Why This Woman Traveled To 7 Wonders In 13 Days

Filmmaker and wilderness enthusiast Megan Sullivan is a born adventurer with an insatiable appetite for thrill and discovery. As of late, she's becoming well-known for her story as the woman with cancer who traveled to the seven wonders of the world — because it's a good story. But it's not her only story. After a series of unfortunate events in which Megan suffered a 50-foot fall while climbing, got hit by a car, and diagnosed with skin cancer, Megan decided it was time to do a little re-evaluation. While the importance of living adventurously was never a issue for her, the fragility of life became a weight and an awareness more than ever.

Megan booked it to the dermatologist's and was able to get every last bit of her skin cancer surgically removed a week before she was to embark on a trip of her lifetime. And under the belief that bad things come in three, she decided she was in the clear from harm's way and booked a trip. With only two weeks off work, strictly limited funds and a bout of bad luck haunting her, Megan set out to see seven wonders of the world in 13 days. She was only able to spend a full day at each site, leaving room for nothing other than pure in-the-moment-presence.

"This trip was more about the film project and the adventure of honestly not knowing if it was even going to be possible to complete. It was an ambitious goal and luck was on my side to complete it with the time that I had. It was an amazing opportunity to experience the world," she told Bustle. Jumping from country to another continent within days of one another, you soon realized that it becomes easier and easier to communicate with anyone no mater what the language or cultural barrier may be and that at the end of the day, we are all simply human."

With a trip so monumental and a reflective experience so influential to others, Megan's still got a pretty level head about the whole thing.

"Traveling for me changes my perspective on life. With every trip I learn something new about myself and of the world to further develop a greater outlook on my life. I 100 percent agree and encourage people to get out and experience a culture for a more extended period of time... even if it is in another area of your town or on the other side of the globe."

So what does someone do with the rest of their life now that they've had an adventure of a lifetime? Keep adventuring, according to Megan.

"I just got back from a solo trip to Nepal where I did the Three Passes of Everest and also documented it through video.... an amazing experience that I can not wait to share!" she said. "In my lifetime, the greatest learning moments have come at a time of tragedy and loss. From loss comes radical change, for it opens up a space that is yearning for something new. After the worst month of my life, I started to rethink how I was living my life. I came to this amazing realization… that the only thing stopping me from having everything that I ever wanted in life was simple: me. The only regrets that I have in my life are from the missed opportunities that I never took a chance on. This year I took a chance and I will continue taking chancing to experience the greatest adventure of all: my life."

If this doesn't make you want to push back from your desk and run to the airport, I don't know what will. But if you can't leave your office this very moment to travel the world, you can still watch Megan's amazing video:

All Images: Courtesy of Megan Sullivan