I know, I know…I’ve really been slacking on all my exciting travel blogs! But writing these posts is much harder than you might think…I want to give you the full, authentic picture. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The good is easy, but when it comes to the bad and the ugly…it’s really difficult to put into words.

Full time travel isn’t always glamorous and fun. It can be lonely. A 23 kg bag is heavy! The perceived expectation that you’re living THE life is hard to live up to. There are a lot of life lessons learned, but each and every good experience makes the challenge worth it.

So where have I been this past year? Or better yet…in my past (almost) two years of travel, where in the world was I?? Here’s a quick overview of my travels (complete with photos) without the nitty gritty detail!

April 2018 – I moved out of NYC, put my stuff in storage in Chicago, and kicked off on my first nomadic experience landing in Split, Croatia

May 2018 – my role with OppenheimerFunds came to a close as I explored all that Split, Croatia had to offer, with a quick trip back to Wisconsin for my cousin Annie’s fabulous wedding (where I may have inhaled the cake…)

June 2018 – I spent an incredible month exploring Prague, Czech Republic and ended with a brief trip to Toronto, Canada for the beautiful wedding weekend of my good friend Neepa (where I inhaled the cake a second a time…)

July 2018 – I explored Valencia, Spain with a troubled side trip to Pamplona for Running of the Bulls

In the meantime, you can read my friend’s account of Pamplona here.

August 2018 – what began as a planned month in Sofia, Bulgaria turned into an extended road trip through Serbia and Romania with three amazing people who have become some of my closest friends

August 2018 (post RY) – an incredible weeklong trip with Erica through Budapest (Hungary), Vienna (Austria), concluding with an overnight train to Rome (Italy)

September 2018 – kicked off with a week long cruise with my good friend Kristen, starting in Rome (Italy), a day stop in Kotor (Montenegro), finishing off with island hopping throughout Greece

September 2018 – post cruise vacation, I found my way to Serbia (as I was almost out of Shengen visa days) at which point I met my good friend and life coach Ellyn

September 2018 – found me chilling for a few days in London before a long flight to Coimbatore, India for a volunteer partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim, followed by a brief exploration through Kochi to finish out the trip

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October 2018 – it was time to return to the US in time for my good friend Melissa’s wedding on Long Island, New York. Following two weeks visiting friends and past colleagues in NYC, it was time to hit Chicago

November 2018 – having been in Chicago for a few weeks, it was time to hit the road again with a trip to Disney World for the Food and Wine festival with Erica! What better way to spend Halloween and the first week of November. Disney was followed by a quick stop in Wisconsin for the Packers game, and then I was off to hit the slopes in Breckenridge, Colorado

December 2018 – saw me jumping between the Chicago-land area and Wisconsin to spend time with my grandparents #homefortheholidays

January 2019 – it was time for another passport stamp with a quick jump to Bulgaria on a work contract! From there, it was back to a magical (and cold) winter time in Chicago

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February 2019 – I jumped from Chicago with cousins to Beaver Creek, CO to Breckenridge, CO – February is ski season after all

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March 2019 – from Breckenridge to Portland, OR and back to Chicago just in time for the Marren Morris concert, followed by my next friend tour in Phoenix, AZ! I finished off the month with a work trip to Charlotte, NC and the kick-start of a spring break road trip.

Our road trip found us in Nashville, TN followed by Birmingham, AL and New Orleans, LA. With the opportunity to crash a wedding, I stuck around in New Orleans and then found myself in Baton Rouge, LA before heading back to Chi-town

April 2019 – upon my return from Louisiana, I jumped up to Minneapolis, MN in the middle of a blizzard for work before happily hopping a flight to sunny Costa Rica to surprise my good friend Lori on her birthday trip

May 2019 – after returning to chilly Chicago, I booked the next flight back to Costa Rica and spent the month watching every sunset from the beach, umbrella drink in hand

June 2019 – I rented an apartment in Chicago to host a number of visitors throughout the month. Plus, I had to stick around for the Lake Shake Country Music festival!

July 2019 – while recovering from gum surgery, Wisconsin sunsets over the lake made my days, followed by a fun filled week with cousins

August 2019 – a quick trip to Charlotte, NC was followed by a two week stint in NYC before my return to Chicago for a final round of packing and a road trip with Mom to the Upper Peninsula, MI for my first view of the Northern Lights

September 2019 – I was off for a week in the Rockies at Sundance, UT before kick-starting my next round of international travel in Xochitepec, Mexico for Candy’s birthday celebration!

September 2019 – found me on a family trip through Peru where I survived the piranhas, tarantulas AND Macchu Pichu

October 2019 – I fell in love with the city of Medellin, Colombia

November 2019 – protests in Santiago, Chile changed my plans to extend my time in Medellin, Colombia and deepen my love for the city. Oh…and I danced…a LOT!

December 2019 – I was off to spend Christmas and New Year’s with my tramily in Cape Town, South Africa – where I may have thrown myself off a bridge…

January 2020 – following a few extra weeks in Cape Town, I was off to Tbilisi, Georgia (the country, not the state) where I fell in love with yet another city

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February 2020 – I took a roadtrip to Armenia early in the month for a Bachata workshop and had a great time exploring Yerevan. After a few more weeks exploring Tbilisi with Candy, I found myself exploring Doha, Qatar for a brief stopover before onward travel to the beautiful beaches of Costa Rica, where I plan to be through the end of April

It’s been a whirlwind of a ride with no end in sight. It’s not always as easy or glamorous as the photos may look, but it’s the life I choose to live, challenges and all.

Note: we are monitoring the impacts of Covid-19. We are adjusting travel plans if & as needed.