Hello world!
It's been a while…I took a brief hiatus. But, I'm back! I want to recap why I stepped away and share some travel stories from the past few months.
Why I Stepped Away
I jumped back into the whirlwind of the digital nomad life a little too quickly after a rocky start to the year. I lost track of why I wanted to write and, quite frankly, lost track of myself. This space was supposed to be for fun, creativity, and experimentation, but I found myself stuck in the land of seriousness and perfection. I needed to step back and re-group.
That, and life got busy. We were quite literally moving too much. For nearly a month, we didn’t spend more than a week, sometimes less, in the same city. And for several weeks in a row, we weren’t even in the same country for more than a week. We didn’t even spend the whole month of May on the same continent.
What Drew Me Back
Despite the chaos, I still have a deep desire to share my travels and the cool things I’ve learned along the way. And I just want to play and have fun. That’s more my vibe.
I also forced myself to slow down for a week and hide out in a cool AF Airbnb (seriously, it had its own little waterfall) in Northern New Zealand. I needed to be alone with my thoughts (which subconsciously I’d been trying to run away from...never works, huh?) This time allowed me to procrastinate to the nth degree until I got so bored with procrastinating that I needed to write. I poke fun calling it procrastination, but that space allowed the thoughts and ideas to incubate so now I’m ready to get back to it.
What to Expect Next (or Not)
In the spirit of free flow fun, I’m going to do the worst thing imaginable by all the content creators...be inconsistent.
But seriously, discipline and consistency are in my bottom five strengths, according to Gallup StrengthsFinders (btw, worth the money if you want to learn more about yourself.)
And guess what’s in my top 5? Adaptability. Life is more fun and fulfilling when you’re able to lean into your strengths. So, we’re going to adapt, play, and not stick to deadlines.
Quick Travel Recap
Since we last spoke, I've been on some pretty epic adventures and I want to use this post to catch you up. Here are my highlights from the past two months or so:
Japan Wanderings
No plan, minimal Google Maps, just hop a train and wander.
I love wandering without a destination, especially in the maze-like streets of Japan. We explored ancient alleyways, found little hidden gems, and watched people going about their day. Nearly every day we picked a different neighborhood or area to explore.
Our no-plan plan led us to cycle around Lake Kawaguchi to take in views of Mount Fuji. We drank beer and chatted via Google Translate with the bartender at a tiny craft beer store in Kobe. We stumbled on great coffee and cool bars in Nakameguro, Tokyo. We bonded with a Japanese bartender and an Aussie in a rock bar in Kyoto. And chased cherry blossoms in Yoshino National Park.
Rainy Day Connections in Busan, South Korea
While in Japan, we booked a last-minute flight to Busan, South Korea, hoping for a beach weekend. Busan, South Korea's second-largest city, is a popular vacation spot.
In our haste, we forgot to check the weather and, unfortunately, our plans were rained out. Instead of hitting the beach, we decided to coffee shop and bar hop to make the best of our trip. Eventually, we stumbled into a little Irish pub in search of food – no food – so we grabbed one beer and played a round of darts.
As we were playing, a blonde with a thick Texas accent approached us. She and her fiancé, a Norwegian expat, had been living in Busan for five years. We chatted and drank together until we ended up at a Korean barbecue spot at 4am. I still have no idea what we ordered since they handled it all in Korean, but it was delicious.
Earlier in the night, they had arranged a reservation at a must-try barbecue restaurant for us the following day. We showed up at this tiny restaurant with fake rain falling from the roof into a little Japanese garden out front. Inside, there was space for maybe 12 people. We ordered the recommended set and proceed to consume the best meal of our trip. Piece by piece, our food was slow cooked over a bucket of coals directly in front of us. Each bite fresh and warm, paired with delicious red wine.
It pays to go with the flow and be open to adapt—these are the experiences you can’t plan.
All Work & Relaxation in the Philippines
After two days chilling on the beach in Cebu (finally got our beach days), we spent three nights in Manila for two and a half days jam-packed with meetings and team builders with my Filipino team.
