My First Year as a Global Nomad

One year ago I embarked on one of the greatest journey’s of my life. I had begun a six-month sabbatical from my corporate job at PepsiCo in New York City. With only a couple of destinations planned, I set out on an amazing six month adventure. I ended my two year lease with over a year remaining, moved all of my belongings into a storage unit, packed one bag and flew to Buenos Aries, Argentina.

I had no clue that 365 days later I would be in Portugal for the second time over the past month AND I would be traveling back to Bali for the third time over the past 13 months. And it would be my third time around the globe in the past 13 months.  During the past year, my position at my company was eliminated giving me the freedom to pursue my passion of travel.

I can’t believe the difference a year can make. Over the past year I have traveled 98,000 miles, enough to travel around the globe four times. I have visited 26 different countries on six continents. And I achieved my goal of setting foot on all seven continents in my lifetime when I visited Antarctica last November.

A TASTE OF MY TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS

• Walked with penguins and took the polar plunge in Antarctica
• Ziplined in Costa Rica
• Jumped off bridges in New Zealand
• Learned to surf at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia
• Learned to scuba dive and climbed an erupting volcano in Vanuatu
• Experienced my first earthquake in the Solomon Islands
• Climbed a once destructive volcano in Papua New Guinea
• Rappelled down waterfalls in Bali
• Saw orangutans in the wild in Borneo, Malaysia
• Swam with sharks and through shipwrecks in the Philippines
• Traveled through Vietnam on a motorbike
• Climbed through 1,000 year old temples in Cambodia
• Experienced crazy border crossings in Laos
• Explored thousands of ancient stupas in Myanmar
• Was a celebrity in Bangladesh
• Climbed to one of most unique monasteries in the world in Bhutan
• Stood at the base of Mount Everest in Tibet
• Traveled on one of the most epic drives ever, Friendship Highway, in Nepal
• Saw the northern lights in Iceland
• Drove on the left side with a manual transmission in Ireland
• Attended friends wedding in London
• Fell in love with Portugal

And I made friends everywhere I went.  I spent nearly 300 days away from my home.  But I don’t have a home anymore. The world is my home. And I want to keep going.

When I set out on this adventure, I didn’t know who I was. But the past year has been one of the best years of my life.  And I am more excited about life than I ever have before.  The past year has given me the mind space to really understand my purpose here on this planet.

EXCITING FUTURE AHEAD

In addition to launching my first travel blog to document my travels from around the globe, I have also achieved a lifelong dream of writing a book.  The book is about being brave.  It is a memoir about the challenges I have faced in my life. While many have seen me as successful on the outside, I haven’t truly felt successful on the inside. This first book will be about the journey I have embarked on to become myself. It is something I hope everyone will be able to learn in their lifetime.  The process of writing this book has helped me heal mentally, emotionally and spiritually. And my hope is that those that read it will be inspired to push through the challenges they face in their.

I am planning to launch the book on Amazon in early January with a mini “book launch” tour.  I thought it would be appropriate to host my first event where it all began: in my hometown Montpelier, Ohio.  And I am planning events at Ball State University, New York City, St. Petersburg, Florida, and Chicago.  All places where I have lived and have had a great impact on my life.

I have been writing a weekly blog about my book writing journey – how I started, what I have been feeling, how to become a better writer, the struggles I have had.  If you want to follow along, click HERE and enter your email address.

I also have a new business that I am creating that I am excited to share with you.  It is a business that will inspire, build confidence and change lives. I am currently working on the launch plan and will be launching in December so stay tuned.

Thank you to everyone who has been following my journey. I can’t wait to continue with what I started and living the best life that I can possibly live. I am just getting started!

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