One Girl Her Backpack and a Passion for Travel

So the last few months have been hard, but not too hard, for me.

My business, Do It While You’re Young, is doing well. We were recently mentioned in Fox News, thanks to Kristina meeting her husband on a tour to Jordan.  I’m going to school but plan to start my Masters in Psychology in January.   I’ve have several social media marketing clients. One of whom is in Australia and a very interesting fellow.  I’ve started doing things with my site to increase traffic.  We’ve hired a social media manager and are about to bring on a PR person.  I also have content writers to help when there’s a lag in content.  We’re developing a super secret website that should be amazing.  I have been working on pre-product launch and it’s a lot of work for a product that you don’t even know will work.

To build the site I’m using a membership plugin called WishList which is what we are building our platform around and then we have a very specific WP theme called OptimizePress to help bring in our members.

So enough about business.  I’ve gotten really into CrossFit which is SO hard but works better than any other workout I’ve ever done.  Then I’m planning on going to Berlin for New Years to visit my best friend from high school, Christine.

So that’s about it. I know you couldn’t find a more boring post ever. But at least it’s something

John: When kids get in trouble, parents call them by their full name.
Jerri: That doesn’t apply to me because A. I went by my full name Jerri Lynn and 2. I never got in trouble.
John: You mean B?
Jerri: What?
John: 2 doesn’t come after A…

Two Years Ago

It started with this:

I was this:

And I felt like this (on repeat):

We could keep trying
but things will never change
So I don’t look back
Still I’m dying with every step I take
But I don’t look back

I said this and I meant it. I still do.:

Starting now I’ll never know your name
Starting now I’ll never feel the same
Starting now I wish you never came into my world.

Trying to be this:

And even if you try this, sometimes it doesn’t work:

After a while, even though I said otherwise, I was this:

So, after a lot of crying, I said this:

Despite everything, I kinda believed this:

Remembering
Your touch
Your kiss
Your warm embrace
I’ll find my way back to you
If you’ll be waiting

(editor’s note: you weren’t)

At the end of it all, I realized:

After some time and now

It was slow, and for a while I was this:

I knew this song would ring true someday:

And then, I met the one who made me dance and sing:

And I’m truly happy, like this:

And now, this is the song I’ll dance to at our wedding (with the person who is good to me, and not an egotistical jerk):

Here’s how you do it:

1. You wait to the very last minute to think about what bike you’re going to use because you’ve only been training on a stationary bike for this triathlon at the gym.
2. Then, because riding a stationary bike is so incredibly boring to you that even Enrigue Iglesias and Pitbull can’t motivate you, only do about 3 miles a day knowing that the actual race day will be 8 miles.
3. Manage to find a bike that has a bent rear wheel that rubs against the brakes but think to yourself that it’s not that big of deal. OF COURSE A BENT WHEEL THAT RUBS AGAINST THE BRAKES IS A BIG DEAL WHEN YOU ARE IN A BIKE RACE!

Let me tell you, it’s not much fun being so far in the back of the race that you actually wonder if the race is still going on and when you know that the 3 waves that started behind you have all passed you.  It’s also not much fun that once you finally do get to the running part of the race you are worried about having energy for your run because you rode your bike for twice as long as everyone else!

Don’t worry! It’s not all bad news. Despite being horrendously slow on the bike, I did OK on my run. I ran a 9:48 mile.  I know I can run at least an 8 minute mile, but I’m not too disappointed with that seeing as how I unnecessarily biked for two times longer than everyone else and that was my first time ever to transition from biking to running. And I actually didn’t do awful on my swim, which was 6:42 for 200 yards.  I didn’t see any snakes, fish and I didn’t drown. Although I did get punched and kicked in the face, swallowed a ton of lake water, couldn’t see out of my goggles and seriously questioned what made me think I could swim open water in the first place when I’d been practicing in a nice, clear pool where I could reach the bottom if I needed to.

So what have we learned here folks? The 7 Ps! Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance! Plus, someone had to be last, might as well’ve been me.

One other motivating thought: I can only get better from here.

Running a travel website, Do It While You’re Young, has been a crash course lesson in how to build a website, a community and make money while doing it all.  It’s not easy.  In fact, there is no way I could’ve done it without my bestie, Kristina.

