Katy – Chicago Event

Six months on the Road
Katy’s King-Size Adventure

“There is so much in the world that is just sitting there waiting to be explored! The Meet, Plan, Go! event helped me to see that there’s no better time than NOW to start! I was amazed at all the people that have already done this and it was so helpful to see that this idea I had to leave my job and travel was not a crazy idea!”

Katy’s Adventures started in North America (Canada, NYC, Boston, LA) before heading to Australia, New Zealand, Peru and Europe. “The decision that I made to leave my job was a hard one, but it was also the best decision that I’ve ever made. I’m having a blast and am so grateful that I have the opportunity to do this!”

Katy has now returned from her six-month journey. “Over the past 6 months on this amazing journey I have seen so many amazing places, had unforgettable experiences and made friends from all over the world. I was once quiet, shy and afraid to fly but now I have taken off and have come back a whole new person – bolder, more confident, more independent.”

Delphine & Michael – New York City Event

22 months surfing the globe
Surfing Round the World

Staring in July 2011, Delphine and Michael are embarking on the surf trip of their dreams: two years riding waves across five continents and fifteen countries. Both of them had been surfing for several years at Rockaway Beach in New York City before they met for the first time on the boardwalk. Five years later, they’re now partners for life and regularly wake up together at 4:30 a.m. for dawn patrol.

In addition to surfing, they also plan on taking language lessons and volunteering while visiting Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Chile, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, Hawaii.

Stu – Seattle Event

One – Two Years

Stu just quit Microsoft after working as a developer for 3 years and got sick of the corporate America lifestyle. “I have wanted to do this for a long time and finally I came around to doing it. Its quite funny, as soon as you commit to doing it, you get so much help to do it. Since I started telling people I was quitting my job I started learning about all sorts of resources that accelerated and helped motivate my efforts.”

Stu set out on the road in May 2011, driving from Seattle down the west coast of the Americas, eventually ending in Argentina. While camping in his 1972 Volkswagen bus, he will be surfing, playing guitar, learning Spanish, participating in vipassana courses, volunteering, and “whatever else pops up”.

Julie – Boston Event

5 Weeks on the Road
Life Without Excuses

After attending Meet, Plan, Go! in September, Julie took a short-term leave of absence from work (as did her husband) and spent the month of January in Southeast Asia (Hong Kong, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore). “Going to the event in Boston was like finally admitting that ‘My name is Julie and I am a travelling addict’.”

Both Julie and Drew documented the planning stages and life on the road in their “Asian Adventure 2011” section of their blog.

Pablo – San Francisco Event

One Year on the Road
Latitudes-Longitudes

“I was very excited to know there are people organizing this type of meeting and giving a human-touch reality to the blogs and travel sites I followed for years. The biggest impact I got was to realize that I am not the only one taking a career break. Now I’ve been traveling for 3 months and I am as happy as I can be – this is my dream slowly becoming reality day by day.”

As Pablo is originally from Argentina, his blog is in Spanish [with English translation], and he has gained a big Latin readership. “I can’t believe how many people contacted me saying they needed the inspiration to know that a Latino can quit his job to travel the world.” So happy that he is inspiring others as well!

Kailey – Toronto Event

Two Year on the Road

Although Kailey had been dreaming of her around the world trip for three years, after attending our Toronto event, she was inspired to join our Basic Training class. “I’m glad I got to participate as a student. It was really fitting and gave me a lot of inside knowledge.” That knowledge has helped her on the road, which she set off for in December of 2010.

She is currently surfing her way through Australia before moving onto Fiji, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and India.

Ms. Half Empty – Washington DC Event

10 Weeks with Mr. Half Empty
Half Empty For Now

This couple is spending the summer of 2011 traveling around the world. They’ve dubbed this trip the “30/40 World Tour: Quest for Passion.” What does that mean? “I am 30-years-old and Mr. HalfFull is 40-years-old. These are supposed to be big decade birthdays, so we decided to do something big — namely, travel around the world!”

Their plans will take them to Fiji, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Australia, Mauritius, UAE, Germany, and Spain.

Renee – Boston Event

Undetermined Time on the Road
Career Breaking

For many years Renee dreamed of traveling. “After being stuck in a cubicle for a long time, too long, a door opened, and I made a run for it.” That run started in January 2011.

“Since January I have been in The Netherland Antilles, Mexico, and Ecuador. In the Spring I will be back in different areas of the US for a friends wedding in Florida and prewedding activities in MA, MN, and NYC.” After that she plans to visit Alaska and Canada for the summer then back down to South America for the Fall. “That’s the plan for now…plans seem to change.”

Jesse & Dave – New York City Event

One Year on the Road
JD Mesh

Jesse & Dave left on their journey shortly after attending the NYC September event. “We spent the first 3 months in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, then about 3 weeks in South Africa, 3 weeks in the Middle East, a quick European ski break in Austria (with some Germany and London thrown in), 6 weeks in India, a month in Thailand and a month in Nepal. We’ll spend the remaining 5ish months of our trip in SE Asia and then take the Trans-Siberian RR through Mongolia to Russia. If we have any time and money left, we’ll see some of Eastern Europe.”

Sarah – Washington DC Event

One Year Teaching English in Chiang Mai

Sarah applied for a teaching position at a University in Chiang Mai just days before attending Meet, Plan, Go! “I was then offered the position and had only three weeks to pack up my life and gather enough money for a plane ticket. Three yard sales later, with my car sold and my life reduced to a few tupper ware containers I was on my way to Thailand.”

In addition to teaching English, Sarah has been studying Thai, hiking the foothills of the Himalayas and biking the quiet sois of Northern Thailand every chance she gets.