Making a 32 Year Dream come true

Korrie Harris Start Date: Jan 2, 2020 - End Date: May 9, 2020
  • Ireland
  • Spain

My Travel Story

by: Korrie Harris Start Date: Jan 2, 2020 - End Date: May 9, 2020
My name is Korrie and I've got a big dream I'm fighting for.  My sister is my best friend.  We're a bit nerdy, a bit ordinary but we've got an extraordinary dream.  Mine has always been to go to Ireland, hers has always been Spain.  A few months ago I hit a breaking point, which I will go into a little later, that drove me to say 'screw it, I'm going.'
Since I was 5 I've wanted to go to Ireland.  It's beautiful, full of incredible history, I love the music and love the culture.  My dream was to take my mom and sister for a girl's vacation.  I love my brothers and father, but I thought a vacation for just us girls would be awesome.  I thought it would be a great bonding adventure for us.  Alas, life had other plans.  I can never seem to get my ducks in a row.  I think my flock tends to be rather unruly and down right wily.
I've had a long history of life sorta rerouting my perceived destinations.
In 2008, like many, I found myself jobless.  Sadly for my trip, I had to drain what funds I'd gathered to keep me going until eventually I was on unemployment like the rest hit hard by those years.  I do understand that travel is a luxury and something not many can do, but when you're dirt poor, eating nothing but cheap pasta, you can sometimes find yourself lost in big dreams.  Those were INCREDIBLY hard years for me that sank me lower than I'd ever been before and hopefully never will be again.
It took me 2 years and a hard move to the other side of my state to find a job.  I worked at a factory that paid me enough to survive, but never thrive.  I am incredibly grateful for that job, but it was hard work, hard on the body and mind (working a swing shift really does a number on the brain I discovered, by messing with sleep patterns and such).  Eventually an injury started me on the next phase of my journey, moving to Colorado where there was promise of more job opportunities.  However, before I plunge into that, there was another set back to my 'girl's vacation'.
A few years ago my mom was diagnosed with MS.  Having seen my grandmother suffer from this disease, I had an inkling of what was to come.  In desperation I went to the bank to see if they'd do a personal loan.  Wise?  No, probably not, but I wanted to give my mom an escape if only for a couple of weeks to Ireland.  She'd always talked about traveling overseas and the three of us girls had often dreamed of this trip together.  I wanted to create that memory for her and give her an amazing trip before the hard times hit us/her.  The bank wanted no part of it.  She is now permanently in a wheelchair.  The kind of care she needs makes a trip like this rather impossible.  I feel I failed her, though she says different, I can't help but feel that way.

I climbed in my job at the factory, but only always within the realm of survival.  At the beginning of 2018 I moved to Colorado with those hopes of better job opportunities.  They have them out here, but the cost of living is  through the roof.  Again, I was back only to surviving and I hit a breaking point.  I was working 7 days a week at 2 jobs in order to pay for an apartment I frankly, would rather not be in, living a lifestyle I don't want and no time to do anything fun.  I decided I would take a step towards my dream.  32 years after that little 5 year old came to the conclusion Ireland was the place to be, I'm going.  I managed to scrounge up enough cash thanks to the seperation package from my factory job, to buy some super cheap flights (a risk in itself, fingers crossed that all works out o_O) to Ireland and Spain in May.  With the flights hopefully taken care of, I need to scrounge up the money for the rest.  I started looking for a 3rd job, got a few interviews and spoke to a couple of managers, but they all required more time than I have available to be hired.  Thankfully, my weekend job at the dog groomers opened up shifts in the evening for me, but lately with the bad weather, not a lot of canine parents are wanting to trek out to the dog bath...can't say a blame them, and the holidays are unpaid so I'll be short workdays, making rent and other bills tricky. 
My other job in customer service doesn't want to pay overtime right now.  It seems, those wily ducks of mine have again disbanded formation and I'm left in scramble mode but determined to take this trip.

So, I'm back to trying to find the money to make this an incredible trip where neither one of us has to even THINK about finances.  I want to just go and enjoy the culture and food without having to say 'I can't afford that.'  I'm not saying we need to stay in 5 star hotels, but if we could just go out to a restaurant worry free, it would be a great blessing.
My sister Rachel is working the job of two people, including supervisor, but her salary still hasn't been increased despite the promise of intent to do so.  She too is in survival mode and hearing the pain of what she's struggling with made me all the more determined to give us both this trip, something amazing to look forward to in the new year. 
We're both burned out and tired of fighting to pay the bills.  When we return from the trip, the battle will still be there, but we will have accomplished big dreams, and that offers serious mental reprieve and a new burst of energy to continue to battle on.
She lives in Washington while I'm in Colorado so we don't get to see each other very often at all. We miss each other so taking this trip together would be an awesome adventure for the both of us. 
Maybe one day we'll both get our ducks in a row and we'll no longer be surviving, but thriving.  That is the ultimate wish.  But after so many years of working and trying to get to that point, I'm tired of waiting in order to fulfill a dream and I don't want to fail her as I did my mother.
I am asking the help of anyone who will listen to help me fund this trip for her and I.  We love travel, and have done a few road trips, but nothing so big as this.  She's never been outside the country...unless you count Canada but given their proximity to the U.S, we really don't.  I'm trying to scrape together $6000 by May 9, a week before my intended trip.  This money will be going to pay for travel expenses within the countries like trains and rental car, activities, food and lodging.  If I hit the goal, I'm hoping to also help my sister and myself make it through rent in May.
She (though she doesn't know I'm asking on this forum) and I would be so incredibly grateful for any help you offer.  For those of you who do give, thank you so very much:)  You really have no idea how much it means to have such a dream fulfilled.  Please help us go.  Thank you for taking the time to read a piece of my story.
  • Ireland
  • Spain