What have I been up to these past few months?

Sooooooo, I’ve been slacking a little bit on this whole blog thing. Oops. I never thought blogging would be hard. Here’s what I underestimated: I’ve got some perfectionist qualities in me, and that holds me back. I need to be a little more open to being just open, documenting and sharing raw thoughts and feelings without worrying if the words are perfect or not.

With that said, here’s a rundown of what’s happened, really quick, since I last posted:

Just some Ladies on a boat in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

• The rest of Budapest, Hungary: Sunsets, party boats, hard work days, movie nights, new, great friends and chilling in cafes

• Moved to Lisbon, Portugal: Lots of heat, helping out other remoters with videos, surfing lessons, an attack on our group, unity and support for one another like I’ve never experienced before, a Lady Jeep visit to the west coast, a girl’s weekend to Lagos and AMAZING beaches.

• Relocated to Scotland: Edinburgh week with my mom, visiting castles, walking 96 miles on the West Highland Way with my brother, and a few days exploring around Edinburgh with my Dad.

• Pit Stop in Positano, Italy: Spent a great weekend with some amazing people discussing storytelling.

• Moved to Hanoi, Vietnam: Slooooooow download speeds, SOOOOO much humidity and heat, a great weekend trip to Ha Long Bay, and food poisoning.

• Moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand: Finally(!) over food poisoning, visited temples, waterfalls, graves, took a Muay Thai Class and eating great food.

My brother and I taking our first Dronie together in Balmaha, Scotland.

I have so many stories to catch you all up on, but until then, I am going to try to start with the present and sprinkle in some of the other adventures, highs and lows I’ve experienced since I last checked in and recorded my goings on.

One thing I can tell you is that I am working on a comprehensive recap and review of the West Highland Way walk. I’m so proud of what my brother and I were able to accomplish by finishing that walk. It was one of, the hardest things I’ve ever done, and I want to share the whole experience with the world.

Next up, I will do a first impressions of Chiang Mai, my trip to Doi Inthanon and my thoughts on Lisbon, Edinburgh, and Hanoi. I’m also working on catching up on travel videos, so look for those in the coming weeks as well. I hope to be all caught up by the end of my time in Thailand. Here’s to hoping.

Until next time, let’s YanSEE YanDO this thing!

Welcome to Budapest

I’ve been in Budapest just over 7 days now, and what I can tell you about this city is that it is truly amazing! I am so incredibly excited to spend the next couple of weeks here that I may not even plan any side trips. Staying in one country for a whole month? Crazy, I know.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about Budapest when I first saw it on our Remote Year itinerary. I knew it that it was steeped with history and would probably have cool looking buildings, because, I mean, it’s Europe. Every place has that right? But I had a lot of questions. Would the food be OK? Would the people be friendly? Is being in a city going to make getting around tough? Is this even an interesting city? Is anything going on there? I was clueless! But now my eyes have been opened. I haven’t even explored the city nearly as much as I would want because of some work issues (this will be rectified soon) but I’ve seen a lot, and I can now tell you that Budapest quickly shot towards the top of my favorite places list. I would say it’s currently sitting right behind London. That’s saying A LOT because London has some intangibles/nostalgia that makes it hard to beat.

“So, what’s there to like about Budapest?” You might ask. Let me break it down really simple and quick, and hopefully, as I begin to explore more, I can dive deeper. I keep saying that (I know!) but blogs are hard to keep up, ya’ll.

Kossuth Monument in front of the Museum of Ethnography.

Here we go! The things I love and like about Budapest:

• This city is extremely walkable and mostly flat. Public transit is cheap, but you can get anywhere in the city on foot almost as fast. I’m really going to get my steps in this month.

• Cafés are everywhere and their coffee game is strong. Croatia claimed to love coffee, and in fact, it was part of their culture to drink coffee at a café for hours daily. But they didn’t do coffee well. Budapest, on the other hand, is amazing at it. At least in my opinion.

• Patios are everywhere! Whether you’re sitting down for a bite to eat or a quick coffee, you will find a lovely patio to enjoy.

• The architecture is more than I could have hoped for in Budapest. Every. Single. Building is BEAUTIFUL. The details. The molding. Ugh, it’s almost too much. Budapest, I could look at you all day.

• The exchange rate is insanely in favor of the USD. 1000 Hungarian Forint (HUF) is $3.70. I mean, WHAT?! You can feel like a Queen here, throwing around thousands of HUF and not break your actual bank. I’ve gotten a full 2 eggs, with toast, OJ and a latte for less than $5.

