I am a traveler. I have known since I was just a child growing up in the 70’s that I have always wanted to travel. We spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ home on the weekends and I would sit in a corner marveling at worlds unknown I was able to find in their set of “World Book” Encyclopedias. Back then, an Encyclopedia collection was quite 
a prestigious thing. It was the Google of our time. If you needed to know about it, it was in there somewhere.
I preferred photos. I loved seeing maps, civilizations, countries, religions, and children of drastically different experiences than me. I was fascinated.
I grew up with financially strapped parents. I was the oldest of six children and the extent of our travelling was the bi-annual, five-hour trip to North Carolina for family reunions. When I was sixteen years old, we had our first family vacation driving to Myrtle Beach, SC. A station-wagon car ride from Northern Virginia to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina was a little bit excruciating with five kids aged 4 – 16. But it was a wonderful, memorable vacation nonetheless with epic photos and memories I’ll never forget.
As an adult, I find myself just as curious about civilizations and cultures as I was 40 years ago and almost as strapped as my parents were. Now I lay awake at night and use Google street view to visit places I have dreamed of visiting. It started when I would scroll through my Facebook feed and see photos of my friends visiting and doing things. Before they had the “check-in” feature (and even now not everyone uses it) I would see my friends post an interesting photograph of something and I would become curious to know where they were. I would Google it. Once I found out where they were, I would look at Google maps to see where it was and after a while, Google launched its street view product. Now, I can go almost anywhere in the world and get a curb-side view of places.
Until I start stamping this passport of mine, I will take you everywhere I go as a Google Traveler. Thanks for joining me!
googletravelerdotcom 