When starting out, we really didn’t know what it takes to build a website with a big community around it.  In fact, we didn’t realize we needed a community at all.  When we built the website, we really had no idea about what it took to really build in SEO, what page rank meant, or how to write proposals to potential advertisers.  Having worked in web marketing I knew enough to help get my clients started although I didn’t honestly know the work it took to sustain a successful website. I knew how important regularly updating content was, how necessary good images and design was including how vital alt tags are on images and I knew where the eye went first and last up on seeing a website.

All of that information is good knowledge to build a foundation on.  Here are some of the things that I neglected:

1. Networking. I don’t mean occasionally talking to people on Twitter through RTs, liking their pages on Facebook or linking back to their sites on your link love page.  I mean really, really talking to these people.  Commenting on people’s blogs that you really like is important.  I’m such a lurker and it needs to stop.  In real world terms, I’m a wall flower. And I think most people who know me, know I’m not a real life wall flower, so why am I one on the Internet? Probably because I’m all business.  I go to people’s websites to see what they’re talking about it, what they’re doing and how I can apply that information to my website.  Creepy? Probably.  Sorry. I need to stop being such a creepy mcstalkerson and start chatting with people more on their blogs and through Twitter. And I mean really talking to them, not just saying thanks for the RT or whatever. It will help my business a lot more in the long run, I’m sure of it.
2. Understanding the importance of linkbacks.  We never really thought about what an anchor text was or even exchanging links with other websites as important to search engines. In fact, I just thought it was good to get a link back from anyone as long as you get one. I’ve learned a lot since those silly days.  Since I’ve been so slow to the world of linkbacks, I use Linkvana (Linkvana 5 Day Trial (Now 14 days)($147 Billed Every 1 Months)) and really enjoy it, despite how expensive it is.  I’ve seen the visits to our site increase 150% since we started it back in February.
3. Something I never counted on was being a boss. DIWYY has had a few employees in our time. One thing my boss, who was a multimillionaire, told me when I was a PA in Beverly Hills was: be slow to hire and quick to fire. I know that now.  If you have instincts that something is wrong, you’re probably right. Not everyone has your company’s best interest as heart.

Here are some things we did right:

1. We started a newsletter in the very beginning. Over the past year, our newsletter has gained more than 1,400 subscribers.  We use aweber and I love it. Kristina hates it.  But I think it’s because you do need to know a little HTML to really customize the newsletter format.
2. We focused on our Facebook page. It has almost 8k likes.  We seriously have THE best community ever!
3. We utilized Twitter, although we rarely have time to really get into it like we would like. Luckily, we have an amazing online community manager. I mean, really, the most amazing one out there.
4. We formed partnerships early on with Contiki, Kelty, 3floz, A Girl’s Gotta Go, Banana Saver, The Humanity Exchange, Edge of Seven and Tripping. We love our partners!

The past year and a half of running DIWYY has been an eye opening experience. I will definitely never take for granted the work put into a website again.  I love DIWYY and have seriously considered that maybe I would rather work on it all the time and not continue with my school work to become a doctor. Doubtful that would happen, but that would be nice..

So I know the last few months I’ve dropped off the face of the planet.  While I’ve been gone, I’ve learned a few new cool things you might find interesting.

I’ve learned how to shoot one of these

I’ve done this (but this isn’t my video):

and I’ve done more of this than I ever care to do again:

Do It While You’re Young and Contiki are giving away a $500 (USD) voucher good for a Contiki Holiday!  All you have to do is enter here on the DIWYY website. The winner will be announced May 28. If you’ve been wanting to go on a Contiki tour, or just go somewhere, now’s your time to get a great deal!

Ella and Old MD Girl did the decade in review and they were really inspiring. While I’m a little late on this, I’ve been thinking about it for a while so I’m just going to go for it anyway even though it’s almost 2011!

