New Beginnings

Hannah Garcia enjoying a peaceful afternoon in the mountains.

By: Hannah Garcia

Standing at the top of Volcano Arenal was something Hannah Garcia imagined herself doing only in her wildest dreams.

Garcia’s dreams became a reality when her parents surprised her with a trip to Costa Rica last summer when they spent two weeks exploring the jungles, living with the locals, and creating lifetime memories.

“Traveling outside of the United States was something I had dreamt about since a young age but never thought would happen before college,” Hannah Garcia said. “The things that I experienced down in Costa Rica make my everyday life seem ordinary and boring now.”

Horseback riding, waterfall rappelling, zip lining through the jungle- Garcia is by no means afraid to do the daring. The question remains: what’s next in her wild world of travelling adventures?

“Upon arriving home from Costa Rica, I immediately felt the need for travel,” Garcia explained. “ I want to go back, to go more places, and to see even more.”

Her passion for travelling didn’t just start now. Since she was a baby, Garcia was on the move. Travelling from state to state with her parents, her childhood held no dull moment.

“We wanted to give our family the opportunity to travel on a regular basis,” Paige Garcia said in a phone interview last Thursday. “My husband and I have always felt that moving and being nomadic travellers has given our children the opportunity to become well rounded individuals, and has exposed them to many unique experiences in life.”

In 2003, Garcia moved for the first time. Only eight at the time, moving from Colorado to Wyoming was the last thing that she wanted to do. What she thought would be a nightmare turned into an experience where she learned more about herself than she had ever known before.

“Moving for the first time was the hardest thing I have ever done. Nobody likes being the new kid,” Garcia noted. “I wanted to shrink away from the rest of the world. I never knew that moving would change my life in such a dramatic way and only increase my passion to travel.”

Although the move was difficult, nobody could foresee the change of events that would occur in the coming. In 2007, Garcia moved again to Minnesota. Eighth grade stuck up girls, bullies, and new faces; this was something that Garcia never wanted to endure again, but was forced to.

“I thought moving was rough the first time, but when it came to moving to Minnesota, things really started to fall apart,” said Garcia. “Being as difficult as it was however, moving was becoming less of a chore and more of a hobby.”

For some, starting over is the last thing that they want, but for Garcia, it brings new adventures and opens up a world of possibilities.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, Wanderlust is a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world. If there is one thing that Garcia lusts, it is to travel.

“I have grown to love the word wanderlust, “ Garcia adds “I believe  that that word describes me perfectly. I have a passion, an ache, and a need to travel.”

Since her trip to Costa Rica, Garcia has started her own blog, "The Quest for Serendipity- Happy findings in life’s simplest forms," based on the adventures of others. 

In addition to the blog, Garcia applied for a semester abroad in Spain where she will explore her passion more in depth.

“I figure that there is no better time to travel than right now,” Garcia adds. “I am young and free and I want the rest of the world to know my passion for this earth and all that it has to offer.”