The early 30s is something of a black hole for many women (and men). Are we supposed to settle down and start popping out kids with our partners? Or should we enjoy the privilege we’ve been somewhat thrown and somewhat earned, and go see the world because travel without kids is easier?
It’s super easy to get comfy and totally enjoy it, understandably.
I’ll explain my current circumstances as an example. I’m 31, excitedly engaged, have no children, and have (thanks to my job) June – September totally free, totally remote, for at least the next three years.
So what do I do? What do I do before this situation inevitably changes in the years to come? Well, I know what I’m not going to do.
I’m going to stop obsessing about fertility windows and hormone changes. I know the math, I know the bio. Contrary to what holier than thou “young” mothers espouse, you can still get pregnant at 33, 34…. etc. The culture of “fertility journeys” is rampant thanks to social media, and I’m pretty much over it.
What my fiancé and I have always bonded over is our love of traveling. Of course, it’s not just the act of sitting on a beach we like. We love hearing new languages, trying new cuisines, talking with people we’d never otherwise meet. We like learning about bubbles beyond our own. It’s pretty freaking enlightening.
Before someone yells it in the comments: yes, you can travel with kids. You can see the world and explore other cultures with your children.
But the reality (which I was hesitant to accept these last few months) is that it’s simply harder to island hop in Asia or grab a 1:00am drink from a London pub. All possible, but not, you know, preferable for the tiny human’s sleep schedule.
Children, in my opinion, are another adventure to be had; parenthood will be its own gorgeous set of challenges, confusion, stress and pure joy. It’ll be an adventure and we’ll choose the path when we’re ready.
But for now, in this special little unit of time – “the early 30s” – my fiancé and I realize that it’s time to take the three month travel trip that we’ve always fantasized about. We’ve been fortunate to see so much of the world already, but let’s do it now (on a budget!) when we don’t have tiny humans to wheel through an airport.
We’re going to see the places we’ve been talking about, and as we see those places in person, we’ll fantasize about the next adventure of parenthood as we fall asleep far from home.