It's Go Time

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Well, this is the first blog post of hopefully many..

About a month ago, I left my corporate middle-management marketing job. I was ultimately over-worked, over-stressed and burned out.

After 9 years busting my ass at the same company, I was tired. My personal life was nearly non-existent. (A large section of text on the realities of my work life-situation has been redacted)...

As my tolerance and job satisfaction were dwindling, my father mentioned to me that I could always just take time off and not go right into finding another job. The prospect of no income had never occurred to me. I loved to travel, and every year saved up every single vacation day to take a big trip abroad. But it was always rushed and never enough. I had been in school/working or just working almost non-stop since I was 14 or 15. I could take a break?!

My friend Libby coined the term "it's go time!" in reference to leaving my job and regaining my sanity. It was go time!

So I decided to take time off to travel - but I needed to leave my job before I could figure out where/when. I had an idea though...

My travels would entail 3 1/2 months of solo backpacking through South America. Starting in Northern Argentina (I had recently done Buenos Aires and Mendoza, and it's autumn (cold) so Patagonia was out), pop over to visit a friend in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, next Bolivia (and seeing my university res roommate who now lives there), then Peru, and finally Colombia.

What's to come? Adventures, amazing sights, very loose itineraries, new friends, frustrations, different food and cultures, and an unforgettable trip.

Stay tuned...

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Photos

Me departing from YYZ
(still in denial that I was actually doing this!)
Photo by Zeynep Tuck