• Most everyone speaks English. Conversational English at that. Selfishly, this makes things super easy when ordering and getting around town.

• All the food is great! You would be hard pressed to find a bad meal here. In Croatia, your food options were fairly limited (mostly pizza). Here, in a city, there is everything you could ever crave right down the street.

Count István Szécheny Statue

I think that’s the most of it, and so far, I give Budapest two thumbs way up!

There’s definitely more to come. I’m working on keeping a more rigid schedule and I’ll be making the blog a part of that priority. So until next time, let’s YanSEE YanDO this thing!

Finding Balance, Jumping into the Adriatic

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been here in this beautiful place for two weeks already. Already I’ve experienced so much, and also sat out quite a bit. This whole experience can be quite overwhelming for an introverted creative, like myself. It’s all been worth it, but striking a balance can be really difficult.

As of right now, I am far from finding a good routine. Each day is a new day, and where that sounds exciting (and it is!) I think having a better routine will help me settle in a bit better and start moving myself in the direction of accomplishing some of those goals I set out for myself. I’ve maybe taken a few slow, small steps forward, but for progress to really take hold, I need to take more control of experience.

Now with that being said, let’s do a little recap of what I’ve been up to these past two weeks. For starters, let’s just cover last Sunday. It was a good one!

2:33 AM

I roll over in a mild panic. Nothing serious, but that typical panic you feel when you think you’re missing something, or have overslept. It’s still dark outside but my full cognitive abilities have not fully take hold yet. For good reason. It’s 2:33 in the FREAKING AM! After rolling over to check the time I fall back asleep. This happens a few more times before I actually wake up, for real.

Why am I so worried? Well, I’m about to take my first day trip with my Tramily (Travel/Family or Tribe/Family). Not all of us mind you, but nearly half are embarking on a small road trip to Krka National Park and Zadar, the city of the sea organ. What’s a Sea Organ you ask? I’ll get to that later.

I do eventually wake up and walk down to the Co-Working space. It’s at that point I realize I’m not actually taking a boat trip, I’m taking a hiking trip. Well that’s good to know. I should really have paid more attention on Slack.

I hop into a tiny rental car with four other adult humans and we drive the hour to Krka national park. The countryside it is incredibly beautiful. It’s sort of like you’re surrounded by a stony, mountainous desert. And that makes the drive go by faster.

Here is a good look at the main waterfalls of Krka National Park.

Some fun facts about Krka:

The lakes of Krka National Park.

• It costs 110 Kuna to enter the park

• Moving at a decent speed, you can see the whole loop of the park in 2 hrs.

• There are places to eat/shop at the top and bottom

• You can swim in the big waterfall at the bottom of the park

• Krka was once known as the "Garden of Eden"

• The fresh water is soooooo blue!

We stayed at Krka for about 3 hrs. while most of the group took a dip in the waterfall. I opted to find unique places to take pictures of the waterfall and park. At one point I went off the path, slipped on my way back and pulled a quad. That made the hike back to our car super fun!

Zadar from the Adriatic Sea.

After they were all tuckered out from swimming, we turned north and headed to Zadar. Que the Sea Organ. There it is again; that sea Organ. What is it you ask? Well, in Zadar, they have cut holes into their retainer walls, so when the tide of the sea hits these holes, it pushes air through and notes are formed. Each hole has a unique note. So as the tide rolls in, you can hear the melody of the Adriatic Sea. It’s a bit of an awesome experience if you just close your eyes, and listen to the music of mother nature converted for better human understanding.

A few of us went for a swim in the Adriatic. I almost didn’t. I was feeling incredibly insecure about my body. That’s one thing I want to work on while I’m overseas.  But after seeing everyone having fun, I decided I didn’t want to hold back due to such a selfish insecurity. I mean, when will I be back and get to swim by the sea organ again? No, instead I swam and will use this experience as motivation for a goal.

Zadar Sunset

Most stayed until sunset, which was well worth the wait before taking the 1 hr. 45-minute trek back to Split. It’s hard to describe how pink and orange the sky gets when the sun goes down over the perfectly Azul water. One car stayed to see a ground light show. But that didn’t start until the sun was all the way down, and I was already exhausted. One person said it was just ok, so I’m good with the decision to take off.

