That’s what I did in the summer of 1978. Bought a one-way ticket to Manila. Got a passport (# J2106773).

And then I told my parents.

It was the proper order of things.

I expected my mother to disapprove, as she did most of my decisions. I hoped that my Dad, a generally affable and agreeable guy, would be excited for me. He liked to travel and had taken the family on camping trips all over the U.S. when he took his three-week vacation from his job at Michigan Bell Telephone Company.

He was weeding the rose garden in the corner of the backyard when I approached him with my news. His response:

“Why do you want to do that now? You can do it when you’re forty.”

Huh? I remember being stunned into silence. What can one say to that logic?

I left Saginaw, Michigan on Labor Day weekend in 1978. Got home on April 21, 1979. The months and weeks and days in between were life-changing and profound. There are many stories about young people “finding themselves” on the road. I’m writing mine now. Hopefully, my memoir will be finished in a year or so.

Among other things, I came home with a fervent desire to encourage/inspire/support/facilitate other young people – especially girls from the lower-middle-class (like me) – to undertake such a journey. To someplace really strange. Preferably alone. To learn what they’re made of. What they really, really want to do with their life. To discover that their best friend is not somebody else.

Imagine my delight when, a couple of weeks ago, I heard these words: “I bought a one-way ticket…”

My 24-year-old stepdaughter, Erica, is going to Bangkok. In her words, she’s “moving to Thailand.” She’s got no specific plan. Very little money.

She’s created a website that called “Heart of the Nomad.” In her “About Me” section she wrote, “I had been inspired by my stepmom, Marilyn, who – looking for direction after college – flew to Asia and ended up solo-backpacking for 8 months from the Philippines to India. I remember listening to her tell this story, amazed by her courage and self-reliance. I had never heard of anyone doing anything like this before, it seemed impossible. But more than the sheer rarity of the story, I was taken aback by the personal journey she went on, the self-discovery she experienced and the life-altering connections she made. I wanted that, needed that.”

Thirty-five years later, the saga continues. Not sure who is more excited!