Uncommon Adventures: An Interview with Author Jessica Lippe
Please welcome author Jessica Lippe to the blog today! I’ve had the privilege of contributing to Jessica’s Christian e-zine for teenage girls, Girlz 4 Christ, and when she shared that she’d written a travel book for Christians, I wanted to learn more! As she told me, age doesn’t matter in travel, so whether you’re a young adult or young at heart, you can be encouraged by this book. Enjoy this interview and check out Uncommon Adventures, now available.
What prompted you to write this book, and why do you think it’s timely for Christians today?
Jessica: I’ve met other Christian travelers, but they seem to be few and far between. When Jesus told us to “go into all the world,” he certainly meant for at least some of us to take that literally. I think it can be hard for us to take on this commission due to lack resources to make it happen as well as lack of Christian community on the road. Uncommon Adventures isn’t the end-all solution to this, but I wanted to encourage more Christians to explore and point travelers to resources that can help fulfill their physical and spiritual needs.
What sets this guidebook apart for Christians?
Jessica: A lot of Christians struggle with their relationship with God during their vacation and other travels. While quick prayers for traveling mercies are common, being out of our element and busy with new things for some reason causes us to forget about the One who made this beautiful world to explore. I felt it was important to start out each chapter with a devotional piece.
My hope is that these devos create reminders and show that every element of travel is indeed spiritual. While we save up for a trip, we can remember that our treasure is where our heart also is. Each new restaurant or picnic we enjoy can be a reminder of the Last Supper. Whether we travel by train, plane, or automobile, we can be thankful that it was better than Balaam’s mode of transportation!
Share a little about your personal travel experience and how it inspired you to write this book.
Travel, writing, and my life with Christ have always been clumped together. Growing up, most of my travel was day and camping trips with my family and my church. As a teenager, I got involved with traveling around the Northwest with my church’s youth choir, and went on my first international mission trip with that same youth group. My first job was at a Christian camp I went to as a kid. Although I don’t keep an everyday diary, I started journaling daily on trips like these. Those journals turned out to be a great references when I started writing for devotionals and magazines at age 17.
After spending a few years working at Christian camps across the United States, I wanted to expand my passion for travel. Starting with a goal to spend three months exploring Europe, I’ve learned ways to travel effectively. After returning from my first trip to Europe and Asia and wanting to learn how to travel more, some of what I learned ended up being written down into a book!
Do you think travel can help grow your relationship with God? If so, how?
Absolutely! In reality, ALL of our life experiences can help grow our relationship with God. But I think travel is a particularly unique way to deepen this relationship. Of course, the exact outcome depends on the specifics of your trip as well as the ways God wants to work in you at this time. I worked full-time in camp ministry for several years, and still help regularly. Christian camps are a worldwide travel opportunity because they foster an environment to worship and hear from God. But I’ve also heard from God while staring at Niagara Falls on a solo trip. Meeting new people and experiencing new cultures broadens your understanding of what God has created. If you’re open to it, even a walk around your neighborhood is a form of travel that can help bring you closer to God.
What is one piece of advice you’d offer a reader who wants to travel but doesn’t think he can?
When someone tells me they can’t travel, I immediately ask why not. Oftentimes, they tell me excuses that amount to the fact that they’re afraid. One chapter from Uncommon Adventures specifically addresses the common fears people have about travel, and other fears and excuses are busted throughout the book.
A big excuse to not travel is money. This one makes me snicker because it’s often said by people who earn multiple times my salary. I’ve worked in ministry outside of church throughout my adult life, a career field famous for being well underpaid. Saving for travel is difficult, but because it’s a priority in my life, I’m willing to make the sacrifices to get there. For example, my home may only be 300 square feet, but that’s not important since I get to travel in Ireland, the United Kingdom, The Bahamas, and the United States this year. It’s not all sacrifices, though. Sometimes it just takes creativity. Two chapters of Uncommon Adventures focus on saving, and I post tons of budget ideas on my website, JessicaLippe.com.
About Jessica:
Jessica Lippe is a writer and adventurer. Her wanderlust has resulted with her living across the United States, including Oregon, Nebraska, and Ohio. She has journeyed through twenty-eight states, eleven countries, and four continents. Jessica’s favorite accomplished travel goal was backpacking across Europe. Visit her website at JessicaLippe.com
