By: Ricardo Wilkins

In 2019, I embarked on a life-changing journey volunteering in Cartagena, Colombia. Before departing, I often felt that my career held me back from growing and living a fulfilled life. With nothing to lose and uncertain of my path forward in life, I boldly decided to volunteer in a different country while living with a host family. What I did not know then was how pivotal that environment would be to shift my mindset and help shape the inspired life that followed. During my two months volunteering I was content and happy living a new lifestyle. I recognized that the things I held on to weren’t that important and allowed me to define my authentic values. 
 
Stepping into the unknown, embracing new cultures, and engaging in selfless acts are the ingredients for a transformative experience. As an Immersive Volunteer Travel Coach who has ventured into the vibrant city of Cartagena, Colombia, I...

By: Rebecca Thomas

"In order to succeed you must fail, so that you know what not to do the next time."

A quote by Author Anthony J. D'Angelo that sums up my sabbatical experience
perfectly!

Travel has been a love of mine since my early twenties, but life sometimes takes us
on a different path. At 22 years old, after my degree in Travel and Tourism and a rite
of passage backpacking through Asia and Australia I fell into recruitment! Twenty
years later I’ve come full circle and am ecstatic to marry together my passion,
profession and purpose.

I believe it’s all possible once we find balance. Which, hand on heart I can honestly
say I’ve finally found. But it hasn’t always been this way. Rewind 7 years, I was
living in Sydney working consistent 60-70 hour weeks in a highly target driven
environment. Living for the weekend and seeing my family once a year for two
weeks if I was lucky, it certainly wasn’t a life of design.

Life on Manly Beach, Australia; Image credit...

By: Terri Reynolds

How it Started

It was 1998, I was 38, it was the end of my second marriage. I decided I would be the one to
move out of the marital home, it was easier that way. I asked my 18-year-old daughter
what she preferred to do, and she wanted to stay there. That was fine, I was only 10
minutes away.

The months that followed began a mind-numbing routine of eat, work, sleep, repeat. That
summer I went on my first ever girls’ holiday, it was just my friend and me. We went to
Zante, Greece. I loved it so much I went back twice more that summer. I got friendly with
the workers on the island and decided that when I returned home, I would ask for a career
break for a year, to go back to Greece the following season, as a worker.

My first girls' holiday in Zante, Greece.

Work said yes! I was so excited.

Then a work colleague who had heard of my plans, suggested a round the world ticket. I’d
never heard of this – tell me more.

Now – I’d only ever been abroad...

By: Christine DePalo

Stressed. Exhausted. Frustrated. Confused. Overwhelmed. Indeed, I was experiencing the effects of burnout. Whether it be the pandemic, work, or just life in general, I’m sure you can relate. 

In 2022, I felt very stuck. Nothing seemed to be going right, my teaching job was getting more stressful, and my health was in peril. I felt like a zombie, just lumbering through life with no voice. At that point, I knew I had to do something to make a change because I felt like I was going in circles. I tried everything to recover, but nothing helped me feel like myself. I needed to get away. I had always enjoyed traveling and exploring new places and decided that a trip was in order! So, I dusted off my bucket list and the wheels began to turn. 

My bucket list was a living document where I added and removed locations. Over time, I realized that the trend of my preferred sites were places that presented challenges- physically, emotionally and spiritually....

By: Ana Ruiz

Traveling long-term with your children. Is it really possible? And if it is, how can you make it happen?

You see, I also thought once, that traveling for longer than 2 weeks with my family was something meant to live only on my dreams. The jobs, the money, the house, and all the fears made it hard to imagine it really happening. Still, there was not a day I did not think about it. Waking up in different places without rushing, living life slowly around the world. 

And as if I had manifested it, in November 2021 it happened! My family and I boarded a one-way ticket to Ecuador and stayed on the road for 10 months. 

Today I’m gonna tell you how we made traveling long-term with our kids possible, and why I think you can do it too.

Let’s start with the bigger question…

Is it really possible for you? The best way to summarize it is yes mama, it is possible, if you think it is. The moment you believe it, things become a lot easier. Your brain will...

In August 2019, I flew from Sao Paolo, Brazil to Cape Town, South Africa, via Johannesburg. This was my first time going. I was worried about malaria, being robbed, and all the things the US government warns about on the STEP program website. I figured six months of solo bus travel around South America had taught me to trust my intuition and given me enough travel smarts to see this beautiful continent.

Arriving at the Johannesburg airport late, with under an hour to run to baggage claim, check my bags again, and board my onward flight, I was stopped by a dog-sniffing queue. We had to place our carry-on luggage against the wall while an adorable dog smelled all of them. That’s when I realized I was carrying coca leaves from Peru with me. Shit. Would I be arrested for carrying a substance that can be used to make cocaine? Thankfully, the dog passed my bag. But then a second dog sniffed, and a third dog. I started sweating. I would surely miss my connecting flight, though...