Traveling the World with a Departed Father: A 25-Year-Old Daughter Begins Her Journey with a One-Way Ticket from Iceland

▲ The Louvre in France. (Photo / Courtesy ofgreaseandglamour.comWith the individual's consent, authorized for use by "ET Travel Cloud")

Reported by Xiao Wanning / Taipei

How do you complete the last journey of your life?An Asian-American25-year-old girl, Jinna, carried a life-size photo of her father, sold 80% of her possessions, and traveled around the world just to fulfill the dream of her father who passed away from cancer. Recently, she compiled photos from past trips and shared them online, which received an overwhelming response from netizens. Jinna said, although I had reached the peak of my career, in the nearly two years since my father’s passing, I never truly confronted or processed it. During those two years, I lost the will to live, I didn’t even want to wake up, and I lost all my hair within three weeks.

▲ The starting point of the journey—Iceland. (Photo / Courtesy of greaseandglamour.com with the individual's consent, authorized for use by "ET Travel Cloud")

One day, Jinna suddenly woke up, bought a one-way ticket to Iceland, and started her journey around the world with a life-size photo of her father and a backpack. She said: “I left behind a life that everyone envied—including a luxury apartment in New York and a high-paying job—I just wanted to help my father fulfill the dream he never got to achieve.” Because Jinna’s father never had the chance to travel the world, spending his entire life working tirelessly for his family and children, yet never getting the opportunity to experience the world with his own feet and eyes, Jinna carried a standee of her father as if she were helping him accomplish the grand feat that was no longer possible.

▲ The Colosseum. (Photo / Courtesy of greaseandglamour.com with the individual's consent, authorized for use by "ET Travel Cloud")

Now, Jinna has just returned to New York, and her next trip is planned for Europe. She has already purchased her tickets and is ready to depart. She said: “When you hit rock bottom and don't know which way to go, the one who can really break through the difficulty is yourself.” Through traveling, Jinna regained her confidence, rediscovered her future, and found the courage to face the pain of losing her father.