Why it Took Me 10 Years to Find My Career Path

Did you know why it took me 10 years to figure out what kind of career path I wanted in travel despite studying and graduating with a college degree in hospitality and tourism management?  

The short answer: I wanted a career that aligned with my travel goals and desired lifestyle

The more real answer: I didn’t find anything that really satisfied how I wanted to use what I experienced, knew, and loved about travel and enabled me to help people in an authentic way.  I felt like my travel experiences had a great purpose and I knew just how powerful and valuable travel was for people’s wellbeing in so many ways.

The problem was that the only opportunities to work in the travel industry were to work in a hotel, airline, or to work for a company that paid me to travel for business.  

I was then traveling in the midst of the rise in internet and social media.  Being engulfed in the travel scene, I learned about the travel or “freedom-based” jobs that people were doing; writing, blogging, bookings, freelance, teaching English, au pair, remote work for another company, etc.  None of those really interested or satisfied me.  I didn’t enjoy creating itineraries or booking trips. I didn’t want to alter my voice or perspective to appeal to a publication to accept my work and pay me.  I didn’t want to struggle as a blogger among a sea of competition.  I didn’t want to work for someone else who shaped my lifestyle for me. 

I knew that I had to create what I was looking for. But, what was that?

I gave myself a certain amount of time to let myself live freely until I took action on my career path.  That self-imposed deadline was when I was 30.  It was that year that I fell upon the online coaching world of health, life, fitness, business, and various other types of coaches.

It all made sense.  I knew that my destiny was to be a Travel Coach. Problem was that none of those other coaches understood my direction and desire for travel.

So, I sculpted what I was looking for all along.  I knew that there are no limits on what you can create in life and how you make an impact if you work hard enough at it.

Travel is far more than blogging and bookings.

Women of all ages who travel. Couples who travel. Sustainability. Wellness. Retirement. Healing. Transformation. People of all races and religions. Adventure. LGBTQ travelers. Solo women. Purposeful travel. Traveling with pets. Specific destinations. Business travel. Domestic or international.  And many more!

It’s all about Empowerment, Education, Transformation, Storytelling, Inspiration, Resources, Tools, Human Connection, Mindset, and Authenticity.

I knew the transformation that travel brought to myself and my life; helping me cope with anxiety, showing me who I wanted to be and what my purpose in life was, introducing me to incredible humans around the world, and inspiring me to do something in life that truly makes me happy in the most genuine and authentic way in my career.

Travel means something to all of us, for all different reasons. Humans need to travel. It’s innate.

Has travel shifted your mindset in life? Have you gain some sort of awakening? You’re not the only one.

Learn more about coaching travel here

How Travel Enriched My Life

I am a travel coach who focuses on helping and empowering people to have meaningful experiences that improves their wellbeing and enriches their lives.  My personal journey began in university as a wanderlust spirit with a broke college student budget. I struggled for years growing up and into my young adulthood with severe anxiety and depression.  It was after graduating from university that I knew that something needed to changed.  I was slipping into a deeper depression, felt lost and confused, and lacked any direction in my life, despite having a college degree.  I knew in my heart that climbing the corporate ladder was not for me and I didn't want to live my life anyone just trying to make my family happy.  I wanted, I needed, to find my passions and purpose in life. I needed to figure out who I was, what I wanted out of life, and what I didn't want.  That's when I decided to take a very conventional route by packing a suitcase and setting off to explore the world.  I had no idea how long I'd travel for, where exactly I would go, or what answers I was looking for.  I thought maybe I'd travel for a month before coming back home and finding a "real job".  Little did I realize, travel was helping me in more ways than I imagined.  I wound up traveling on and off for the next decade to over 84 countries as a solo female traveler. 

Travel was not only my greatest professor but my healer.  I was meeting incredible humans around the globe who opened my eyes to other ways of living, foods that I didn't have in my home country that enriched my body, and had experiences that made my soul sing.  I explored incredibly beautiful destinations that installed a deeper love of nature and the world in me. My travels exposed me to new belief systems, ideas, lifestyles, people, hurt, joy, problems, and challenges. It showed me just how strong I was while teaching me about my weaknesses.  It made me realize what kind of life and lifestyle I wanted to be happy as well as what my dream career path was.  I dove into research on the various wellness benefits that travel had and learned about the decades of studies that talked about the mental, physical, and physiological health benefits that travel can provide. Some of these studies included how travel can boost your happiness and even lower your stress and anxiety levels. 

I also learned about the benefits of experiences and human connection had as well, both which travel consists of.  Travel introduces you to new people, whether they are other travelers or locals.  It makes you an interesting storyteller and gives you a boost of confidence to know what you are capable of and what your passions are.  Travel makes you more compassionate for other beings and can inspire you to help others or make a change in the world. This aids in feeding your soul and gives you a sense of purpose.  Traveling also opens your mind to new ideas while shaping what you want in a life and a career.  Need to strength a relationship with a loved one, child, or a friend? Travel somewhere.  There are many healing powers that traveling with people or engaging in culture or human connection can do for you.  There are so many ways that travel can enrich your life if you simply open your mind to it and take that first step on your own adventure. It's important to self-assess what kind of experience you are seeking on your next trip and what outcomes you desire so you can better decide what to do, where to go, who to go with, and for how long. 

Put the benefits of travel into motion in your life by being intuitive about what you need, what you fear, what might holding you back, and what transformation you need.  I have made it my mission as a travel coach to empower others to take control over their vacations or travel lifestyles so they too can have transformative experiences that impact the mind, body, and soul.