“Why does Larson’s passport have holes in it?”
A seemingly innocent question, I thought.
Not so much.
With those words, the anticipation of a family vacation to Thailand took an awful turn. You see, since Brad travels extensively for work, his passport is always with him. I was responsible for grabbing Larson’s newly issued replacement passport, since his had recently expired, as well as my own. It never occurred to me that I had mistakenly brought an obsolete passport until I opened it, only to discover those darn holes.
I had screwed up. In a monumental way.
The next hour turned into a blur of tears and apologies on my part, coupled with Brad walking that fine line between anger and disbelief. Since we live 4 hours from O’Hare, going home to retrieve the correct passport was not an option. After an unsuccessful attempt to change all of our tickets to a later flight, we came to the difficult decision that I would travel alone to Bangkok and Brad and Larson would meet me in Southern Thailand in 5 days.
5 long days. By myself. In a country halfway around the globe that I had never been to.
As I waved a tearful goodbye to my family and began the arduous journey of 20 hours in the air traveling across many timezones, I realized I was on my own with only myself to rely upon. The buck stopped with me if anything untoward happened. What if I got sick? Lost? Injured? The last time I had been alone in a foreign country was when I flew home solo from Cairo, Egypt so that Brad could stay on and work following our vacation. Even then, I had been relegated to airports. I didn’t go exploring during my layover in Germany. This time was patently different. What if I wasn’t up to the challenge?
What followed next was an odyssey of selfies and shared smiles with strangers that turned into shared meals and adventures with new friends from all over the world. In spite of my intense fear of getting lost, I ended up finding myself in the process.
Please accept this heartfelt invitation to be a passenger on my journey.
Girl Travels Globe 
Love it.
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Thanks, Love.
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Love that you are starting a blog and look forward to many vicarious adventures with you in the future! ✈️🌍
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Thanks so much, Cathy!
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You go girl!
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Thanks!!!
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Loved reading! Your energy, enthusiasm, and adventure always makes me smile. Way to go girl!
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That’s so sweet, Elizabeth! Thank you!❤️
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Love this Claudine!!
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Thanks, Kelly!
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You are quite the sojourner, you inspire me!
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Thank you, Sara! I start planning my next trip the day I return from my current one!
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What a great idea! Can’t wait to read more stories. You’re talented at telling funny stories, you will be just as talented at writing them!!!😊
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Thanks, Rachel! Now if I can just get all this tech stuff down! 🙂
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Love this, Claude!! ICan’t wait to read more about your many adventures!!
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Thanks so much!❤️😘
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Absolutely loved reading about your misadventure! Sounds like something every mom can relate to…
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Thanks so much, Deann! Coming from such a talented writer, that means a lot!
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So happy you did this! Can’t wait for the next blog!
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Thanks, Allyson!
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How exciting for you!! Keep it up!!
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Thank you!
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So excited to hear about all your adventures!
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Thanks, Kristine!😀
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Can’t wait to hear about your next adventure Claude! Love you and miss you! 🌍❤️
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Awww….thanks, lovey❤️
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Looking forward to hearing more!
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Thanks, Leigh!!
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Wow…you are an incredible writer! Can’t wait to read more👍😘
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Thanks, Mar😘
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Fabulous writing, Claudine! Can’t wait to hear more. Thanks for sharing your blog with me — and the world.
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Thanks for accolades, Susan! It means a lot coming from a fellow writer😀
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