It all started when…
I was 20 years old. I had grown up in a small, suburban town in the middle of Massachusetts and by the time I headed off to university, I really hadn't seen all that much of the states, let alone the world. I was working towards two degrees- one in English and the other in Psychology, when I decided to study abroad for a semester. I'd never left the country, had never possessed a passport, and so my choice to go to Sydney, Australia was generally considered a bold one. Those 4 months changed my life. I was in a new country, alone, on the other side of the globe, and I had never been happier.
I returned to the states with a newfound view of the world. and I couldn't wait to see more. Unfortunately, I ended up following a path that I didn't enjoy. I graduated with my degrees, got a job straight out of school, and then eventually moved to Boston where I was on the 9-5 corporate grind. It wasn't enough. I lived for the weekends and used my 15 days of annual vacation to book trips to the Dominican Republic, England, and France. I'd get home and just start planning for the next one. That's when I knew I had to make a change. At this point I was 27, well-established within my company, and hesitant to jump off of a track that was leading straight towards success. Encouraged and supported by others who had moved abroad and left their conventional lives, I decided to take the risk. I applied to teach abroad in Thailand, a country I'd never even been to, and quit my job. I ended up spending two years in and around Bangkok, where I taught for a semester, traveled, got an office job, traveled some more, and then realized I'd ended up right back where I'd started. I'd returned to the corporate world that I so desperately wanted to avoid, but there was a big difference this time. I was able to travel very frequently, and this kept me content for a year. Then the itch returned.
I learned a lot about myself in Thailand, including what I truly love to do. I always knew that I liked to write and take pictures, but being abroad helped me to realize that these weren't just hobbies anymore, they were passions. Living in a foreign land provided new opportunities and experiences on a constant basis, and I had ample subjects for both my writing and my photos. So I took a risk once more, and left Thailand for Europe. Since then, I've explored South and Central America, Africa, and much of Europe, where I now have a home base in beautiful Amsterdam. Through travel stories, itineraries, and photos I hope to inspire others to see the world in a new light, and explore it themselves.
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