At the end of the day I had walked over 20k steps and climbed the equivalent of 95 flights of stairs, according to my Fitbit. I was exhausted. But it was a great day, and I’m so glad I put my name in to participate. For a first out-of-city-adventure, I give it two thumbs up.

Thanks for Tuning in. Be sure to check out my pictures from this journey in my galleries. Until next time, let’s YanSEE YanDO this thing!

Travel Stats So Far:

• Days: 17

• Cities: 2

• Countries: 1

• Flights: 3

• National Parks: 1

• Videos Made: 3

• Floors Climbed: SO MANY!

First Impressions of Croatia

Here I am. I’ve made it! I’m in Split, Croatia. Holy hell, I don’t know if I ever thought that I would be here. Croatia has been on my bucket list ever since I heard it was the Cancun of Europe. I mean, as someone who has been to Cancun, that sounds pretty awesome. After these first 2.5 days, I wanted to share my initial observations and impressions of this beautiful city and what my life looks like so far.

I arrived Saturday around Noon and took a cab to my first hotel. As we were driving, the sea was in full view behind the apartment buildings. Too much of my surprise, there seemed to be quite a few structures that were in disarray; abandoned or crumbling, or being rebuilt. In my mind, I thought Split would look more like the quaint little Islands in Florida like Sanibel or Captiva. Apartment buildings seem to be devoid of character except for the dirt and grime that time has helped accumulate. They appear quite boxy and militaristic. This city is still bearing the scars of something. I’m not sure what yet (I mean besides communist oppression), but I will look into it and get back to you.

Old town Split is the exact opposite of the decaying apartment buildings. This is the cultural and spiritual center of the city. It’s vibrant and cared for.

After a light 4-hour nap on my first day, I decided to wander over to Old Town. This place is amazing! At the center of Old Town is Diocletian Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Cathedral of St. Dominus. It’s so beautiful, positioned right on the water. Cruise ships, ferry’s and yachts populate the bay for a unique viewing experience. The centuries Old Diocletian Palace is a wonderful mix of the ancient and the new. Shops and modern restaurants fill in the lower levels, but the charm of the original palace is preserved in the skyline. I think I could hang out in Old Town all day every day.

That very first night, I ate dinner at a cute little restaurant off a little side street called Konoba Veranda. This is where I made another interesting observation; Food portions here are HUGE! I would argue that at some places they are even larger than American portions. I ordered penne pasta with a prosciutto and truffle sauce. It was absolutely fabulous but I could barely get halfway through it before I was stuffed to the max. And I had a hefty side salad and bread that came with the meal. My waiter asked if I liked everything ok looking worriedly at my plate. I told him it was great, but it was too much for me to get through. Wraps are about twice the size of American wraps. Personal pizzas here are practically the size of medium pizzas in America and fairly inexpensive. Again, I am not sure why I thought they would have tiny food portions, but you can definitely stretch your money here and turn that lunch into dinner with leftovers.

On Sunday, I was placed in my apartment. The apartment is great, and just the right size. There’s a small kitchen, living room, and patio to sit outside, although there is no view. However, I might be the only person actually living amongst the Croatians. I am .7 miles (approx. a 15-min walk) up a fairly steep hill from the provided co-working space, WIP, which is our program center whilst in Split. I am .43 miles from the nearest grocery store. The next farthest person is .37 miles from WIP, and nearly everyone else seems to be a block or two from WIP. Like it or not, I’m going to be walking A LOT.

Our Co-working space is the Bomb, though! The internet is incredibly fast, it’s right by the beach and there’s plenty of food options around it. I could get used to a place like this. I might do a little video on it. There. I wrote it. Now I have to be accountable for it.

Here are a few other small observations in no particular order:

• Sidewalks are not sacred. People park their cars on the sidewalk everywhere.

• The water is clean! You can drink form the tap without fear.

• The beaches are rocky. Water shoes will be wanted.

• People speak decent enough English in restaurants and bars.

• There is graffiti everywhere. Some artistic, but most political.

• I sweat everywhere I go. The humidity will get you.

• Hallway and stairway lights don’t stay on in apartment buildings. Very weird.

• No leash laws. Or at least none that are enforced.

• 95% of the dogs I’ve seen are small.

• Tennis must be a popular game because there are more clay courts than I would have expected.

• You have to turn your key a ridiculous amount of times (3) to lock or unlock a door.

• Short Showers a must. Each Apt has its own water heart but it’s not large.

• There is AC but Open air is the more popular option.

• I’ll have to line dry my clothes for the first time ever.

