Global Soul Search: Susan Cegavske

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My biggest regret is that I bought a round-the-world ticket, and for the first leg I scheduled only 2 weeks in Fiji. At the end of the 2 weeks I didn’t want to leave, and I had this stupid ticket. I learned my first lesson: not to move on until you’re 100% ready to leave. Here I was in this little village, soaking up the culture, and I had to go. That’s turned out to be one of my passions about traveling: diving into other cultures.

After 17 months, you came back to the States for a brief sojourn. Did you experience culture shock?

I thought, where is everybody? People were hidden away in their cars, in their houses. This was so different from life in the village or on the square.

I was really struck by the huge amount of excess that we live with. I don’t know if it was culture shock, but it was really an awareness of the “richness” of the U.S.

You left again to continue your journey. What persuaded you to venture on?

It’s a big world, and the more I got into traveling, the more I wanted to go. I wanted to explore different regions. I just feel like I have this big list that keeps getting longer of things I’d like to do. That’s my passion—and my job, so to speak—to work on getting that list completed.

How many countries have you visited during these past couple of years? Of these, which stand out most vividly in your mind?

I’ve been to 29 countries, I think, in my entire life. I’ve only visited 18 in the past 28 months. I like to travel at a slower pace.

Of course, I love all of the countries for different reasons. Mongolia was a real highlight for me, I think because the real culture is so accessible. The tourist track was pretty thin there. I find that the more adventuresome I am, the more I like it. The more connected I am with nature, and the closer I am to the culture, I find I’m the happiest. I loved trekking in Nepal. I loved Tibet. Driving Western Australia, driving from Darwin to Perth, was exquisite.

Where have you spent the longest period of time? What kept you there?

I think it was the 4 months I spent in Mongolia. Again, the culture was so fascinating.

Do you ever grow lonesome traveling solo?

I would say it’s more a feeling of isolation. I think that’s part of what has allowed a personal breakthrough. What do you do when you feel lonely and isolated? You have to put on your tennis shoes, lace them up, and get out to meet the world. In just one interaction with another person, you realize why you are there in the first place. There’s something that shifts you a little bit. My biggest passion is having experiences that shift the way I see myself on this planet. Doing that over and over again has been such a confidence builder and such a joy. It’s allowed me to build an extraordinary relationship with myself.

I’ve met up with other travelers, but I feel that the time spent alone is the richest time. I’ve loved finding out exactly where my edges are. What is my pace? What do I want to do today? It’s travel without compromise. There’s always some negotiation when traveling with someone else.

Truly, you’re never really alone. If you want to do something, you’ll create a way for yourself. It just looks a little different.

What inspires you to keep traveling?

I think just the constant evolution it provides. It forces me to be very present at all times, getting to recreate my life every day. Learning about the world in which I live firsthand, versus through the media or some other source of information.

I feel a lot more compassionate for people I meet in the United States who are new immigrants, who might have a language issue. I have more empathy for them. I also really appreciate the melting pot of the U.S. It’s the country’s biggest strength.

Will you ever come “home” again?

Home is where I’m at. Someday I’d like to put down roots, though I have no idea where that would be. I’d like to set it up where I could live in a couple different places in the world. Home is really wherever I am at the moment.

What are some of the greatest lessons you’ve learned?

The journey offers so much more than what you see. It becomes an inner journey as well. I feel like I have friends all over the world, which is wonderful. There’s so much more to travel than the sites you see. I think the real benefit of my journey has been the total upward shift in my confidence and self-esteem, and my willingness to walk through fear. Traveling solo, I’ve felt afraid sometimes—in the words of Blanche from A Streetcar Named Desire, “relying on the kindness of strangers.” I’ve learned that fear is all in my own mind.

At the same time, to think that there will never be fear, that you won’t have a lot of emotions, is incorrect. You will be afraid. You will be anxious. It’s part of life.

What advice would you give to someone toying with the idea of becoming a nomad?

Go! Just do it. Go now, and pack light.

Hillary Easom is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in Richmond, Virginia. Since returning to the States after 13 months on the road, she has been living vicariously through nomadic friends.

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