A Bit of Background

This is going to be a longer passage, so bear with me.  If you’re going to follow the blog and not just stare at the pretty pictures and read the occasional post (which, if that’s your thing, is still cool with me), it’s important that you understand why we are taking this journey and the backstory that lead us to this decision.

Andrea and I have lived on the West Coast of the US for our entire lives, in what I would consider “busy” areas: San Francisco Bay area and the Seattle area.  These are both very fun, diverse and vibrant areas with lots of opportunity for someone who’s not afraid to put in some elbow grease and do the right thing.

I, like lots of people who grew up in this kind of environment, was taught directly or indirectly that a successful life could be had if you follow these directions:

1)   Work hard in school and get good grades

2)   Find a job you like, work hard to be the best you can be at it

3)   Go to college and get at least a bachelors degree

4)   Start a career

5)   Meet the love of your life an eventually get married and have kids

6)   Buy a house

7)   Move up in your career and continue to be the best you can be

8)   …Profit!

Okay, maybe that last one is a stretch, but you get the gist of it. 

Now throw into the mix that there are now a million or two of you trying to do the same thing in your area.  Others trying to win the same jobs, get the same degrees, get the girl, etc.  With that kind of competition, success doesn't come easy or without hard work.  I’m pretty positive most anyone who has lived in this type of area (think Chicago, New York, LA, etc) knows that it truly feels like a "rat race".

I’m reminded of my senior year in high school in choir class.  There was a guy I admired greatly who was a year ahead of me who came back to talk to our class about what it was like and what to expect.  This guy was an exceptionally good singer and performer.  He was so good, in fact that he went to the Berklee College of Music, an internationally renowned school for music.

I recall him humbly telling our class that while he thought he was a pretty good singer at our high school (he was pretty humble), he was now in a sea of other top-tier talent from across the US that got accepted at Berklee, and that he was really a nobody now on the “big stage” so to speak.  This is very much what happened to me once I got out of college (go CSUH Pioneers!).

Thankfully, I grew up with a strong work ethic, fought hard for what I wanted and more often than not, I got it.  I climbed the corporate ladder quickly and got my first taste of real success age 25.  The problem with that is, once you get a taste of that sweet, sweet success, you can’t stop.  I went from account management to sales, to regional sales director, etc.  Once I reached what was pretty much the top of my position within my company, I recognized that my company wanted to go in a different direction than I was comfortable with, so I made the leap to consulting.  To put it lightly, consulting is tireless work, comparable to starting your own company.

That was a verbose way to say that both Andrea and I worked hard for what we had and earned it through time, effort and doing the right thing over and over again.  The problem is, after a while, all of that work takes a toll on your body and mind.

Early in 2015, after a bit of a shakeup at my consulting job, I started to question what I really wanted out of my job and chosen industry/profession.  After a few weeks of thought and dialogue, I realized that I couldn’t continue to work at this pace and be happy and healthy.  I had changed from a bright eyed, “I’ve got the world in my palm” college graduate, to a cynical, slightly bitter (and much fatter) shell of who I really was and wasn’t crazy about it.

It was after that realization that I pitched to Andrea that we can’t continue to live like that and still be happy or healthy.  We both were physically in the worst shape we'd ever been, worked more than we ever had and as a result, became more distant from our friends and family.  Not purposefully, but out of necessity to maintain that level of success.  Between office hours and business development, I was working from 8am to 7pm or later, five or six nights a week.  When I got home, I didn’t want to talk to anyone, go outside or do anything.  I had expelled so much energy in being “on” all day that it just drained the life out of me.

Anyway, all of this isn’t intended to be a pity party or sob story, but more help to build the background and frame of reference for our crazy, life-altering decision.  We chose our previous life path and had many, many positive experiences along the way. We are both very thankful and fortunate for the opportunities that we've had.  It just ultimately got too overwhelming. This opportunity to travel came at the perfect time. A time to rest, to heal, to explore and to grow. 

When I started to think about what it is that I wanted out of a job, and ultimately, what would make me happy in life, I wanted to get out and see how other people lived.  Since my youth, I’ve been curious about people.  I’ve always wanted to see how other people did things.  How they lived, how they spoke, what they said, what they did, how they did it.  How one city’s culture and direction varied from another.  How one school’s identity varied from another.  How my competitors were framing their arguments so I could counter and overcome.

Growing up in a family of 10 (5 siblings by blood, 4 by marriage), there just simply wasn’t disposable income laying around to take a vacation more extravagant than the occasional road trip through California or a few summertime camping trips.  By the time I hit my 20s, I had taken no more than 2 or 3 flights in my life. 

When I came to the realization of what it is that I wanted to do with my life, what I really wanted to do was to travel.  Not in the “vacation” sense, but in the Anthony Bourdain – “Parts Unknown” sense.  I wanted to see, feel, taste, touch, experience other parts of the world.  I wanted to see how people lived, what value people put on work vs. non-work, how people interact with their friends and families, etc.

In our very limited travel outside of the US, in addition to talking with people who either lived or grew up outside of the states, I knew that out there somewhere is a standard of living that is better suited to what we’re looking for.  Some place with better work/life balance or actual work/life balance, rather than the silly buzzword we seem to casually throw around in the US.  A culture that puts value on and rewards hard work, but also allows ample down time to explore, be with family and friends or simply read a great book.

This, my friends, is the impetus of our travel.  We want to see and experience things outside of our comfort zone.  Be forced to speak a different language, navigate an unfamiliar city/country, travel without a car, meet great people, eat great food, see beautiful things.

So it’s with this that I invite you to be a part of our journey.  Read our posts.  Look at our pictures.  Share comments and suggestions!  While I’m sure there are some therapeutic parts of writing down my thoughts, we share these with you in hopes that you too can be part of our adventures.

We look forward to hearing from you as much as I hope you look forward to hearing from us. So let’s get out there and create some memories!