2000 – I was a freshman business major at ACU. I was on the yearbook staff as a student life editor and really enjoyed it.  ACU was not really what I wanted or expected out of my college experience and I was truly unhappy, probably on the verge of depressed. I hated going to chapel every day and didn’t have many friends because my boyfriend was super possessive and jealous and I let him occupy all my free time. My roommate was nice, but couldn’t have been less interested in talking to me. Luckily, it wasn’t just me she didn’t talk to, it was everyone. No one ever visited our room because she ate so much tuna, but we had awesome neighbors next door and across the hall (not including the one girl in the dorm room on the other side of ours who played The Rose by Bette Midler on full blast every morning while she was getting ready.) That year I went on a spring break campaign to Canada and finally made some real friends who made me see how it was time to break up with the boyfriend. I did. That summer I got a job at a coffee house with my best friend, Rose. It was the best job ever.

2001 – Was a pretty great year for me, but definitely a difficult year for everyone.  I was still working at the coffee house, had study abroad at Oxford and traveled across Europe during the summer. My boyfriend was from Boston and I flew up to see him before school started and he showed me around his town. I was finally getting to see the world and realizing how sheltered my life was back in Abilene. I moved into a house with two of my coworkers who were just so amazing and fun. We had the party house and my life was just great and happy. I was happy with my major and tolerating my last two years at my university and really looking forward to getting out of school and into the real world.  All I wanted to do was see the world and make a difference. At my school, if you don’t have an engagement ring by the second semester of your senior year, there’s probably something wrong with you. I didn’t care. All I wanted to do was get out of Abilene as fast as possible and a man would slow me down.

2002 – Rose and I went to NYC for my 21st birthday and I just knew that was my city. The city was so inspiring and fascinating. I planned on moving there after I graduated in a year and becoming some high powered business woman, but we all know how plans work out.  During Christmas break, I took a Biology course in Australia. We scuba dived at the Great Barrier Reef, trekked the Daintree Rainforest, and chased the cute Aussie boys in Sydney, the best city in the world! That’s where I met my friend Kristina and co-author of Do It While You’re Young.

2003- Was a big year for me. I graduated from college and not having any job offers, decided I wanted to learn Spanish in Spain. So I packed my bags and moved to Barcelona for the summer. I had a boyfriend from Milan, Italy, and visited him on the weekends. We’d drive to Switzerland or hang out in Milan. I felt the world was mine.  While there I learned that my grampa, the man who had raised me on his own, had lung cancer. I started making my was back to the US reluctantly, stopping over in London for a couple weeks and debating whether I should go home. I figured I could always go back to London if I wanted. I returned to Abilene and spent some valuable time with the most important man in the world to me before he passed away. Once he left me, I knew that I was free to go anywhere in the world. I never wanted to be far from him because I knew my time with him was limited and it’s why I never left ACU to go to another school.  After that, I was offered a job by some family friends at their hotel in the Caribbean. Not having anything to keep me in the states, I flew out 3 days later with a suitcase and a one way ticket.

2004 – I got bored with living the island life. They call it Island Fever. I started looking for ways to get off the island and travel more. St. Martin is a haven for mega yachts and I started meeting the yacht crews from all around the world. They told me how much money they were making, where they got to go and how much fun they were having. I started taking classes to get my certification to work on a yacht, got a job on sailing yacht over the phone. I quit my job in one day at the hotel (it was already summer so things were slow) and flew up to New York City to meet my boat. I had never been on a sailboat in my life. The owners came on and we sailed up to Maine stopping in Newport, Rhode Island and some other coastal villages along the way. Every day was a new adventure. I saw whales and dolphins for the first time! I met Rockefellers and some of the other richest and most powerful people in the world. I was making more money than I ever had in my life. Life was fantastic. I traveled to Argentina by myself. My  boyfriend and I were supposed to go together but we broke up before so I decided to go anyway. Then I got the call that my mom had lung cancer and everything changed. When she died, I decided to change my life. I was living an awesome life, but had no direction. I knew after my mom died that I wanted to help sick people, help their families and wanted to go to medical school. I doubted I could really do it though. So I kept working on yachts for two more years.

2005 – I was still mourning my mom, and was trying to pack life in at the fastest rate possible. It actually turned pretty self destructive.  I realized that I had been to 4 continents and decided to get in 3 more before I turned 25. I went to South Africa and backpacked across it for 3 weeks. I learned to surf, went on safaris, and visited AIDS orphanages in Swaziland. I was stuck between wanting to go to medical school and thinking how much life I’d give up if I stopped working and traveling. I couldn’t bring myself to settle down just yet.

