By Emily Meyer

Traveller’s Tales – Farewell Medicine Hat

Nov 12, 2019 | 2:27 AM

I have been writing Traveller’s Tales for almost 3 years. Each month I’d sit at my desk, distracted by the murmurs and buzzing in the hallways around me as I tried to come up with the words for an article. It was always easy to get the words of an article out when I had just come back from an amazing adventure of some sort; whether it be the Galapagos Islands or our road trip around New Zealand. However, for much of my time, I haven’t been an explorer of the world, rather a writer sitting at her desk trying to come up with something to talk about. As time went on, I became less and less inspired by the travels of my past and began to yearn for the freedom of a travelling future.

A little over six months ago I was sitting at a family dinner with my husband’s Aunt and Uncle, world traveller’s themselves. The conversation wasn’t only easy, but it was exciting. We talked about travel books and about memorable countries. Our conversation went from wanderlust to history and had me endlessly enthused. When I got home that night, I remember thinking how that was the most exciting conversation I had had in quite some time. It was also at that moment that I realized I didn’t belong at a desk, trying to remember details of my past adventures so I could write monthly about my favourite topic in the world. I missed the feeling of adventure; of meeting new people and seeing monuments and landscapes that had only existed on the other side of my computer screen.

In case you hadn’t gathered, this will be my last Traveller’s Tales.

Shortly after that conversation at family dinner, I found myself browsing books at a store in the mall, wasting time while my husband looked at car magazines. I came across a book that I had seen on the shelf for the first time more than a year ago. I remembered reading the synopsis about this couple who quit their jobs and travelled the world. It had sounded like a cool book but for some reason, at the time I didn’t buy it. However, this evening was different. While my husband browsed for car magazines, I decided to buy The Yellow Envelope.

I can remember sitting at my second job on a quiet Saturday afternoon when I opened the book for the first time. The words on the page resonated with me so strongly that I had to put the book down. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as I read the words that I myself had been saying since the conversation at Easter – and been feeling quite some time longer. “I did not want my desk job, my mortgage, or my car. I wanted to write, and I wanted to travel the world.”

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It wasn’t long after that that we started to plan. We decided quite easily that we would quit our jobs. We wanted the freedom to go – go where we want, for as long as we want, without the restrictions of routine. At first, the freedom was almost too much to cope with. We could go anywhere in the world we wanted and stay as long as we wanted. How on earth were we meant to decide?

That is where my archive of itineraries came in. Ever since I moved to Medicine Hat, got a real job and tried to do the normal adult things, I have been planning. On quiet afternoons or snowy days, my mind would wander to exotic lands and my curiosity would take over. Soon, I had a file on my computer full of adventures that were waiting for me. Some were shorter than others – trips I could do on my yearly “two weeks holiday.” Others, however, were the itineraries – the ones that would require complete freedom to obtain. So, just like that, South East Asia was decided upon.

For some reason, the Raptors winning the NBA finals meant blitz sales for airlines. This was the perfect excuse to book flights, adding a week-long layover in Japan before continuing on to Bangkok where the rest of our SE Asia adventure awaited.

It’s unusual to write a Traveller’s Tales article without an ending, but the truth is, I don’t know where this adventure ends. I got through planning Japan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and a flight to Indonesia when I decided I didn’t want to dictate my future any further. For years my days have been routine. I had my day planner planned for months ahead because I always knew what Monday-Friday responsibilities were. Instead, I decided to let the people we are at the end of this leg decide where we go next. I decided we deserve to let go of timelines and schedules and plans. I decided it was time to chose freedom because I have always had a wanderer’s mind and it was time to feed it.

So, Medicine Hat, this is farewell.