As I write this, I am sitting here in the airport with my backpack, waiting to board my 19 hour international flight to Bangkok in Southeast Asia. This is going to be a wild ride, but I am so ready for the amazing experiences I am about to live abroad.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to travel. Growing up vacations with family were my favorite time of year. In college, I was rarely in town on the weekend, seeking local and not so local adventures in my free time. When I began my full-time job my getaways were easier to fund but harder to schedule.
Inside the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey 2014
Last year, as the final payments on my student loans were approaching, I decided to make a drastic change. I would no longer be limited by my 3 weeks of vacation and instead take a leave of absence from my job and embark on an adventure full time, traveling internationally.
Hiking the coastline, Cinque Terre, Italy 2012
The idea of more international travel had been building for a number of years, but the time is finally right to seize this opportunity. My original thought for this trip was 8 months traveling abroad in Southeast Asia. I have never been to Asia and there is so much about the culture that I want to learn. The current plan for travel to Southeast Asia is that I’ll be spending 1 week in Singapore teaching yoga, 2 months in Thailand for a mix of Volunteering with Elephants, Thai Massage training, scuba diving, and exploring. A few weeks at home for holidays, a quick stop in Costa Rica then travel back to Southeast Asia for another 4 months.
My goal with this Southeast Asia trip is to strip away the parts of my life that aren’t serving me. Living abroad, I want to surround myself with yoga, culture, food and to embrace a new perspective. I believe this international travel will give me a chance to dive deeper into myself and to forge a plan for my future that’s feels authentic and sparks my passion.
