Introduction

For those of you who don't know me - Hello!

I'm JP! I am a life coach, and freelancer that does graphic design, website management, and event consulting. I wear many hats. But the thing that probably brought you to this blog is that I am also a traveler!

I am an American girl that is 30 days away from setting off on a 4 month adventure living abroad in Europe! I wanted to create a space to keep everyone updated on my journey! Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of this dream of mine! It has been a long time in the making and I am nervous, but excited to be bringing it to life.

                                    Photo taken in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Now to the details of my trip!

Although I will be heading to Europe by myself, I will not be alone as I will be traveling through a company called Sojrn. Sojrn combines working remote with studying/living abroad. They host chapters that last 4 weeks and revolve around a theme. Below are the themes and chapters I will be a part of!

For each chapter, Sojrn coordinates weekly group activities, living accommodations, and finding co-working spaces for us. Yes, while I will be in travelling I am also still working. My work is all remote, so besides navigating different time zones, I will still be able to continue my work.

Here are some details on the chapters I will be participating in this year!

History in Rome - April 2022

Wine in Tuscany - May 2022

Philosophy in Athens - June 2022

Art & Architecture in Barcelona - July 2022

I get a lot of questions like what made you sign up for this, pick these places, decide to go now, etc. 

The answer is actually quite simple:  I just made a decision and stuck with it.

I didn’t want to overthink it. I didn’t want to stress about making the “right” decision. Choosing the right place. The right time. I could have waited. I could have saved up more money. But I just went for it. 

Our brains are programmed this way. It is constantly finding reasons not to do something.

Instead I just made a decision and now I am processing all of the discomfort that comes up with making that decision. (I don't know the language, never lived abroad before, scared and sad to be away from friends and family, figuring out money, etc).

As I document this experience, I want to be very open and honest about it all so that when you see my posts this summer, you understand the full journey that got me there. It’s more than just a cute Instagrammable experience. There is a lot going on behind the scenes emotionally, mentally, financially and more. 

So here are some of those things:

I’m taking on debt to do this trip.

Yeah I definitely did not have the money lying around to pay for this trip. But I am willing to hold debt because of two reasons:

1. This is important to me - something that I think will bring incredible value to my life.

2. I believe that I can find a way to pay the money back.

 I wouldn’t take this on if either of those weren’t true. And I am willing to feel the discomfort of holding it, and having people disagree with how I go about this.

I've never lived outside Michigan or been away this long.

I’m taking new action. How I was showing up before kept me in the same 50 mile radius my whole life. Of course i’m scared to live somewhere else that is thousands of miles away! For 27 years I’ve been living with a mindset that has kept me in Michigan. 

While I am excited, I am also incredibly nervous and scared.

I only know a little bit of Italian (thanks to Duolingo). I don't know any Greek. And I only took two semesters of Spanish in High School. I don't know how to navigate any of these countries. I'm nervous about living in a new time zone for 4 months. I am scared I will feel homesick for most of the time I'm gone.

I could honestly fill a whole page with reasons why I am scared and nervous.

I'm still going anyway.

So to wrap up this introduction, I just want to share that it is totally okay to be scared. But fear doesn't have to stop us from achieving our dreams.

I am excited to take you on this journey with me! In the next few posts, I will share more details about each chapter and some of the things I am looking forward to about each one. Would love to hear any recommendations for places to visit in Rome, Tuscany, Athens, and Barcelona!

Till next time,

JP