I think, for most of my life, I have measured time by counting down the days until my next vacation. Travel has always been prominent in my life, largely due to my parents. I was fortunate enough to grow up in an adventurous family. We spent winter breaks escaping to warmer weather and summers with extended family. I don’t remember much of my travel from when I was a child, which fueled my desire to make my own memories and take trips I had planned. There are constant additions made to my list of places I want to see. In my opinion, there is something special about going somewhere and experiencing life in a different place.

Never one to enjoy staying in, I definitely wouldn’t consider myself a homebody. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the age of social media, constantly battling the feeling of FOMO. It’s hard not to compare your life to the curated highlights of everyone else’s, especially when there always seems to be something more exciting happening elsewhere. For me there’s always this pull to experience something new — whether trying different foods, meeting new people or exploring new places. Staying in the same place for months on end quickly bores me; I crave variety. Life can feel so repetitive, and I’ve found breaking out of my routine — stepping into a new environment, whether near or far — gives me the sense of freedom and adventure I can’t always find in my daily grind. There’s something almost romantic about imagining what life would be like somewhere else in the world. It’s that feeling of “what if?” that drives me to seek out new experiences and to never settle for a predictable, static existence.

As soon as I got my first job, any chance there was an opportunity to get away, I would take it. The freedom that came with being able to drive and having access to my own money made for a dangerous combination. I would go to the beach for long weekends, drive a few towns over to try a new coffee shop and even go to Las Vegas with just $80. There’s something that will always pull me toward spontaneity and the adrenaline rush of travel. That’s not to say there weren’t downsides to living my life that way. I’ll never be as reckless a traveler as I was during the first few years of my 20s. Recognizing I’m still young won’t diminish the new responsibilities that have slowly started building since I was a teenager. The transition to full independence has put a damper on my travel, but there’s one huge silver lining: I’m in a career that prioritizes travel, and I can’t wait to see where I get to go for both business and pleasure.

— Fiona Stewart, account executive