Out of all the books in the world, the best stories
can be found between the pages of a passport.
About Casey
I am Casey. I am a photographer. I am a traveler. And I am consumed with wanderlust.
19 years ago, I was 25 years old, This was my age when I first embarked into the unknown; foreign travel. I do not believe this initial journey was "accidental," but it was definitely unexpected and on a whim.
I live in Columbus, Ohio. Originally, I am from the Cleveland area. I grew up in a modest ranch-style home with my parents, two older sisters, and my younger brother. We traveled, as much as we could, which usually amounted to 1 week, maybe 2, per year. Our family vacations usually consisted of the 6 of us pilling into my Dad's 70's faux wood covered station wagon. We would hook up our small camper to "woody's" (that's what my Dad named her) hitch. And then we were off! My parents had good friends that lived in rural Michigan. We would spend some time each summer throughout the 80's camping with their family. Michigan was the farthest West we ever ventured. There were a few occasions when we headed South. We traveled to Florida and Myrtle beach a few times each, so we could experience the ocean and palm trees. We always drove on our family vacations. My parents did not fly.
I was 22 years old the first time I ever saw the inside of an aircraft. I had just graduated college. I had a small suitcase in one hand and my video production degree in the other. I was off to start a new life and hopefully a new career in Los Angeles! I had a few musician friends from college that had moved there the previous year. They agreed to give me a spot on their couch. L.A. was amazing! It was everything I imagined it would be; the pretty people, the bright lights, the intoxicating vibe! This city was alive!
Less than 1 year later, I visited air travel for the second time in my life. This time I was a little less excited than before. My destination was Columbus, Ohio. I was returning home. I felt defeated. I felt like a failure. I did not become the next Quentin Tarantino like I had hoped.
2 years later, I was working at a bookstore in Columbus while I was sending out resumes, still trying to find a job in my field. One evening my sister calls me and asks if I would like to join her, my brother-in-law, and a mutual friend for dinner. I agree. We eat. As my sister is clearing the table, she asks me "do you feel like going on an adventure with us?" Without hesitation, "sure, where we going?" I am thinking maybe she has a day trip or something similar planned for us. She brings over a globe and sets it in front of me and spins it. She asks me to close my eyes and point at the globe. Wherever the globe stops is where we will travel to. I slowly close my eyes and extend my arm and index finger. I can feel the breeze from the globe's momentum on my face, hair, and finger. I can now feel the sphere slowing down. I am fueled by anticipation and excitement! "Where will we be going?" I am really hoping it lands somewhere in California. I would love to see my old friends in L.A.! Or maybe Arizona! I have never been there before! How exciting!
This is how limited the scope of my world view was. I could not conceive of anything outside the United States. I open my eyes. As my eyes adjust and the globe comes into focus to an unfamiliar area, I am reminded of that famous quote that Dorthy says to her dog in the Wizard of OZ, "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto." Like Dorthy, I had no idea where I was heading. From what I could tell I was pointing at a small island surrounded by a whole lot of ocean. I retract my finger to reveal Hong Kong. Everyone around the table started cheering and clapping for me like I had just successfully spun the wheel on Wheel of Fortune. Hong Kong!? What do I know about Hong Kong? What do any of us know about Hong Kong? I am convinced this a joke. My sister spins the globe again and again asks me to point as she states with excitement, "We are are going to travel to two destinations!" Moments later, my index finger chooses Thailand! I am reassured this is not a joke. The next day, I put in a rush for my passport. Three weeks later, the 4 of us are bound for South East Asia!
My body is stretched out as I lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling in my Hong Kong hotel room. My clothes are scattered all around me. There are scraps of newspapers everywhere that were once purposed to protect my Jade artifacts. My jade statues are perfectly organized on my hotel's dresser. All I can do is stare at the ceiling, almost unable to move. Contemplating. The phone has been ringing non-stop for the last 15 minutes. I cannot bring myself to answer. I know who is on the other end of that phone and what they want. I was suppose to be packed and down in the lobby 30 minutes ago, ready to catch the shuttle to the airport to head home. I am not ready to leave. I do not want to go home. This is the moment I knew I was addicted. I knew this was not the end of something, but rather the beginning. There was a heavy knock at the door. On the other end of that door was a very frustrated sister and brother-in-law. We did make it to our plane one time, barely.
I went back to the bookstore, part time now. I am directionless. I started doing a little freelance work too. Mostly web design, and some photography. I could not concentrate. I could not stop thinking about my experiences and the people I met along the way in Hong Kong and Thailand. I could not stop thinking about how those experiences shaped me, the new me, and my new world view. During my shifts at the bookstore all I could do was read travel books and fantasize about traveling to all these places I was reading about. I no longer have aspirations for a career. I want to get lost. I want to get lost, somewhere, anywhere.
Eventually, I stopped fantasizing. I decided to only work long and hard enough to buy a plane ticket. One year later, I had the money. I decided to head back to Hong Kong and Thailand. I was a new traveler and they were familiar to me. I added Indonesia to the trip to see something new. The next trip I branched out slightly. I saw Malaysia, South Korea, and China. Then I was off to Eastern Europe. Then Africa...Mexico....Central America. And Finally, South America. My goal was to see every country in the world. 7 years ago and country number 27 I found myself in Ecuador. For the last 7 years, I have returned to Ecuador and only Ecuador. I was not searching for it, but could it be, I found my home away from home?