eureka: discovery + spirit: The moment when everything falls into place; when your purpose suddenly aligns with the way that you’re living.

a desire that grew…

I’ve always had a desire to travel, see new places and familiarize myself with new local cultures. When I heard about a program called Remote Year, a travel company that promotes a travel + remote work lifestyle, in October 2017 while attending the seanwes conference I was intrigued. Every few weeks I would make my way on to the Remote Year website to read more about the experience and check out the different itineraries they offer.

I’d dreaming of what it would be like to live for a month in a different country while living my passion as an entrepreneur and designer. And just as easily I would close the webpage or move on to the next thought with the idea that I wouldn’t be able to make it happen. Excuses that I couldn’t leave home and give up my part-time job, I wouldn’t be able to afford the investment or thoughts of not being the type of person who could do such a thing came to my mind. There were many reasons that held me back.

A year later, I asked to make a choice at my part-time job, and in my heart I knew it was finally time to leave. Honestly, I’m still scared about it. It’s uncomfortable not having that guaranteed income. But I realized that I was being pulled in many directions and if I wanted to succeed I needed focus. Choosing to leave my part-time job gave one less excuse to not take the chance of a lifetime.

choosing remote year and me

As I jumped back on to the Remote Year website I found an itinerary called Eureka that also includes a month in Valencia, Spain. Spain is the place I have wanted to visit for years! As I read the description of the program, my soul knew it was what I needed to do. I filled out the application and finally chose to do the thing I desired.

Then it was simply time to wait and prepare.

preparing for four months of travel

Never did I expect that I would have to prepare so much! Outside of packing, booking a flight, securing an up-to-date passport and making sure I could take all the necessities to continue working; I also had to get vaccinations, check if visas were required, consider baggage weight, look into travel insurance, and decide if I wanted to keep items in my possession or sell them. Thankfully I did not have to sell a home or car or sublet an apartment but there are others who definitely did. Luckily Remote Year provided a checklist to guide me through it!

packing up & saying ‘see you later’

As time grew closer and I checked off items from my preparation list, moments became a little bitter sweet. I have so much excitement for this journey, but it is definitely a change, and not being able to see family or friends for four months is quite a chunk of time that I’m not used to.

The start of this trip is the marker of many firsts and changes for me. First time out of the country, first time spending more than a week away from home, first week focusing on only my business for a source of income and on top of that it is the start of a new quarter and a new adventure.

While I feel a mix of emotions, including doubt that I should even be doing this, I boarded the plane and made my first flight over the ocean.

I’m now in Split, Croatia for the month of April and I can’t wait to explore the city, get to know my fellow cohorts (the individuals I am traveling with) and learn more about me in the process as well.

meet my travel family: