The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.
So long Atlanta…
I decided to quit my job in Atlanta, sell all my belongings & leave my comfort zone to travel the world indefinitely. I have had this nagging feeling do so for a few years but there were lots of doubts and fears that held me back. While I do get to travel quite often, there was a deeper longing to travel at a much slower pace to truly immerse myself into a destination.
In October of 2016, I finally made up my mind to do it and started to make plans towards the move. I spent lots of time doing research on travel blogs trying to find people who had done something similar and the advice they had to share. Thankfully, many had gone before me and the information was readily available. This ranged from packing tips, budgeting, travel insurance and much much more. I will share my resources at the bottom of the post.
I picked Split, Croatia as the first stop without ever having visited the city/country before! My friends & family were stunned by my decision but supported me wholeheartedly – after realizing I was dead serious, as they knew traveling sets my soul on fire❤️ I bought my one way ticket to Split from Atlanta back in February 2017.
The decision to leave was not an easy one. Getting rid of my possessions was no easy task by any means! I didn’t realize I had such a huge attachment to things I owned. I had convinced myself over the years that I cared more about seeking life experiences than collecting things… UNTIL I had to part with my personal belongings. Most of which were utterly useless! Getting rid of those things was oddly therapeutic but weeks leading up to my departure date, I was having anxiety attacks, sleepless nights & second guessing my decision to leave.
I have a childhood friend who lives in Split & she encouraged me daily to JUST DO IT!! Whenever I would ask “What if I fail at this & hate everything about long term travel?”
She would say “What if you love it? What if this will be the best decision you make? So what if you fail? You could always sell a kidney to travel longer! Haha! Jk! Embrace adventure!”
I left Atlanta on September 12th, 2017 with two suitcases and one carry on bag. Pretty much all I owned. I set no expectations of the upcoming travel experience. I packed lots of faith and hoped for the best.
Cheers to the unknown!
Day 1 in Split, Croatia
⚓️🛥Upon my arrival, I won a free 7 night cruise touring the islands on the Dalmatian coast which was unbelievable & the best welcome anyone can ask for. This was through Girls Love Travel – a Facebook group I belong to. One of the members who works for a luxury cruise line announced that there was a fully pre-paid cabin available on one of their ships that was unoccupied. She offered it to the members of the group – preferably those that were already Croatia. I got it! I never win anything!! It felt like a dream that I didn’t want to wake up from. This further made me believe in my decision to leave. Faith, guts & glory! Living on a luxury boat for a week was amazing! I made great friends as well.
🌴 Seeing the spectacular Croatian coastline up close literally took my breath away! Each stop more stunning than the last! We had stops in Makarska, Korcula, Dubrovnik, Mjlet, Hvar, Stari Grad and back to Split! I will detail the experience on a separate blog.
It’s been exactly one month since I left Atlanta and I am absolutely loving it. I am glad I took the leap. Split has been my base and I totally love the vibes here. I can see myself settling here permanently but for now, there’s more of the world to see. Onto the next one! Budapest, Hungary here I come.
RESOURCES
I did a lot of research prior to my departure. The following blogs had great information:
BLOGS:
- www.nomadicmatt.com
- www.expertvagabond.com
- www.indietraveller.co
The books below had great information and some served as motivation to make the move;
BOOKS:
- Travel The World Without Worries by Marek Bron
- Travel the World on $50 A Day by Matt Kepnes
- Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long Term World Travel by Rolf Potts
- You Are A Badass by Jen Sincere
- The Art of Non Conformity by Chris Guillebeau
What do you think?