The Big One

How travel therapy has allowed us to pay off $99,809.50 in student loan debt

In my best Elle Wood’s voice from Legally Blonde… WE DID IT!!!! At the beginning of April I made my last student loan payment EVER to Nelnet.com (the amount of joy I feel knowing that I will never be visiting that website again is unreal!!!). This means that Tyler and I have now officially met one of two major goals that we set out to accomplish when we began travel therapy: 1. Pay off my student loan debt and 2. Save for a down payment on a house.

I have not known an adult life without a mountain of student loan debt always being visible in my horizon. My student loan debt started as just a few rocks, then boulders, and finally accumulated to a very expensive ($88,570 to be exact) mountain that was impossible to ignore after graduating from my Master’s program in 2017.

As a single person, I started slowly chipping away at my mountain once I started my first job. While each payment made me feel a small sense of accomplishment, that feeling was quickly met with defeat as the interest that was accruing made it seem almost impossible to actually lower the principle balance (for perspective, the total amount of interest that accrued on my initial loan balance was $11,239.50).

I remember vividly a time in college when I was dating someone and very early on in the relationship while sitting at a Japanese Steakhouse he asked me about my student loans (like excuse me sir, I am already anxious trying to figure out how to catch the scrambled egg that is about to be thrown at my face - this is not the time!). I remember feeling embarrassed and ashamed having to “admit” to having student loans. His reaction to my “confession” did not make me feel any better about my financial situation and made me question if any future partner would be able to see past my mountain.

After ending that relationship, graduating undergrad, and pursing a Master’s degree, I spent the next few years after graduate school remaining single. I look back on that time and am really grateful for it - during these years I was able to grow in so many ways and become more independent. I was still hammering away at my mountain but I had a new perspective on it - this mountain is what allowed me to go to work everyday and provide for myself. My mountain allowed me to have a specialized career - one that allows me to help people every single day. One that allows me to laugh, cry, and connect with some of the most vulnerable people during their hardest moments. My mountain was not something I should be ashamed of - my mountain symbolized years of hard work towards a meaningful career path. If a future partner could not see the good that came from my mountain, then perhaps they were not for me.

On a Tuesday night (yes I used to go out on weeknights, Tyler loves to remind me of this often) a Hinge date pulled up to my apartment to pick me up for our first date (looking back this was actually very unsafe and I am not sure exactly what I was thinking, letting a random man know where I lived). Everything apparently went very well though, since this hinge date and I ended up getting married 2 years later and the rest is history! While I do not recall specifically my first conversation with Tyler about my student loan debt, this must mean that he made me feel extremely safe sharing this vulnerable information with him as I surely would have remembered a negative reaction. That’s the special thing about Tyler. Not only is he my safe place, but since we became engaged years ago it has always been “us.” Tyler has made it clear to me that any trial of mine is a trial that we will take on and face together. He has never made me feel guilt, shame, or embarrassment for having student loan debt. Tyler has taken on this mountain with me, no questions asked. Even though it is not his responsibility and even though he did not necessarily have to help me pay this debt. From the beginning of our relationship, instead of seeing my mountain and heading along another trail, Tyler has joined me in hiking to the summit.

Having Tyler as my partner during this metaphorical hike up my mountain of student loan debt has taken such a load off my shoulders. My burden has become lighter because of him. Our packs were now even. I would not have made it to the summit in this amount of time without him by my side. I am just so very proud of us! Tyler has kept us financially disciplined during our hike, while my job as a travel therapist has allowed us to climb at twice the pace. I am so thankful to God for giving me the exact partner I prayed for (I mean this literally and will share this part of my testimony with anyone who asks - God is faithful!). I am thankful to Tyler for taking on my mountain with me without any hesitations. I am also thankful to Tyler for being the one to push us towards pursuing travel therapy to begin with, so that we could accomplish our financial goals faster.

My mountain of student loan debt has been conquered and it is feels so good. I look off into the valley and know that there will be other mountains to climb, but I know that with faith, discipline, and teamwork Tyler and I will conquer them together. Our next mountain to climb will hopefully lead us to a home at the summit that is finally ours. I know that day will come and I wait in patient anticipation, enjoying the journey with Tyler along the way.

To anyone that is chipping away at your mountain, I believe in you and you WILL make it to the summit! Trust me, if I can (mostly) stick to a budget, anyone can! *enter Tyler side-eyeing me here*

Love,

The Wandering Wrights