Welcome to the Get Stamped blog! I am so excited to create a space for like-minded hodophiles to come together and share adventures, stories and ideas! My name is Dani and I am addicted to all things travel, culture and language. All of it fascinates me!
I grew up moving back and forth between two different small towns. One was in the Midwest and the other was in the South. While very different from one another, they did have similar narrow views on people, places and languages that weren’t similar to their own. Thanks to my grandmother I was an avid reader and would often explore new ‘lands’ through books. I didn’t understand the hesitation people had toward the unfamiliar. I was fascinated by the differences! These two things combined, are part of what sparked my interest in actively seeking what was outside of my comfort zone.
No matter where I was as a child and teen, I could regularly be found laying in the grass and watching the sky. I was an ardent daydreamer and would focus on the planes that I spotted passing through the clouds. I would imagine myself on them and I would create a story about the entire trip in my mind. I would start on the plane and then the daydream would evolve into imagining where I would land and what I would do once I got there. At this point in my life, I had never even been in an airport, much less taken a flight. This might have been the beginning of my exploration into manifesting, but at the time I was just daydreaming.
After I graduated from high school, I decided to go out-of-state for college. While there, I found myself active with the International Student Association and I just knew I had to study abroad. I found a program in Spain and jumped on it. I had always been interested in learning Spanish so I thought it was the perfect location. It took me a couple of tries to get accepted to the program and to get the money I needed to live there for 6 months, but the exchange was finally approved and I was ecstatic! I had never been out of the country, but I was up for the challenge.
Throughout the exchange program, and college in general, I was fortunate to meet people from all over the world. Getting to know them while seeing how differently they lived fascinated me. It opened my mind to new ideas, new friendships, and new adventures. College was an overall great experience for me because I was able to find my footing on my own and break out of my shell. I have a clear memory of thinking, ‘nobody here knows me or that I am shy so I am going to pretend that I’m not and see what happens.’ It worked! I am still shy but I have learned how to break free from that at times and exert myself. I was able to try out different interests and started to get an idea of who I was and who I wanted to be.
After college, I made it my mission to continue my adventures. Traveling, working abroad and finding local events while at home kept my passions fed. My goal with Stamped is to bring these things to people who otherwise might not have been able to reach them. I also want to create a safe space where a community of adventurers, language nerds, and hodophiles from around the world can form friendships and come together. I know what it is like to feel stuck and to be told ‘You can’t do that’. I am here to tell you that the idea that ‘you can’t’ is bullshit and if you really want it, you absolutely can.
Like many of you, the Covid-19 pandemic put a halt to any travel plans initially and is still slowing a lot of people down. While I was grateful for the time I had at home with my husband and dog, I am itching to get back out there. Thankfully, I was able to travel a bit around the US these last couple of years. I had regularly put any US destinations on the bottom of my list and prioritized international travel. The pandemic slowed me down and gave me motivation to explore more here at home. It also sparked an idea. Why not bring adventure to people? It is a passion of mine, why not spread the love. This is how Stamped was born.
The idea has evolved over time, and I am still exploring all of the possibilities, but I am excited to launch this blog and start building this community together! If we have learned anything, it is that community is important. Being an introvert, even one who has periods of extroversion, this has been a challenge and I know that I am not alone.
Over the summer of 2020, I had a call with a lovely lady, Meredith Rom (https://www.meredithrom.com/), and she challenged me to explore myself and what I wanted my life to look like. After getting off of that call I walked many laps around my backyard and recorded my thoughts on my phone. I used the video on the camera but all you could see was the sky. It was kind of poetic when you think of it. My goal wasn’t to make a video, but to just get my thoughts down quickly. I knew my hand couldn’t write as fast as my thoughts were flying so journaling wasn’t the best option in that moment.
I talked to myself about my life. Where it had taken me, where it was and where I wanted to go. I rattled on about always feeling like I didn’t quite fit the mold… any mold really. I had friend groups, but I never quite fit in perfectly with any of them, yet I fit in with all of them. It was a strange feeling. I had been told that I was like water. I could reach anywhere but would never form to one spot. I used to think something was wrong with me, but in that discussion with myself, I found strength in it. Why not ebb and flow? What was wrong with having several different friend groups, even if none of them meshed with the others? What was so wrong with not fitting one mold?
Nothing…. Nothing is wrong with that. I realized that it didn’t make me an outcast, but rather, an adaptable being. I could relate and/or empathize with almost anyone. It is a super power, really.
Once that shift took place in my mind, it felt like I was finally able to breathe. Not only that, I just knew that I wasn’t the only one that felt that way. I truly believe that most open-minded people with wanderlust spirits have felt similarly at some point. The spirit of adventure wants you to go, wants you to explore and wants you to continue to learn. Those of us that enjoy the adventure have to be adaptable. If not it is much harder to adjust to new cities, foods, or cultures in general.
If you can relate, you are in the right place! If you can’t quite relate but are interested anyway, welcome! Welcome to a community of adventurers, avid travelers, continuous learners, and everyone in between!
