The Paper Map Man

By Mary Goggin | Georgia, USA

I have always been drawn to a more adventurous, unconventional lifestyle since I was a young girl. I remember being with my friend belle, as young as 11 years old, scrolling through Pinterest, adding to my “let’s go” board for hours at a time, staying up sooo late. I didn’t just have one type of place pinned. I wasn’t just a beach girl or obsessed with living in a city one day. I wanted to go EVERYWHERE. Another time, I remember being in the 5th grade at the lunch table with my friends. We were answering the question that i always dreaded growing up… What do you want to be when you grow up?  For me, I remember never liking ANY of the typical careers that my friends said. I was so confused why everyone had an answer that excited them and I didn’t. I was sitting across from my friend Kate and I finally responded with “I have no idea what I want to do but I know I want to be doing something where I can be all over the world, something like a group travel leader.” And to this day, the feeling of not being drawn to any of the typical career paths still holds true. 

On a similar note, I went on a trip to Iceland with about 13 other high schoolers who I did not know before the trip. It was my first trip out of the country, and it weirdly felt so normal for me. I had no fear. I was utterly excited. And i could not wait to be in Iceland with 13 strangers. At the time, I did not question this feeling of normalcy that is supposed to be seen as scary and nerve racking; however, looking back, I realize that it definitely was a telling sign that Mary Goggin would come to fall in love with the adventurous lifestyle and never look back. It is where I am naturally the happiest and most thrilled to be alive! 

So with all that being said, I have always been drawn to the life of adventure. Just as some kids are naturally drawn to a sports, such as basketball, I always was drawn to the different places and cultures in the world.