2006 – I was getting burned out of working on boats, and missed the few remaining family I had and was about to turn the pivotal age of 25. I went to Japan for my 25th birthday and started thinking about how to return back to Texas and start my “life” and get serious. I quit my job on the boat I was working on in Boston and drove from Boston to Houston where I had decided I wanted to live. Once I arrived though, I realized that the fast paced life I was living wasn’t how other people were living. I thought having a bachelor’s in business was enough to get a job while I tried to apply to schools to get my pre-reqs for medical school. I couldn’t get a job at all. I went from making tons of money and traveling the world to barely scraping by. Reality was setting in that this was going to be a lot harder than I expected.

2007 – I couldn’t get into a groove. I needed money and worked briefly as a personal assistant for a guy in Beverly Hills. It was an awesome job. He had a private jet and we flew back and forth between his houses in Las Vegas, Puerta Vallarta and LA. My heart wasn’t in it though. I wanted to go back to school and this job wasn’t going to mesh well. I went back to Houston and decided internet marketing was something I could do while trying to go back to school. After scoring a sweet job at Schipul, I considered working in marketing instead of going to school and thought maybe I should get my MBA instead because that would be so much easier than getting an MD.

2008 – I had an awesome job, was finally meeting people in Houston as friends and beginning to like Houston. I was beginning to realize that if I didn’t finally commit to going back to school, I never would. I applied to UH and got in and tried to start taking classes but just couldn’t manage to fit it in with full time work and the availability of classes. Money was a huge issue and I couldn’t figure out how I was going to hack it.

2009 – I finally got the push I needed to leave my job and concentrate on school. I worked and saved money during the summer to save up for going to school full time in the Fall. I met the love of my life at a time when I had decided that a relationship would be the most distracting thing while trying to go to school. In fact, it turned out to be the best thing for me because John actually balanced me and encouraged me in everything I did. So I started school in the fall, joined the National Guard as a combat medic to help pay for school, and started working in a chemical laboratory.

It took me an entire decade to start becoming the person I wanted to be. While my life on paper (or screen) looks like an awesome adventure (and it was) it was really more difficult than you may ever realize.  The decade was filled with a lot of second guessing, low confidence and fear. But I think that this next decade it going to be amazing and I’m ready for it!

John loves to cook. He cooks for me every day and he’s so incredibly creative with the ingredients and all.  I hate cooking. I only cook when forced, so I really appreciate that he does it without me even mentioning it to him.  Since he got me an iPhone for Christmas, it was really hard to get him something equally as cool, so I thought, “John loves meat and loves cooking. I’ll get him steak!” Thus began my adventure in meat research and acquisition.

I decided on this gourmet meat from Chicago Steak Company. The box was delivered two days later while I was at work and John was at home. I get this text:

John: You have a big box here.

Jerri: Sweet!

John: It’s steak.

Jerri: It’s not steak.

I get home after work, and indeed, my box of steak had arrived. I quickly inspect the box to make sure all the contents are correct as ordered. Then I wrap the box and put it under the Christmas tree.

John gets off of work and comes to my house. The following conversation ensues:

Jerri: Surprise! I got your Christmas present!

John: Cool.

Jerri: Open it!

John: I want to wait til Christmas.

Jerri: No! Open it now!

John: What? You don’t want the steak to go bad?

Jerri: It’s not steak! Open it!

John: Fine. (He opens it.)

John: Oh look. It’s steak.

Jerri: SURPRISE!

John: Nice. You got me groceries for Christmas.

Jerri: It’s not groceries. It’s gourmet.

(I just realized everything I’ve said so far has exclamation points. I’m really excited!)

Needless to say, I’m the worst Christmas present giver ever, but at least I’ll be eating well for the next month and it’s all part of my master plan!

Thanks to sean dreilinger for the awesome pic of meat!

My best friend, Kristina, and I have been writing Do It While You’re Young: The Travel Guide for the Modern Girl for about 5 years. Because you learn something new on every trip, DIWYY has been a work in progress and keeps getting better and better with the more traveling that Kristina and I do. We’ve also recruited a few other travel writers who contribute frequently reporting their adventures and unique stories from traveling. I wanted to invite you to DIWYY.com for more stories and advice on traveling the world. We’re also on Facebook at facebook.com/DIWYY. Happy Travels friends!