook of all of the places and people I have ever loved. I want to look like the physical embodiment of someone who has seen the world and become a collage of the little pieces I have collected from everywhere along the way. That being said, my next adventure is t-minus 10 days away and I cannot wait to bring you along as I am starting over once again. This time I am not starting from scratch, I am starting from experience. I hope you stick around for it!