Hello World! Goodbye Minneapolis!

I’m going to travel around the world for an entire year! This is something I had always planned I would do; of course I had assumed I wouldn’t have the opportunity until I retired. Somehow everything aligned and I was able to participate in Remote Year while continuing to work for Eaton Corporation . This opportunity really came at a perfect time for me. I have just completed a two year rotational program at Eaton called the IT Development Program. I will be visiting 11 countries in 12 months with about 75 other professionals.

Here is our itinerary:

Prague, Czech Republic – June 2015
Ljubljana, Slovenia – July 2015
Dubrovnik, Croatia – August 2015
Istanbul, Turkey – September 2015
Penang, Malaysia – October 2015
Ko Tao, Thailand – November 2015
Hanoi, Vietnam – December 2015
Kyoto, Japan – January 2016
Buenos Aires, Argentina – February 2016
Mendoza, Argentina – March 2016
Santiago, Chile – April 2016
Lima, Peru – May 2016

I’m planning to provide periodic updates of my experience, lessons learned, and observations about every 1 – 2 weeks.

To learn more about the trip check out the following articles about my trip with Remote Year!

Washington Post

CNN Money

Moving into Storage

• My apartment lease and car lease were both complete mid-June so this worked out perfectly. I’m sure that this was more difficult for others who needed to find a subleaser, break a lease, or sell a car. I really loved the location of apartment and I was sad to leave.

• Since I graduated from BGSU 2 years ago, I really don’t have a ton of furniture or ‘things’ to store. I decided to choose a 5×7 storage unit in Minneapolis. Due to the size, I donated my bed and couch. These were inexpensive and would have cost me more to store them. I’ll just buy new when I return.

– No, I did not take all of these shoes. I ended up taking 5 carefully selected pairs.

Booking Travel Details

• Visas – Since I’m going to a few locations that require a travel visa, I worked with remote year and the appropriate process to get this taken care of. We needed visas for Turkey and Vietnam. The process for Turkey was very simple as it can all be taken care of online. The Vietnamese visa process took a bit longer as I had to send my passport to the embassy in Washington DC. All included some sort of fee.

• Flight to Prague – I spent a lot of time looking at many different flight options from Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) to Prague. There really were no cheap options. I decided to try to say a few hundred dollars by booking with multiple airlines to get there. This ended up with me sitting in the JFK airport for over 8 hours and confusing everyone at Norwegian airlines due to the multiple flights I had booked. Now, I’m in Prague still waiting for my luggage to arrive.
  • In the future, I will definitely pay more for the convenience of a simpler travel plan and I highly advise others to do the same!

Packing

• I decided to go with the REVO Twist 25″ from Macy’s. It ended up being only $100 when I used a gift card and some other coupons. It held up very well throughout the trip. Hopefully when the airport returns my luggage, I will be able to confirm that it is still in great shape.

• Packing wasn’t as difficult as I had initially assumed. I picked out the clothes that I really like to wear, the electronic equipment that I would need to work remotely, and the necessary toiletries. This initially ended up being 55 lbs, but I got rid of a few things and ended up with 46 lbs.

Saying Goodbye

• It was difficult saying good bye to my friends, family and the community I had grown to love. With technology and all of the ways to stay connected, I can hopefully share what it’s like living and working abroad in all of the countries. I’m planning to return to Ohio for my sisters graduation from college and the holidays, but it might end up being a bit too pricey and difficult as I will be in Vietnam at the time.

• I am very sad to leave the Twin Cities community as I was very involved. I’ll be missing the TEDxMinneapolis event on July 31^st and a few performances.

Singing Abroad

• Most who know me, know that I’m a singer and singing is a key and important part of my life. One of the major reasons I was considering not going on the trip was due to the fact that I had a few shows lined up in the Twin Cities and was starting to create a great network for myself there. For any performer who hasn’t been to the Twin Cities or is unfamiliar with their support for the arts, I highly suggest you check it out. I was so impressed with the community, amount of companies, and the high caliber performances.

• I spent a lot of time discussing this with my current voice teacher and past mentors. Although, I may not be able to be in any theatre or opera performances this year, I do plan to schedule coaching session as I go. I already have my first scheduled in Prague! I’ll plan to write a post about continued training and performance on the road later.

Up Next

• First look at Prague where I’m staying, where I’m working and what I’m doing.

**Leave your comments below and let me know if you would like to know more about any aspect of my trip! **