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…
I still remember standing in the middle of a bustling, humid street market in Bangkok during my first month of teaching English abroad. I was wearing a heavy cotton t-shirt that was completely soaked through with sweat, paired with stiff denim shorts that chafed with every single step. Local vendors looked at me with a…
I still remember standing in the middle of JFK Airport back in 2018, staring down at a massive, bursting rolling suitcase that weighed nearly fifty pounds. I was about to board a flight to Europe for my very first major solo backpacking trip, and I was terrified. I had packed for every single hypothetical disaster….
When I walked away from my gray corporate office cubicle back in New York, I bought a single 40-liter backpack. I was terrified. I sat on my bedroom floor surrounded by four different pairs of shoes, wondering how on earth I was going to fit them into a tiny nylon bag alongside my clothes, my…