Less than 70 days until I go back to my roots, you guys.
You guessed it. I’m going to Disney World!
Considering that the name of this blog was influenced by Disney, and that my homesickness for my second home will soon cease, I think it’s time I wrote a little about my die-hard Disney obsession.
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Before my passion for travel, there was Walt Disney World.
Before I ever considered traveling internationally as a legitimate possibility, there was Epcot’s World Showcase.
Before I ever imagined I’d hike paths around volcanoes, there was Animal Kingdom.
Before I became a ‘traveler’, I thought Walt Disney World was one of the most spectacular places in the world.
Now that I have had an array of life-changing experiences, I still think that Walt Disney World is one of the most spectacular places in the world.
FYI, not the cute one in the front. (left).
While I’ve been fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who either put up with my Disney obsession, or who are complete Disney fanatics themselves, I have come across my fair share of people who are completely opposed to ever visiting.
These people generally fall into one of two categories:
- Those who think that Walt Disney World is “just an amusement park.”
- Those who think Walt Disney vacations are a waste of time in comparison to authentic travel
I had my first out-of-the-country experience at twenty-two, and had only regularly began road-tripping the east coast at about eighteen. So while I now count the days until I can embark on some new exotic adventure, there will always be a part of my heart that aches when I’m away from Disney World for too long. For a good portion of my life, Walt Disney World was the “adventure” I looked forward to every year.
Literally, every year.
In fact, my trip this August will be the first time I have gone longer than a year without visiting. #sonotokay
Fifteen. Converse, too much black eyeliner, and my first dye job. Clearly feeling bad to the bone, even while standing next to Mary Poppins. – Epcot’s Norway, 2008
Coming from a single-parent home meant that vacations weren’t always in the budget. And I remember the first year that we were finally able to go! After years of awing over the Disney resort commercials at the beginning of every VHS (#nostalgia) we were finally going to be that cheesy family from the commercials. From that point on Disney became our traditional family vacation.
While some may have had a more diverse range of travel experiences at a young age, I feel lucky to have had as many adventures as I did. And I do mean adventures.
Where else could you visit eleven different countries in one day, while enjoying a Mickey bar in between? Or go on an African safari without having to purchase high-priced airfare?
By the time I realized how much more of the world I wanted to see, I had already woken up in a resort where giraffes slept beneath my window, soared over California, and had lunch in a castle; all in the span of a week.
The trio & the ‘Eiffel Tower’ – Epcot, 2015 (left) ; Pre-English Lunch, Epcot’s U.K., 2015 (right)
A couple of years ago, my mother took her own passions for travel and Walt Disney World and started her own travel agency, Map to Magic Vacations. Today, she and some other amazing agents have helped countless families create their own memories in five continents. And also many at the different Walt Disney resorts.
Some may always view Walt Disney World as “just a theme park”, but I have a different perspective. Disney for me, has always represented adventure, persistence, and memories I’ll always remember.
And while the world may be slightly more accessible to me now, and I definitely plan to take full advantage, I”ll never be too cool, too old, or too above strolling down Main Street, U.S.A, giant pretzel in hand, on my way to meet Mickey.
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