Why I chose Disneyland over a Mortgage

When I was a mere 19 years old, my now husband and I were planning to buy a house. We had chosen our land and the house design and we were in discussion with banks to secure our loan. We were wrapped up in the opinions of our elders telling us "This is a smart move", "you need to get into the housing market now or you never will", "This will set you up for life"..... Did I mention we were NINETEEN?!? Barely out of High School, two kids who had never lived out of home, never travelled, never even lived together on our own and we were going to be committing ourselves to a 25year mortgage! The mere thought of it now as an almost 27 year old with 8 years more life experience makes me feel nauseous. Thankfully we came to our senses and dodged that bullet. My husband pulled the pin and although I was so mad at the time, I'm so Thankful he did because if we had entered into that mortgage at the tender ages of 19, it would not have ended well.

So what did we do instead of enter into a 25 year lifetime commitment of owing money to the bank?

We went to Disneyland! At 20 years old I fulfilled my lifelong dream of going to the worlds "Happiest Place on Earth" and this is why I do not for a second regret why I chose Disneyland over a Mortgage 1. I got to enjoy being a kid again

I have always been a pretty mature kid, forced to grow up a little too soon which is most likely the reason why when all my friends were going out and getting drunk at the local pub, I was planning on settling down and getting a mortgage at 19. I worked a part time job as soon as I was legally aloud too and I was always told I had to work to get what I wanted, I wasn't just handed it from my parents. I was the oldest child of the family, so a lot of responsibility fell on me when it came to my younger siblings. Disneyland was the first place I visited where it was ok to walk around all day wearing Minnie Mouse ears, line up to get your picture with a person in a big Goofy suit, and ride rides all day long with no cares in the world. For the first time in a long time of my 20 years of life, I felt like I was acting my age and having FUN! Not always worrying about the future and where my "life was going"

2. It Gave my husband and I some unforgettable memories together which we still laugh about today

Before we took this trip to Disneyland, we didn't have a lot of "unforgettable" memories, we had dated from High School, we hung out with the same friends, we had fought, we had made up, we had gotten drunk together etc, but none of those experiences had really any impact on our relationship apart from being normal teen/ love dramas. Going overseas together, experiencing unforgettable memories, getting lost in another country, running around like kids and him forcing me on every. single. ride. Those memories from that trip are what stand out to us when we think about our first few years of dating. We have photos from that trip on our walls, we still talk about "remember when we went to Disney..." we laugh about it, we remember it fondly. I can't imagine we would have the same happy memories if we had bought that house. We would have memories of course, but probably nothing as magical as Disney.

3. It opened up my eyes to the possibility of travel and gave me the travel bug

I always wanted to travel ever since I was a kid, my mum and other family members had done a lot of travel and I always loved hearing their stories and looking at their pictures, so it was inevitable that I too would grow up with a desire to travel. However when we were planning on entering into that mortgage, my dreams of travel were going to be put on hold, we were going to have bigger responsibilities over our heads and my desires of far off lands weren't going to be so easy to get too when all your income would be going to the bank. So when we actually were able to book those tickets, and I stepped off that plane in another country for the first time, I knew that a mortgage was going to have to wait. There was no way I could happily settle down for a life in the suburbs when there was a whole world out there waiting to be explored. That trip ultimately led me to where I am today, living in Canada.

4. I experienced a feeling of Happiness that I never had before

Disneyland in my experience really is "The Happiest Place on Earth", the minute I walked through those gates,

I had a smile on my face that could not be removed. I felt butterflies in my tummy and at times I was so overwhelmed with joy my eyes watered! Thats how happy I was! I was the happiest I had ever been in my 20 years on this earth. I don't care what anyone says, happiness is one of life's greatest gifts, so many people search for it, everyone wants to experience happiness. Happiness isn't a destination, but some of my happiest memories to date were spent in Disneyland. Those feelings of pure happiness and joy, thats something I wouldn't trade for a mortgage any day.

5. It made me proud

Would I have been proud if I had a house? Most Likely yes but in a very different way. I wasn't proud for the fact I just went to Disneyland, I was proud of the fact I had accomplished something I had always wanted to do. From a young age like most kids, I wanted to go to Disneyland, it was always a big dream of mine and I did it. I saved up, I booked those tickets and I went. I ticked something off my bucket list, I reached a goal that I didn't think I could reach (at that time in my life) and for me that was something to be proud of.

Everyone has their own paths to lead, and they have their own beliefs and measure success in different ways. I don't think there is any right or wrong way to live life. I once met a wise woman who told me "My Parents never owned a house, but they always had a home" and never have those words rang truer.

A happy home doesn't count on whether or not you own it, its how happy the people are inside it. "To live will be an awfully big adventure" - Peter Pan

#Travel #Disneyland #Adventure #TravelAdvice