Today’s “Dear Mom and Dad” comes from Francesca, over at Two Backpacks, One Adventure, another military brat. In 2014, Francesca and her husband, Eddy, decided to sell everything they own and start travelling the world, full-time, with just two carry-on backpacks. Since leaving the US, they have travelled to Mexico, every country in Central America, & Canada, even living in a few places for longer periods of time. They are about to begin a US road trip adventure while living in a newly purchased, 30 year old, VW Vanagon. You can follow along with them on their blog, over at Facebook, or on Twitter and Instagram! Happy Travels!
Dear Mom & Dad
Where do I begin? As if I don’t tell you enough already, I love you so much more than you could ever imagine. As I make my way to new places around the globe, I find myself always coming full circle to think about all the traveling we did together as I was growing up.
Dad, I still remember taking road trips across the US with the same movies playing over and over again on the little TV wedged between the front seats of the truck. You always said how there were movies that you knew every line to but had never actually seen before. And, you always had the best music (usually oldies, but goodies) playing on the radio as we put mile after mile in our rearview mirror.
Mom, I realize that we got to make all of these memories together as a family because you chose to be an officer in the US Air Force. Without that call of duty moving us from place to place, there is no way I would be the same person I am today. For as much grief as I gave you when it was time to move somewhere new, I regret it just as much because I wouldn’t change anything about the experiences I got from making those same moves.
You both mean the world to me and I think about you everywhere I go. From Mexico to every country in Central America, from Canada to living in a VW Vanagon & road tripping across the US, I am so grateful for the way I was brought up and for all the borders we crossed together. Those life experiences with the two of you made me the confident, brave, adaptable, travel-hungry person I am today.
Thank you both for giving me the same love of travel and worldly adventures that did so many great things for the two of you and for our family. It breaks my heart that there are people in the world that haven’t been fortunate enough to leave their hometown, state, or country, even for as short a time as just 24 hours. Sure, if that’s what they choose to do, that’s one thing, but I am lucky enough to know how much the world has to offer… and that there’s more where that came from! All thanks to the two of you!
Love,
Francesca
xoxo
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