Here we go…

Some people suffer from an inexplicable condition. It's a fear of year-long leases and a bizarre love of airplanes. It's an inability to comprehend "roots" and the tie between People and Place. It's a constant and overwhelming desire to touch every inch of the Earth; experience every culture; breathe, smell, taste, and hear everywhere else. It's wanderlust. And I have it.

The yearning is stronger than ever, and I finally realized I may have a solution. The idea came through my Australian friend who has worked as a deckhand on luxury yachts for five years now. He was caught in the whirlwind of maritime life when I met him in 2005, when I was on my most favorite adventure. He stuck with the same crew, the same boat, the same family until it became unbearable. That's when he visited me last.

He teased me with the idea of travel and riches, hard work and wild nights. So when he e-mailed me the list of job sites, I heard my heart scream.

I looked around my office. It was practically home — covered in maps of Paris, pictures of the south of France, glittered toy planes and vintage posters. Outside, my colleagues — who overtime have become friends or fellow soldiers in our shared quest to grow a competitive business — plowed through their increasing amount of work. I had just hung up the phone from another crotchety underpaid and overworked reporter who decided to vent her frustration on me. And, for the first time in two years, I listened to the nag within me.

Suddenly my CV was in the hands of hundreds of captains.