Six months off and plenty of interesting options... what next?

by La Vonne
(San Marcos, Texas)

I have always dreamed of traveling but then got married, had kids and that whole distraction. I am 46 and am about to graduate from Texas State University with my bachelor's in Cultural Anthropology, specializing in Latin American cultures and a double minor of Spanish and Women's Studies.

There is a good chance I will go on to Universidad para La Paz in San Jose Costa Rica. There I will obtain a double Master in Genders and Peace Studies. I have 6 months in between finishing at TSU and beginning at ULP. I am thinking that with my newly acquired academic tool box I could have a lot of interesting options.

I backpacked with a friend last summer through Costa Rica and Panama, stayed at hostels, slept in tents in the jungle and rode the public buses. I practiced my Spanish with the locals and tried new foods. It was fabulous!!!! I want more of it but I want to visit more indigenous people and talk to the women. I am an awesome writer (my professors tell me so) and feel that I will be very successful writing about middle-aged back-packing.

So, can you give me the best advice for utilizing my background, skills and following my dreams? Or, at least point me to where I find the best information.

Answer: The good news is that you're already well on your way to achieving your dreams and acquiring the best skills to do so! The bad news is that you've now got a lot more choices…

If I had six months and your skills, I might try doing one of the following during that time.

Certainly to travel more would be an option. With the Spanish, I might try visiting the rest of Central America - everything north of Costa Rica. There are some fabulous indigenous communities and cultures in places like Guatemala and given the time I might be inclined to see more of that region. I'd have three other travel options: Mexico, for its amazing beauty and diversity, western South America, around Peru and Ecuador, and the southern cone, Argentina and Chile. Any combination of these could easily fill six months and get you in shape for school again.

If you'd like a bit of a break from travel, how about becoming a volunteer? Since you speak Spanish you'd most likely be able to find a placement for six months pretty much anywhere you wanted. You'd put back into the community, do some good, practice your language skills, and become deeply connected to a community. A friend of mine volunteered with indigenous groups in rural Panama for several months and learned more about their culture in that time than she could have from any studies.

If you love writing and believe you have what it takes - and it certainly seems you do - why not look into becoming a travel writer? You don't have to write about holiday destinations - you could write about cultures and people and help others understand the world around them. If you've never tried this line of work you could try taking my free travel writing course to see if this is something you'd like to pursue.

There are plenty of other options… you could get a job teaching English abroad. Teaching is always a good way to get to know a culture and share a bit of your own. You could also take a course - learn meditation, take cooking classes, study art history… short courses are available in plenty of places. The possibilities are infinite.

What a great place to be - six months of freedom and a desire to see more of the world. I hope you enjoy every second!

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