Leading up to Solo Travel

On November 10th, 2021, I packed my bags, said goodbye to my family and friends, and headed to the airport. I had gone to REI the weekend before and bought a Cotopaxi medium-sized backpack, a smaller carry-on bag, and a neck pillow and weighted eye pillow.

Thailand... It's literally the other side of the world from Boise, Idaho. I had been to Mexico many times and could get home in 8 hours if I needed. I also considered spending the winter in Belize or Costa Rica, but that seemed too easy. I am the type of person who doesn't commit to a lot, but once I do, I am all in and go big. I traveled around the world at the age of 20 and was always fascinated with Southeast Asia. I heard Bali was reopening and looked into that, but it w

In August 2021, I found myself without a job and still in the process of rebuilding my house. Despite these setbacks, I was struck with a newfound sense of Wanderlust after my trip to Honduras in May. With the world seemingly re-opening after the pandemic, I felt compelled to take advantage of this opportunity to travel before any potential shutdowns could occur again. I had already taken a few shorter trips earlier in the summer, including a visit to Las Vegas for a playoff

What led to my decision to come to Thailand and check out of my life as I knew it? In early June 2021, I returned from Honduras feeling refreshed and relaxed, excited to return to some sort of normal life. I thought maybe the chaos of the past year and a half was over and we could all start moving on with our lives. It Started with a Simple Kitchen Remodel What happened that made me decide to leave my old life behind and come to Thailand? I came back from Honduras in early Ju

January 1st, 2021. The worst was over, right? The orange guy was out of the office, toilet paper was back on the shelves, and things were starting to look up. My son had a terrible November and December with hospitalized mono, his first broken heart, and psychiatric hospitalization for depression. But he was starting to recover and get the light back in his eyes. My nephew, who was in a terrible accident in November and almost died, was also alive and on the road to recovery.

Queue March 2020... Of all the random things I worried about (nuclear war, plane crashes, cancer, 4 more years of the Trumpster), a worldwid