ABOUT THE TRAVELER

My favorite hour in Tucson, Arizona

My name is Douglas Franz.  I’m a 20 something who isn’t sure exactly where he wants to be in his life.  So in order to find out, I’m trying out as many “wheres” as possible before I need to make a decision.

Born, raised, and bored in Port Orchard, Washington for 18 years, I moved off to the University of Portland in 2005.  There I studied finance and economics with dreams of high salaries, fast cars, and big houses.  However, graduating in the depths of a recession did nothing to help these dreams.

So the job market didn’t turn out the way I thought it would.  Now what?  What do you do when life gives you lemons?  Buy airplane tickets to Europe.

To avoid finding a real job and life’s inevitable responsibilities, I spent a few weeks in Germany and Austria, and some time in Paris and London. The time I spent in Europe developed an internal desire to become a better “citizen” of the world and try to understand other cultures and societies when making decisions in my own life.  

While I’m unsure exactly what I want to do professionally, I have a few career tracks I'd like to pursue: an economist helping developing countries create governmental policy, a travel writer getting paid to visit far away lands, or a college professor shaping young minds - all hopes. But until I find my way and settle into one of these roles, I attempt to see as many things on this earth that my unemployed budget will allow and continue this holiday from real.

~Feel free to contact me at: dcfranz22@gmail.com~