The intrepid introvert
If you asked 18-year-old me why I chose to go to college in California, I’d say, “to experience life in another state”.
Here’s the thing …
I’d always wanted to travel during college. After all, you have no responsibilities, no commitments, and you’re only young once! But because I didn’t have a car, wasn’t confident in myself to venture out solo, or had friends with that same passion, I missed out on SO MANY opportunities (both around California and internationally) and experiences I could only get in LA.
“We’ll do it next time!” never actually became a “next time”.
There have been countless times I’ve wanted to go on a spontaneous road trip, but the uncertainty of the cost & need to rely on friends felt a little too risky.
And then there were moments when I was itching to explore a new town, only to have no one else show interest (and ya girl couldn’t afford to Uber all over LA).
I had one option – GET CREATIVE
When I graduated from college in 2017, my ambition to see the rest of the world only grew. But as a youngin’ entering the “real world” already in debt, how could I afford any new experiences?
Aren’t your 20’s supposed to be your prime?!?
Then I thought …
Why am I choosing to sit around and wait for some magical, golden opportunity?
If I want to travel and fill my 20s with new experiences, I need to ACTIVELY MAKE IT HAPPEN.
And that’s when I decided to take a leap of faith and live abroad.
So in 2019, I packed my bags and moved abroad to teach English in Thailand! Teaching gave me an incredible chance to experience living and working abroad. This also came with countless opportunities to travel around Southeast Asia on my own.
Traveling has changed my life in ways I wouldn’t have thought possible
So far, I’ve traveled to 14 countries and spent 4 months living in Thailand.
Not only have I found a new confidence within myself, but uncovered a passion for cross-cultural engagement & worldwide experiences.
You deserve to see the world! Follow me along and lets wander with purpose 🙂
Check out these posts to see how my journey began in Thailand!
Want to Teach English in Thailand? Here’s How You Can Get Started
10 Amazing Reasons Why Every College Grad Should Teach Abroad
25 Things to do BEFORE You’re 25 – Thailand edition
Moving to Thailand ALONE at 22 | battling culture shock
How you are you Kylie. My name is Pon and I am wanting to move to Thailand. I was born and raised in Long Beach, Ca. Working to stack up money and hoping to move to Thailand permanently. I was wondering how were you to get around with finances? I think I read somewhere stating you was already in debt because of being a college grad and are you still living in Thailand?
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I’m not living in Thailand anymore, but before moving, I’d saved up a solid amount (at least 10K) so I could have some cushion/funds for traveling outside of teaching!