Today we’d like to introduce you to Avery Pierce.
Hi Avery, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Growing up in Minnesota, I stayed curious about exploring the world outside of the Midwest. Sometimes, I think watching the movie “Around the world in Eighty days” at such a young age started a fire in me I haven’t been able to shake since. It didn’t make sense to me how anyone could spend their entire life in one place when there is so much to learn from other cultures. There are so many incredible places on earth to see that one person could never possibly see it all. I chose to attend the University of Minnesota for my undergraduate degree mainly because the study abroad program is one of the largest in the country. I spent many days leading up to college browsing my options for a semester abroad. Three years later, during the Spring semester of my Junior year, I studied and interned in Barcelona, Spain.
That semester changed my life in many ways, but the main takeaway was my passion for international travel. The year I graduated college, instead of taking the traditional route (which a part of me did feel unfortunate to miss out on) I planned to move across the country to the island of Oahu, Hawaii. I had never been to Hawaii and I didn’t know anyone there, but it felt like the right change after a lifetime of cold Minnesota winters.
It turned out to be the best decision I could have made for myself. I was lucky to be able to live on such a beautiful island and world-class tourist destination during a time when there were no tourists due to the pandemic. It wasn’t long before the part-time job I had set up prior to moving to Oahu asked me to come on full-time, and I was happy to stay a while. When I wasn’t working, I went free diving on the west side of the island where I frequently swam with wild dolphins and sea turtles. I also spent a lot of time learning to surf, scouting the island’s best poké bowl, and lounging at the beach. It was during this chapter that I decided to start my travel blog: Averything Travel. It was a way for me to create purpose in my life while living such a carefree lifestyle, and share my passion for traveling with those curious about my travels.
After about a year of enjoying life on island time, the travel bug came back to bite me. I vowed the next year would be filled with international travel, and it was. In the past year I have been to Maui, Kauai, the Big Island (all in Hawaii), Bali, Indonesia, Tulum and Cancun in Mexico, various locations throughout Costa Rica, and Melbourne, Australia.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I moved to Hawaii, I had not imagined the cultural difference would affect me much. Even though it is far from home geographically speaking, it is still America. The challenge of adapting to the island lifestyle after living a life rooted in routine for so many years was shockingly difficult. For a long time, I felt purposeless and was in and out of depression. When the sun comes out in Minnesota, people do whatever they can to get outside and enjoy the Vitamin D. The sense of urgency to get outdoors when it was nice out didn’t disappear when I moved to Hawaii, where it is eighty degrees and sunny year-round. I had to put a lot of focus into finding a healthy balance between my urge to ‘do’ with the human need to simply ‘be’.
The same lesson is true when traveling, especially when traveling solo. With the freedom to do whatever you want in a new place, I’ve found it is vital to find time to unwind and focus on staying grounded in the present. When I’m intentional about making time to just ‘be’, I less often get overwhelmed about doing the tourist thing of trying to see all the sights. This practice has also made me enjoy the time I do spend adventuring far more pleasurable. Life is so much more enjoyable when you find purpose in the present.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
When it comes to making money so that I can travel as much as I do, I have worked a lot of odd jobs in the past few years. When I was living in Hawaii I was nannying full time and waitressing part time. I also paint, and have loved being able to make passive income selling my paintings. It allows me to combine my ‘doing’ mind with ‘being’ mind by doing something creative that also helps me to afford my unconventional lifestyle.
Though generating income from it has been slow, I am known most for the writings I post on my travel blog: Averything Travel. It is my proudest achievement by far. I absolutely love writing, specifically about my travels such as what I did, where, and what I learned from the experience. Writing helps me to feel like I have a purpose. Hearing that readers thoroughly enjoy my content, learn from my experiences and leave my site more motivated to travel is more of a reward for me than money could ever be.
During the past year of traveling, I have also taken the LSAT and applied to law schools. I am so excited to say that I will be attending the University of San Diego this fall to earn my Juris Doctor. My priority this summer is then to generate funds for my legal education through continued content creation and brand outreach. If you’re interested in making contribution, I’ve recently added a store component to my blog where you can purchase clothing, art and travel accessories. Everything I sell is decorated with prints I’ve taken on my 35 mm film camera throughout my travels across the world.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Traveling is undoubtedly what matters most to me. Every time I travel someplace new it is rewarding in a different way. Sometimes traveling could mean visiting a part of your home city that you’ve never been before, or maybe it’s getting out of the country to experience a different part of the world. No matter what it means for you, traveling forces us to get out of our comfort zone and connect with people that have perspectives, opinions, and life experiences that differ from our own. Even the most seasoned of travelers can learn something new about themselves and the world around them when exploring the world. Being human is all about evolving every day to become a better version of ourselves, and traveling is the best education a person can get in discovering who they are and who they want to be.
Pricing:
- Wall Art: $9.99+
- Journals: $14.99
- Passport Wallets: $19.99+
- Graphic T-Shirts: $37.99+
- Water Bottles: $39.99+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://averythingtravel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_averythinguneed/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/averythingtravel/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@averythingtravel
Image Credits
Ben Soos