Thanks for tuning in. I hope to add pictures soon. I’ve got some good ones. Until next time, let’s YanSEE YanDO this thing!

Trip Stats So Far:

Days – 3

Flights - 3

Countries – 1

Videos Made – 1

Floors Climbed - 95

So What is This? A Quick FAQ

Well hello, everyone! If you’ve made your way here, then by now you know at least the bare minimum about my upcoming, life-changing journey around the world. That’s right, I’m taking a year abroad to live in 12 cities in 10 countries. That’s a new city every month!

So, you read that and you’re like “Whoa, is she for real?” The answer is “HELL YEAH!” And I want to use this blog to take you all with me in spirit.

Now that we have the first question out of the way, I want to take this first blog post to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about this trip I’m about to take. Hopefully, at the end of this, you have a little more understanding about this whole ordeal. So, let’s get to it, shall we?

Wait, what are you doing?

I’m traveling the world through a program call Remote Year. You can check out their website for more details, but essentially, what they provide is housing, co-working spaces and travel between countries on the itinerary that they put together. My “tribe,” as they call is us, is named Earhart. I was stoked about that, because Amelia Earhart was pretty great Lady. There are 50 of us traveling together to every city; ages 23-53. Every city has a city leader and we have 2 program leaders who travel with us everywhere we go.

How did you hear about them?

Facebook! Can you believe the digital age that we live in? I saw a Facebook ad and thought, “That seems awesome! Let’s try it!”

Where are you all going?

Here is the basic itinerary for the program:

1) June - Split, Croatia
2) July - Budapest, Hungary
3) August - Lisbon, Portugal
4) September - Hanoi, Vietnam

5) October - Chiang Mai, Thailand
6) November - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
7) December - Buenos Aires, Argentina
8) January - Córdoba, Argentina

9) February - Lima, Peru
10) March - Medellín, Colombia
11) April - Bogotá, Colombia
12) May - Mexico City, Mexico

I have never been to any of these places. NICE!

Rachel, I know you’re a hoarder. What are you doing with all your stuff?

HA, great question. I sold, stored and donated all my stuff. It’s amazing how many things I had collected over the years. My Dad has been an absolute rock star in helping me move and vacate my apartment. I reduced what I will be living with to a single duffle checked bag, a carry on a tone and a backpack. I may or may not have packed an equal amount of camera equipment and clothes. Go ahead, guess how many cameras I brought with me :)

Does Remote Year cost money?

Yup, it’s a $5000 down payment followed by $2000/month for 11 months, for a grand total of $27,000. Plus, I’ll need to eat and stuff. Or that’s what they tell me at least.

How are you paying for it?

Well, my employer, Trilix, has been incredibly generous to keep me on at a reduced capacity. I’ll still be editing great client videos, but occupying less of the Producer role that I held with them in Iowa.

I also hope to pick up projects along the way and even shoot some stock footage. Can you say residual income? I’ll also do a Vlog and maybe that can bring in a couple of bucks here and there. Who knows?! The world is my oyster.

But enough of this money thing! What else you got for me?

So, this seems awesome, but why are YOU doing this?

Well that’s a really big question, isn’t it? I plan to dive deeper into this question and answer in an upcoming post but I will see if I can boil it down quick, right here. I was feeling a bit stuck before. I had a good job, good friends, and family close by, but I was feeling really restless. I felt like I had gotten lazy in my life, and was taking the easy road. I wasn’t being fulfilled creatively, and I really wanted to dedicate more time to projects that I managed and felt passionate about. Whoa, epiphany! I think I just stumbled on the real short answer. I was searching for more passion. When this opportunity came along as way to really explore who I am and what I am capable of creating, I couldn’t pass it up. But again, I will go deeper on this subject soon.

What are you hoping to get out of this?

Growth. Plain and simple. I want to grow in my editing and producing ability. I want to grow personally. I want to clear my head and be inspired again. I want to get healthy in body and mind. And finally, I want to meet awesome new people everywhere I go and check things off my bucket list with them. Sounds fun, right?

I think that’s bulk of it for now. Thanks for stopping by my blog. It is my hope and expectation that I will update this blog, at least once but hopefully twice a week. Early in the week, I want to tackle big issues. The “whys?” and “how’s?” of this trip, and later in the week I will tackle what I’ve been up to on this journey. Feel free to ask me any other questions you might have. I’m an open book.

Now, let’s YanSEE YanDO this thing!