The to-do list can get overwhelming and the amount of tabs open in my brain need to cool it. Booking flights, finding the right travel insurance policy, obtaining an IDP, getting caught up on medical and dental visits, immunizations, booking more flights, researching where visas are necessary and applying for the appropriate ones, networking, picking out and booking day tours, setting up an international banking account, planning storage options and deciding what to sell and what to keep...what to do with all the 1-year new custom designed furniture and 3 year new car. Then of course, most of these things cost money, so managing finances is a large "open tab." Then to add to the list, I still have a full-time week left of managing a Starbucks store and tying up all the loose ends and doing my best to smoothly transition the partners, customers, and business over to my replacement...Welcome to my life! As the saying goes "Nothing worth having was ever achieved without effort."
I do my best to stay calm in overwhelming situations mainly because being stressed and frantic does nothing to solve problems. To keep organized and sane, I have been working through "one tab at a time."
When explaining this journey to others, while all these topics arise, one of the most common questions are "What are you going to do with all your stuff??" As with the answer to most other questions, I still don't know. To answer the question honestly, a large part of embarking on this journey is to collect experiences and not things, so this is a tab I will be tackling next to last. On the plus side, I have been able to check off a few major items from the list as I now have my flight to Sydney, Australia paid for and booked, got my international drivers license, and applied for my working holiday visa!
I have also been asked how friends and family can support the experience. The most meaningful support comes in all the kind words of encouragement and offers of global connections, but I also have a gofundme campaign up and running so that anyone who feels led can donate to the mission can support monetarily. I really do appreciate any help I might receive for flights, visas, licenses, food, and accommodation and to make things more interesting, I commit to performing 10 push-ups or exercising 1 mile for every $25 raised! I will be posting updates here on the blog.
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