Picture this: You have a good job that you’ve being doing for a couple of years. You live a happy life and have lovely friends. But something has been nagging in your head for a while. A little devil whispering every day in your ear: “travel, traaaaavel” (imagine this in a creepy voice).
So that’s what I did. I let that little devil (or maybe angel?) win and decided to quit my job as an online journalist. It was NOT an easy choice. I had a good lifestyle, I was happy, I adored my friends and family, why change that pattern? Why leave everything behind? Because of what might be.
I’ve always had a thing for travelling, seeking out the unknown and putting myself in sometimes uncomfortable and funny situations. It all started in 2012, me going on a solo-travel to California. Best-decision-ever. 8 months later I was gone again to the States. Is it obvious I was bitten by the travel bug?
When I came back the second time I knew: I want to do more of this. And not just a couple of weeks, but for real. A month later I had a serious chat with my boss. We were having a coffee in the sun and I told him my plans. It came a bit out of the blue, so he asked a couple of times: “Are you sure?”
I don’t know if you can ever be sure of leaving a good job and awesome life, trying to live an even ‘awesomer’ life. But that’s what I did. I committed myself and went for it. I was sure that I wanted to try. I needed to try.
And here I am, living and working in New Zealand. I live in a stylish art deco house in the hills of Christchurch, get spoiled by the most beautiful sunsets every night and travel around every weekend. Just to give you an idea: look where I’m writing this from.
Every weekend I go on the road with my friends, discovering a new little part of New Zealand, with a camera in my hand. And every time again it feels like a holiday. Life feels like a holiday. How awesome is that? I didn’t know that was even possible!
You do make some sacrifices by living on the other side of the world. My lovely godchild celebrated her 3rd birthday last week, I wasn’t there. One of my good girlfriends is getting married in two months, I won’t make it. My little brother (10) misses me so much and tears up when he talks to me on Skype. Nothing I can do.
I’m writing this to show you that it isn’t always sunshine in my head. 95% of the time it is, and those really are the brightest days of my life. But I do feel guilty sometimes. Guilty that I chose to live on the other side of the world and that I chose to leave my friends and family behind.
But it is not for nothing. I’ve seen a big part of the world. During my 1,5 year trip I’ve been to Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, France, Italy, Singapore, India and the Maldives. After all that travelling I chose New Zealand as my new home. A country that is so beautiful, words just can’t describe it.
I feel really blessed that I live here, that I can try something new than my life before. And believe me, it is new and very interesting to live in another country far far away. It’s my opinion that you have to do these things while you’re still young. There are a lot of sayings that when you’re old you don’t want to regret the things you didn’t do. And how cliché it sounds, it is true. So that’s what I’m doing. Living my life to the fullest. In a beautiful country.
I left my comfort zone 2 years ago. What about you? Does it tickle as well to take the big jump and go travelling? What would be your dream destination?
