Taking a Break from Long Term Travel

When I set out for New Zealand to celebrate the 2018 New Year on December 29, 2017, my plan was to come back to the States in early April 2018 since my six month sabbatical at my job was ending and I would need to go back to work. At that time I had no clue where I would end up by April. For one of the first times in my life I had no plan. But I had an idea of the route I wanted to take so I would just travel close to that route unless something would take me off the route.

I began in the North Island of New Zealand to visit a friend of mine that I met on my cruise to Antarctica two months prior. Then I spent a couple weeks traveling around the South Island (which was my favorite of the two islands) before meeting up with two good friends in Melbourne, Australia, to watch the Australian Open. We would hit up the Great Ocean Road along the southern coast before spending a week in Tasmania. We then ended up at my friend’s beautiful home overlooking Bondi Beach near Sydney, Australia. And my friend was gracious enough to allow me to stay for a couple weeks in their spare bedroom.

YOUR JOB HAS BEEN ELIMINATED

On Valentine’s Day, I received a call from my employer at the time. I was sitting on a bench overlooking Bondi Beach and a representative from the company told me my position at work had been eliminated.  Wow!

So now I didn’t have an April deadline to return to New York. Now I could travel longer. While I was in Sydney I went on on several very romantic dates with the same person. I considered staying in Sydney for a while to see what would have happened, but I realized I had to seize this moment in my life to take advantage of the free time that I had to continue along my journey.  I was sad to say goodbye to the person I dated but I needed to follow the path I was on, even though I didn’t know where it would lead. Onward!

MEMORIES THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME

I learned how to scuba dive and I walked along the crest of an active volcano (Mount Yasur) in Vanuatu. Took a local, 16 hour slow boat ride to the largest double barrier lagoon in the world in the Solomon Islands. Experienced my first earthquake in a remote bungalow in the Solomon Islands. Climbed Mount Tavurvur in Papua New Guinea, which last erupted in 1994 burying the nearby town of Rabaul. Celebrated Nyepi, Day of Silence, in Bali, Indonesia. Dove with giant sea turtles and saw orangutans in the wild on the island of Borneo in Malaysia.

I got my advanced scuba diving certification in the Philippines diving in WWII shipwrecks and diving with thresher sharks. Motorbiked 165 kilometers along a scenic coastal drive in Vietnam. Felt like Indiana Jones exploring ancient tombs and temples in Cambodia. Got lost in a remote jungle on an island in the middle of the Mekong River in Laos. Recovered from a bacterial infection in Thailand. Discovered hidden stairways in remote temples in Myanmar. Felt like a celebrity in Bangladesh since they rarely see westerners. Climbed up to one of the world’s most beautiful monasteries, Tiger’s Nest, in Bhutan. Saw Mount Everest with my own eyes up close at the Tibet Base Camp in China. Drove the bumpy Friendship Highway hugging a high mountain cliff for nine hours from China to Kathmandu, Nepal.

It’s crazy to look back and remember all of the experiences I had.  To think back of the time I had on my own in the world and all of the self discovery.

Once I was let go from my job, I had visions to travel for the entire year.  The only “obligation” I had was to attend a good friend’s wedding in London in October. So I was mapping out a path to get me to Europe by the fall.

LONG TERM TRAVEL TAKES ITS TOLL

But once May came along, I was beginning to think about the summer in the United States. And I thought of my niece’s and nephew’s birthdays at the end of July and at the beginning of September. It tugged on my heart strings to think I wouldn’t be there on their birthdays. It was difficult to imagine being on a FaceTime call with them and seeing them sad that I wasn’t there. And the Fourth of July is my favorite holiday to spend with my family at my mom’s lake house. I love being at the lake and enjoying our time together. While missing one holiday or one birthday isn’t that big of a deal to some, it is a big deal to me. I just couldn’t be away.

