A year in the making -unpacking

May 2025- I had a thought that felt equal parts inspiring and mildly unhinged: What if I just…..reset my entire life? You know, casually. Because apparently, that is a thing you can do. One thing I knew I wanted was warm weather year round. I didn’t just want it, I physically needed it. At 54, retiring to Florida was not exactly in my budget. What was in the budget was a growing desire to own less, need less, and maybe, wild idea, actually breathe.

June and July 2025- If I wasn’t working one of my two jobs. I was aggressively googling a new identity. A friend said to me, “your going to be the same person no matter where you are. I don’t believe that. Our environment and the people in it make us who we are. Anyway, back to the googling; tropical islands, cheap countries, places where I could live for less than my current “barely surviving” lifestyle. Then came Italy. Of course I went down that rabbit whole. You know the one, the little villages where you can buy a house for 10,000 euros. Because nothing says fresh start like a crumbling stone house on a mountain. In my head it was very Under the Tuscan Sun. In reality it was more Under the Crushing Weight of Renovation Costs and Language Barriers. Also, it does get cold there. So that dream quietly exited. But somewhere between overthinking and late-night scrolling, the algorithm served me something useful for once. Workaway and worldpackers are a way for me to travel, work, live, and learn. If you are not familiar with workaway or worldpackers read my first blog post as I explain what they are. The truth is, I did not want to sit around waiting until it all made sense. And maybe-just maybe I will come out the other side knowing exactly what I want. The worst case is I end up somewhere random with a good story. The best case is I end up somewhere random with a good life.

August 2025 to May 2026- Preparing to leave was the hardest thing I have ever done. I had been a businesses owner and hairdresser for 26 years and I love my co-worker and my clients. I have three beautiful adult daughters, other family members and wonderful friends here. My people are what I will miss the most. Some will be a part of every chapter I have left no matter where I go and others I knew I would never see again. Also, I actually really loved my house and all the things in it. When I started preparing the house to list by removing my personal items that really mattered to me I was shocked at the size of the pile. The items I keep fit in my daughters walk in closet at her fathers house. The rest is just materialistic stuff but letting go was still hard. Since I am sure I will settle either on a tropical island or in another country after my journey I had to let it go. It was bittersweet to say the least. Also while closing this chapter, I researched and applied to my workaway/worldpackers stays.

Today is April 6- My house is under contract. I am doing Europe first but with the 90 day limit and the abundance of stays I believe I will be returning there at least one more time. My first stay is through workaway, in Tuscany, Italy. It is July 7th to August 17th. I think it is important to stay at least a month somewhere if you really want to contribute well and build meaningful relationships. If you would like to look at my first stay go to https://www.workaway.info/en/host/874741784325. I am applying to Italy and Spain stays for the month of September. I am exploring some option for October and November and I plan to head to Southeast Asia in December. My budget after my first flight is $900 a month. Let’s see what happens shall we.