A crazy bit of unexpected good fortune

Australia was my getaway. A young Canadian seeking refuge from a harsh winter and an even harsher mother. When Amy suggested moving Down Under, I grabbed my friend's hand and it happened: travel became an escape.

We found flatmates – overeager males with an appetite for naive women. We trusted them immediately, much to my mother's disapproval. Maybe that's why I chose them.

The boys showcased their country as though they'd finger-painted it themselves; whisking us off along the splendid coastline. The air smelt of salt, promise, and youthful foolishness. And then it happened: travel became a hungry search for physical beauty. I wondered if I'd ever quench the hunger or if I'd be doomed to search the entire world constantly seeking the next aesthetic wonder.

Before long the boys proved us wrong, stole our money, and fled town. Clinging to the last of our adventurous spirit, we emptied our bank accounts into a one-way ticket to Bundaberg: the town where backpackers succumb to their fruit-picking fate, said to be the 'toilet of the Earth'.
All hope ran dry our first night there, as we prepared beds on a bench outside the town pub, ACDC blaring a spiteful lullaby. I'd remain penniless all my life if it meant never hearing Highway to Hell again.

The next day found us Kevin, hidden in the cockroach infested hostel above the pub. He offered us accommodation if we promised to work the fields. That month under the angry Aussie sun was lonely, my untapped imagination proving herself a loyal companion.
And again it happened: travel became a way to self-discovery.

One Sunday, fate ushered us into a local church desperate for human connection that went deeper than rowdy catcalls out the side of a pickup truck. Trevor introduced himself immediately, quietly charming as only a dashing man in his 50’s can be. His wife Jo was curious and caring. Somehow she reminded me of home, even though I had yet to know either. Honest introductions led to dinner. They fed us a feast; their parents joining the festivities. As they lovingly opened a bottle of their finest liqueur I was moved to tears. How did I end up here?

This time as it happened, my heart resounded with travel. Though travel has many wonderful faces, I knew then what it would forever be for me: it is an accumulation of wealth. With people’s stories the gold of insurmountable value.