10 Questions with Louise Heffernan — Missives from Abroad

Known for her down-to-earth nature that endears everyone she meets, Louise Heffernan was diagnosed with severe wanderlust a few years ago. On the eve of an unprecedented trip around the world, Mel checks in with her on how she’s coping with the condition.

You’ve traveled extensively in the United States, hitting Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah within the last 12 months. Tell me about your next trip.
I’m going to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam Indonesia, and New Zealand—with you, my BFF for life! We’re planning to explore a combination of mountainous regions and pristine beaches.

My personal goal with the next trip is to get away from the everyday pressures, everyday expectations of working and office life. I can’t wait to trek through jungles, rappel off waterfalls, see elephants, and generally put myself out there. I’m interested in learning to navigate other countries besides my own. I want to see how I can maneuver out of the challenging situations I get myself into.

It’s a 1.5-hour flight to Chicago, 14-hour flight to Doha and another 8-hour flight to Bangkok. What entertainment will get you through?
I am planning to download a Lonely Planet e-book. I’ll finally get the time to learn more about the places I’ll be seeing when I land. I’ll also listen to podcasts and watch tons of movies on my tablet.

When did you first get bit by the travel bug?
Arizona holds a special place in my heart. I had done family vacations here and there, and I was traveling for work, but it was when I started visiting my brother Lucas in Arizona that I really got into camping. When you’re hiking and camping, the work is worth the reward. And the whole travel experience is more meaningful after putting in so much effort to get there.

So Arizona was the anchor point. From there, Lucas and I would go to Utah, Joshua Tree, Lake Powell, and more. It helped that this wanderlust coincided with when I started making money and I could afford to do these extra trips.

You and I have been friends for more than 15 years, but we’ve only traveled together to the comically-opposite destinations of Door County and Las Vegas. What will make us compatible travel partners on this 5-month trip?
I feel like we’ll be compatible because we have a good understanding of one another from the last 15 years. I can sense if there’s something wrong with you, and you can sense when there’s something wrong with me. We’re both open and honest, and I feel comfortable telling you if I need space. I also think we are both a decent combination of organized and flexible. I think what’s great about travelling like that—if we deviate from the plan, we won’t freak out about it. It won’t be the end of the world.

You’re also a very positive and encouraging person. Right now I get a positivity boost from you every couple weeks when we talk on the phone, but I’m excited to get it from you everyday in person.

**We do have an understanding of each other, especially our silly sides. Photo taken in Door County (missing from the picture, and sadly this trip, is our other BFF Eva).**

What makes you nervous about traveling to this part of the world?
The nerve-racking and simultaneously exciting part is getting outside of your comfort zone. Right now, I get up, go to work, work out, make dinner, and go to bed. It’s been like that for the last few years. I think it’s going to be awesome to get out of that little bubble. But I’m also nervous.

Maybe don’t say this part, but I’m also kind of nervous about getting kidnapped and murdered.

Sorry, it's all on the record! How are you hoping to grow in the next five months?
Sometimes I feel like I get bogged down and sweat the small stuff. My mantra going into this trip is to be more carefree and go with the flow. There will be stuff that goes wrong on this trip. We’ll probably get food poisoning. We’ll miss our flights. But, I’m excited to work through that together and just have a good time.

I feel like I need to do something pretty American before I leave. I plan to go to Rudy’s Drive Thru for french fries, and then listen to my NPR Politics Podcast from my car. How are you saying goodbye to America?
I’m spending a lot of quality time with [my boyfriend] Adam. We have a list of our favorite restaurants to hit before I go. Hmmm, pizza is pretty American, right? Adam and I are probably going to go Giordano’s. We’ll do a date night there and get pizza and milkshakes.

What’s something you bought for this trip that you’re absurdly excited to use?
I am super excited because I found this cute travel journal. It’s thin and lightweight. I also bought scrapbooking tape. I’m going to save all our receipts and tickets and tape them into this little book and write a blurb about each one. It’s pretty small, but I think that this is what’s going to help me remember everyday life on this trip. We’ll have awesome pictures of our big adventures, but this will help me remember all the little things.

If you could describe your feelings about travel right now with a song, which would you pick? Warning, I’m going to add it to our travel playlist.
What about that Lion King 2 song, “Upendi!” Doesn’t Upendi mean paradise?

Haha, no, it means love.
How about the Rusted Roots song “Send me on my way.” That’s better. We used to listen to that song a lot in high school. So not only is a great travel song, but it’s also a great Mel and Lou song. There’s also a really good song that Kylie showed me right before I went to Alaska, and it’s literally called “Alaska.” It’s about walking off your problems. It’s kind of a love song about getting over someone, but really it’s about abandoning an old version of yourself.

Do you prefer the term “vagabond” or “nomad” to describe us? Or perhaps “wayfinder,” like in Moana?
These are all good. I kind of like nomad because it reminds me about wandering around without a purpose. This is tough. Vagabond was a book that I was going to read. Maybe I should download that for the plane…

Well, I just Googled the definition of nomad— “A person who travels from place to place to find fresh pasture for their livestock.” That definitely describes us.

But for real, I like nomad. We’re kind of starting out with broad goals, and I’m excited to see what purpose we find at the end.

By Mel Grau