I remember the exact moment I decided to change my life. I was sitting at a grey desk in a grey office in New York, staring at a spreadsheet and wondering if this was really it. I had a decent salary, but I felt trapped. I wanted to see the world, but I thought travel…
When I first started traveling on my own, I had a mental list of places I thought I wasn’t allowed to go. “Romantic” cities were right at the top of that list. I assumed places like Venice or Paris were reserved for couples holding hands, and that showing up alone would just make me feel…
I still remember the Sunday night dread. I was sitting in my apartment in New York City, staring at my laptop, wondering if this was it. Was this the “right path” everyone told me about? I had a steady paycheck and a desk job, but my heart was constantly wandering. I wanted to see the…
I still remember the first time I stood in a train station in Europe. I had a heavy backpack, a paper map that was failing me, and a knot of anxiety in my stomach that wouldn’t quit. Back then, I was still transitioning away from my office job in New York. I was used to…
I remember the exact moment I realized I was done with the “right path.” I was sitting in my office in New York, staring at a spreadsheet, counting down the days until my next two-week vacation. I felt like I was living my life in small, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it increments. When I finally quit that job and…
I remember the exact moment I realized I was done with the “right path.” I was sitting at a desk in a beige cubicle in New York, staring at a calendar and realizing I had exactly three vacation days left for the year. It felt like I was living my life in five-minute increments. I…
I remember sitting at my desk in New York, staring at the fluorescent lights reflecting off my computer screen, dreaming of the salt air. I was working a job that paid the bills but felt like it was draining the color out of my life. I had plenty of “vacation time” on paper, but I…
I still remember the exact moment I decided to leave my office job. I was staring at a spreadsheet, counting down the minutes until my lunch break, and scrolling through photos of friends on vacation. I felt stuck. I thought travel was something you did once a year, or something reserved for people with huge…
I remember sitting at my old office desk in New York. I would stare at the gray wall and dream about driving through huge mountains. I wanted to feel the wind, see wild places, and just go wherever I wanted. But I was scared. I worried about breaking down in a foreign country. I worried…