Happy 2017! I'm Going to Travel the World.
Two years ago, I quit my job in Lake Tahoe and moved back to my hometown in Michigan. The plan was to reset, recharge and start my graphic design business so that I could work when and where I wanted and travel the world. A lot of people didn’t understand my vision. A lot of people probably didn’t think I could do it. Most of all, a lot of people thought I would move back to the midwest, settle down and go on living a typical life.
I had lived out west for over seven years. I left behind a life of adventure in the mountains with snowboarding, hiking, California sunshine and an amazing group of easy-going, like-minded friends. The first year was really hard. I was starting from ground zero with my social life, I was living (oh-so-humbly) with my parents, my paychecks went to paying off hospital bills and credit card balances. Business was going okay. My client base was slowly growing, some of the work was interesting, some of it just paid the bills. 2016 started rough; I was recovering from a breakup, I rehomed my dog, Sadie, I was feeling depressed and full of regret for leaving my life in the mountains. I still didn’t know what I was doing back in Michigan.
A few weeks into the year, my mindset changed. I decided that I was going to stop hesitating about what I wanted and just make things happen. I traveled to Japan for the first time to snowboard. I took some friends up on an offer to housesit in Lake Tahoe for three weeks where I was able to snowboard and work remotely. I moved out of my parent's house. I stopped taking on work with life-draining, low-paying clients. I got advice and motivation from friends and colleagues who inspired me. This string of events seemed to be just the thing I needed to build my confidence to take the big plunge. The big plunge = buying the around-the-world plane ticket to live and work remotely for four months. And it’s just the beginning.
On January 10th, I leave for my “Snow World Tour.” It’s not a vacation, it’s not a work trip, it’s just me living my life…working, playing, exploring…somewhere else. Most of the trip is snow-focused, but I'll be visiting some sunny beaches, too.
I’ll be staying in hostels, hotels, Air BnBs, coliving spaces. Here's where I'll be:
January 12-14: Tokyo, Japan
January 15-February 15: Nozawa Onsen, Japan
February 15-February 17: Bangkok, Thailand
February 17-February 21: Chai Ming, Thailand
February 21-February 26: Krabi, Thailand
February 27-March 25: Morzine, France
March 25-April 7: Grimentz, Switzerland
April 8-April 21: Morzine, France
April 21-May 8: Javea, Spain
Follow along here to see my journey. I’m excited to share my adventures, creative findings and cultural experiences.
Happy 2017 everyone!