It was a privilege and so much fun to finally meet my co-workers and employees in the Philippines. And I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead two days of team builders and in-person meetings for them. I won’t dive into all the details, but let’s just say the gratitude my Filipino colleagues have for their jobs is something we can all learn from.
We made it to Australia!
…after almost being denied entry to our flight.
Did you know you need an ETA (electronic travel visa) to travel to Australia? News to us when we showed up at the airport to check our bags only to find out we couldn’t check in without one.
We scrambled to apply two hours before our flight—the flight we booked the day before. Thankfully, it’s a quick process, and it turned out to be nothing more than a little hiccup on our way to Sydney.
Sydney is the first place in a long time that’s sparked the same giddiness and excitement I felt when I first started traveling. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been excited about other places. But the five-year anticipation to finally step foot in a country I’ve dreamed of visiting since I first came up with this crazy dream to travel the world? Nothing compares.
Road Tripping New Zealand
Ways to stress out your friends & family: go to New Zealand, have no plan, rent a car, roadtrip for six weeks, book places to stay the day of, oh, and work a full-time job at the same time.
There aren’t many people I could do this with. It’s chaotic and unpredictable, but my best friend, Tom, and I thrive in the lack of planning (the theme here today.)
We’ve spent the last six weeks road-tripping around New Zealand—while working full-time (16-hours time difference from the East Coast…oof.) We landed with a place to stay in Auckland for the first few nights and then figured out the rest as we went, sometimes booking an Airbnb the night of.
In six weeks:
We explored Auckland.
We watched the New Zealand Black Ferns (NZ’s National Women’s rugby team) take on Australia in the Pacific Four Series.
Went to a comedy show as part of New Zealand’s comedy festival.
We explored geothermal fields and learned about Māori culture near Rotorua.
Took a boat on the largest freshwater lake in Australasia near Taupō.
Drank too much wine and marveled at the art deco wonders of Napier and the Hawke’s Bay region. (And, in small-world fashion, met locals with family in Buffalo, NY, and a New Zealand transplant born in Rochester, NY.)
Hung out in Raglan, enjoying beautiful coastal views and one of the coolest waterfalls I’ve ever seen with not another soul around.
Ogled at a starry cave ceiling full of glow worms.
Flew to Queenstown. Fell in love with Queenstown—mountains, hockey, skiing, hiking, burgers, and beer…what’s not to love?
Watched a hockey game in Queenstown’s old-school barn.
Took boat trips on both Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound.
Drove the coast through Invercargill and Dunedin (don’t sleep on Dunedin; it’s stunning.)
Stayed in Twizel to explore Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook where we:
Marveled at the stars and Milky Way in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.
Ice-skated with views of the mountains and the lake.
Took a helicopter to the Tasman Glacier. Landed and walked on the glacier to a ski plane. And took off in the ski plane back to the airport.
Oh, and then popped back down to Queenstown to ski for a day.
It’s a lot, and I’m a tad exhausted, but 100% would do it again. The lesson of the day is to take the trip less planned. You never know where they will lead, and they’re always the most memorable adventures.
That’s it for now. Thanks for sticking around!
Have a great week!
Becca
Writing from Melbourne, Australia.
Where I Find Inspiration:
Collection of random stuff that inspired me this month:
[Podcast] A Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek | Be Necessary with war journalist Sebastian Junger
[Podcast] The Psychology Podcast with Scott Barry Kaufman | How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down w/ Corey Keyes
[Movies] There’s a really cool idea swirling around in the back of my brain. I’m not going to share it with you yet, but let’s just say it’s inspired by my favorite sport on the planet. So here are my all-time favorite hockey movies that inspire me (and yes, I’ve been shamelessly re-watching all of them):
Miracle
Mighty Ducks
Mighty Ducks 2
Mystery, Alaska
A Question for you:
Where in your life could you add a little spontaneity by taking the path less planned?