30tirement recap

Part I: Australia, New Zealand, Asia

Well, it's been a whirlwind past 6 months! I'm finally through a sample of the (10,500) photos from the Australia/New Zealand/Asia trip, but have plenty more recaps to come for the rest of my adventures :-) 30Tirement was everything I dreamed of, and more. I really could not have asked for a better little adventure in between jobs. From December-June, I never spent more than two weeks in one place. Period. I met so many people along the way who were on 1 or 2 year trips like mine, and I have to admit I was greedily envious that I didnt take more time. Towards the end I got a little sick of living out of my duct-taped old backpack - having to check for bed bugs every night - not being able to pick up my phone and call someone - getting attacked by dogs while running - but as a whole, I had the time of my life!

[Salt Lake City-Florida-Salt Lake City-Colombia: quit job]-Salt Lake City-Australia-New Zealand-Indonesia-Thailand-Japan-Seattle-Salt Lake City...

and then...

Part II: "The Long Way Home"

.... Salt Lake City-Anchorage-Salt Lake City-Boston-Vermont-Montreal-Salt Lake City-Reno-Yosemite-San Francisco-Redwoods-Oregon Coast-Portland-Seattle-Bellingham-Vancouver-Vancouver Island/Tofino-up the Alcan to Anchorage!

Home has never tasted so good. I immediately dove right in, soaking up the amazing mountains on foot or bike, cruising across lakes on a paddleboard or swimming (in a wetsuit), savoring family and friends and favorite culinary spots. Literally one day after arriving to Anchorage, I had a job in an outpatient clinic lined up for the summer. I was thrown back into the working, type A, westernized world just like that. It's nice to be earning some paychecks and I've definitely missed working with patients, but I still sort of feel like I'm on a vacation or here temporarily. I have to keep reminding myself that I now live here - that I have a place to call home again!

I've decided that embracing the concept of 30tirement is going to extend further as I turn 31 next month (though it just doesn't have the same ring to it). Moving forward, no matter what my career situation, I plan to embed this free spirit into my lifestyle. I will never again be the M-F 40-60 hour workweek slave. It ultimately derailed me from the true joy in my profession and affected the rest of my life in numerous negative ways. From here on out, I am determined to design my own lifestyle based around concepts that are important to me and my biggest passions. I'm still trying to figure out what that looks like as far as career and income go, but I'm so grateful for this 6 month window into the "bigger picture" on a global scale which has allowed me to get back to what I really love, and what's really important in life. If you're unhappy with what you're doing, why do it?

Good news is, while I may be broke, I've racked up a ton of skymiles for more adventures! And, before starting a new job in September, I'll be heading down to Peru for the entire month of August!
Over time I'll gradually post pictures from Part II of the trip, and my latest adventures in home sweet home, Alaska. Thanks for reading!