And at the same time, I was beginning to get homesick. I was missing all of the luxuries that I had in the United States. It became tiring living out of a suitcase. Tiring to go from one destination to the next every two to three days.  And I missed comfort foods. I just wanted a nice steak and some good red wine.  Or even a good hamburger. No more rice. No more noodles. No more chunks of chicken with bones in them.  And I missed just having a car to get into and drive conveniently somewhere.  To go grocery shopping, to go out to dinner with a menu that was in English and to be able to wash my own clothes.  I missed “home”.

TIME FOR A TRAVEL BREAK

After six months of non-stop travel, it was time to take a travel break.  I felt ok with that.  Sure, it would have been great to say I traveled non-stop for a year, but for what? I wasn’t going to earn a medal for one year of non-stop travel.  So why not take a break?  Technically, there are tax incentives for being out of the country for more than 330 days.  But it wasn’t worth it to me.

On July 2nd, I traveled from Kathmandu to Hong Kong to Chicago and finally to Fremont, Indiana, to stay at my mom’s house.  I celebrated the fourth of July with my family which was so great.  It’s become an annual tradition to set up an adult-sized slip-n-slide to slide down the huge hill into the lake.  So much fun.

I was there for my niece’s birthday and my nephew’s birthday.  And all of my belongings that had been in a storage unit someplace in New Jersey since the end of October 2017 have been moved into my sister’s house.  My sister moved into a larger home this summer so I have been able to stay with her for a month and play “manny” (male nanny) to my niece and nephew which has been extremely rewarding.  Watching them play soccer and helping them with schoolwork has been what I needed this summer to recharge before my next journey.

WHAT IS CORY DOING NEXT?

So now the big question: what do I do now?  The gift of time has been amazing for me to really think about my life and what I want.  I have realized that I no longer want a 9-5 job that is one location.  My next opportunity will be location independent and allow me to continue traveling the globe. I am seeking out new and creative ways that will allow me to afford my endeavors.  I certainly have skills that I can leverage, but I want something that does not feel like work.  I want something that is not a “career” but more of a lifestyle.  Something that does not involve the word “retirement”.

LAUNCHING MY FIRST BOOK

I have thought about many different opportunities, however there is one thing that I have always wanted to do.  And it made sense to accomplish this goal at this point in my life. Therefore, my first, next big thing will be to write a book. I have hired a book coach and I have spent the past two months writing.  I recently finished the writing and now I am in the early stages of editing.  The book will be non-fiction and read more like a memoir sharing the lessons of life that I have learned.

My goal is to have the book published by the end of the year.   If you are interested in receiving updates about the book and be notified when it is published and available for purchase, please click on this link and sign up. By signing up, you will be entered to win a signed copy once it is released.

WHERE IS CORY GOING NEXT?

And last, I am excited to announce my next big adventure: Europe!  I will be traveling to Iceland in mid-September and then to Portugal to attend a Digital Nomad conference. This unique conference will allow me to network with other digital nomads and learn further opportunities to sustain this travel/live/play lifestyle.  After Portugal, I plan to hit up Ireland and then attend a good friend’s wedding in London in early October.  After the wedding, I would like to visit all the smaller countries of western Europe like Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco, Andorra and possibly Malta.

THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING ALONG MY JOURNEY

Thank you to everyone that has followed along on my journey. It certainly has been quite a journey and I can honestly say that I am probably the happiest that I have ever been. I am so thankful for being able to do what I love to do and to life each day of my life to the absolute fullest!

If you haven’t signed up for my Facebook travel page where I post all of my travel photos, be sure to click on this link and follow the page. I am also on Instagram (click here to go to that page and feel free to follow).

And last, if you are interested in receiving updates about my travels as well as potential travel offers that I will be creating along my next journey, please subscribe to my blog by entering your email address in the box titled ‘Enter your email to stay up to date‘ on the right side of this page.  You will receive an email requiring you to confirm your email address to fully subscribe.

Thank you again for all of your support from both near and from afar.  It truly means a lot to me to stay connected with you as I travel the globe.  I hope you have been able to learn and continue to be inspired by what I have done thus far.  Stay tuned for bigger things to come!

Love,

Cory