Photos courtesy of Grant and Megan Baird
Coffee Plantation, Jardin, Colombia
While most people only dream of ditching the nine-to-five grind to explore new, fascinating places, one native Pickerington couple are actually doing it.
Megan Baird, a 33-year-old Pickerington native, and her husband, Grant, are currently traveling the world. Their journey began in June 2017 and is still ongoing. Their travels have taken them to Peru, Japan, China and dozens of other destinations. To date, they have visited more than 62 countries.
“I wanted to gain perspective about how others live and therefore have a better appreciation of what I have,” Baird says. “We are on a mission to experience as much of the world as possible.”
Before embarking on this worldwide journey, Baird qualified for the NCAA Nationals in swimming, earned a master’s in health science, worked as a U.S. Air Force physician assistant and served in Afghanistan for a year. She became a trauma and general surgery physician assistant in 2013, a position she held until the decision was made to see the world. The couple has a travel blog, www.careerbreakadventures.com, where they share their experiences.
Colca Canyon, Peru
How It All Began
“My inspiration for this long-term travel came from the daughter of one of the surgeons with whom I worked,” Baird says. “She and her fiancé decided to take six months off from work to travel, splitting time between backpacking through Patagonia and road-tripping across the U.S.”
The Bairds saved, planned and made sure they were in a good financial position before taking this leap.
“This idea was so foreign to me. No one I had ever known had done anything so bold as to leave the security blanket of a steady job and a home,” Baird says.
The process of planning such a journey was time intensive, with various facets and logistics to iron out. Their research involved costs of living, transportation and entry requirements. The couple sold their house, created wills, invested in life insurance and poured money into savings accounts.
Naturally, the Bairds have experienced some frightening events to date, such as being caught in a snowstorm at 15,700 feet of elevation in Colombia. Despite these events, traveling has afforded them the opportunity to witness some amazing things, such as a crash of rhinos chasing away a pride of lions in South Africa and a pod of whales breaching next to their boat in Ecuador.
Baird credits this journey as helping her to grow as a person. Meeting so many new people has caused her to view life through a different lens.
“You learn patience, flexibility, spontaneity, multitasking and resiliency,” Baird says. “Most of all you learn how fortunate you are in your own life and realize that your world views are so narrow.”
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Tiger Leaping Gorge, China
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Mount Iō, Japan
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Cordillera Blancas, Peru
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Kamikochi, Japan
No Place Like Home
Baird acknowledges how her Pickerington neighborhood influenced her early, formative years.
“Pickerington was a fantastic place to grow up,” Baird says. “In fact, we lived right behind Violet Elementary School so my brothers and I would spend lots of time playing in those fields behind the school. Pickerington offered me a great education, one that I continued to build on after graduation.”
She also looks back fondly on the decision to join the Huntington Hill Froggers swim team as a child, a decision that allowed her to break out of her shell.
“I had many swim coaches who pushed me athletically but also taught me so much about life,” Baird says.
Breaking out of her shell has proved valuable on this global journey. They’ve survived a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Ecuador as well as a precarious situation when their camper van died in a remote corner of Tasmania.
“No matter how frustrating planning can be, surprisingly, it always works out,” Baird says.
Emily Chen is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
