I still remember the absolute panic I felt at John F. Kennedy International Airport back in 2018. I was about to board a flight to Bangkok to teach English, leaving my rigid corporate office job in New York behind for good. I had packed my entire life into one large backpack and a carry-on roller…
When I finally walked away from my gray corporate office cubicle in New York back in 2017, I threw a bunch of cheap clothes and a massive, heavy hair straightener into a ragged backpack. I was terrified. I was a young woman heading out to explore the world alone, starting with a long solo trip…
I still remember standing in the middle of my tiny apartment in Queens, staring at a suitcase that looked like it was about to burst at the seams. It was 2018. I had just quit my stable, predictable corporate desk job to travel the world solo, and I was terrified. To fund that first big…
I still remember sitting at my metal office desk back in New York, staring at a computer screen, and dreaming of the world. I was trapped in the traditional 9-to-5 grind. I felt like my life was passing me by. When I finally made the terrifying decision to leave that job, I had to waitress…
I still remember standing in line at John F. Kennedy International Airport during my very first solo trip. I had just quit my rigid corporate office job in New York. My heart was pounding, my backpack felt like a ton of bricks, and I was terrified of doing something wrong. As a former New York…
I remember the exact moment I realized I was packing all wrong. I was sitting on the floor of a tiny bedroom in New York City. I had just quit my traditional 9-to-5 office job. I was working long hours as a waitress and a city sightseeing guide, saving every single dollar I could for…
There is a specific, quiet horror that every traveler experiences at least once. You touch down in a brand-new city, walk through the airport, and finally arrive at your hostel or guesthouse. You open your main bag, ready to change out of your stale flight clothes, only to find that your favorite expensive facial oil…
I still remember standing in the middle of John F. Kennedy International Airport back in 2018. I had just quit my rigid corporate office job in Manhattan, determined to trade fluorescent lights for global adventures. My bags were packed for a long-haul flight to Bangkok, where I was going to teach English. I thought I…
I still remember the heavy weight of my backpack pressing into my shoulders as I dragged myself up three flights of narrow stairs in a tiny hostel in Madrid. It was my very first solo trip after leaving my corporate 9-to-5 job in New York. I had spent months planning, saving every dollar from my…