One Challenging Customer

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Had a WHY THE HELL IS THIS SUCH A PAIN moment at the mall this week, followed by a call to my dad followed by me being labeled a ‘challenging customer’ at Verizon.  So my first week of not working a corporate full-time job is going juuuuuust great.

International phone plans have been a serious dilemma for me (and it seems, for most of my future cohort with Remote Year).  Unlocked phones, SIM cards, data options, and trying to keep the same 908 NJ number that I’ve grown irrationally attached to, coupled with ridiculous customer service from multiple carriers is enough to make your head spin.  And this week, it left me in the food court of a mall crouched down with my hands on my head. Fortunately for you, international vacations less than 90 days come with many cost-effective options for unlimited data and no shenanigans.  But for me, I’m all set. Thanks T Mobile for your medium-caliber hassle, hopefully decent international data, and zero coverage in New Jersey where I currently living.  FaceTime only suckers!

I know I’m going to have many WHY THE HELL IS THIS SUCH A PAIN moments and I won’t be able to call anyone (not because my cell service sucks, which is likely true too, but because I’ll be an ocean away).  Why is it that in times of frustration -mostly technology or car induced, I wish it would be simpler? Why can’t I figure it out right away? Really, I just wish someone would help me.  Someone being dad/mom/boyfriend/haha yeah right boyfriend/friend/butler named Sven.  I envy people who have ‘their person’ that they call in times of need (like when the Dominos app isn’t accepting my debit card).   My ‘person’ this year is me and only me. Relying on myself by myself.  Getting lost in Belgrade or suffering food poisoning in Peru.  Or accidentally-on-purpose ordering 2 cases of Argentinean wine.  Hope I can hack it!

Shoot.  Seriously though can someone help with the Dominos app?  Sven, need ya for a minute buddy.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

The Big ‘WHY’

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June of 2011 I started as the sole human resources representative for my company and now, 5 years later, I am walking away from my HR team, my Operations team, a Vice President title, and coworkers who were my entire community in order to travel the world with Remote Year.  It’s a big piece of my life to leave behind and I want to put into words the reason why I’m leaving — because when I walked out the doors for the last time yesterday, I had to remind myself of that very thing – Why I’m Leaving.

I recently found a scrap of paper from 2009 when I was at a job I didn’t really love and was looking to make a change.  I had brainstormed a list of Things I Would Do If I Didn’t Have to Work.  If I had all the money in the world, how would i occupy myself?  What were my passions?  [Note: this is a very millennial concept but deal with it, I’m a millennial]  #1 on the list was travel.  Travel has been a value for me for years.  Even with a normal full-time gig, I’ve made travel a priority for my budget and vacation time.   In the past 12 months I’ve been to Jamaica, San Antonio, Charleston, Vegas, Bermuda, Nashville, California, Aruba, Florida, & Minnesota, but I’m never satisfied.  Every time I come home from a trip, I start planning my next one.

I’m leaving because I want to travel.  But that’s too easy of an answer, isn’t it?  I’m leaving because I haven’t ever lived more than 3 hours away from the spot I grew up.  I’m leaving because I haven’t been meeting new people and it’s not for lack of trying.  I’m leaving because I’m afraid I only have one skewed perception of the world and find it difficult sometimes to see others points of view.  I’m leaving because that perception may end up hurting me professionally in the long run.  I’m leaving because my personal life isn’t what I want it to be.  I’m leaving because I’ve always been jealous of my brother’s years living abroad.  I’m leaving because I have the opportunity to do so and WHY THE HELL NOT?

I’ve been so satisfied with my role at my current company and I am extremely proud of how hard I’ve worked especially through multiple company acquisitions.  I am proud of my teams and how we were able to motivate and drive each other.  I’m so sad to leave the coworkers who felt like family but I know they’ll continue to flourish even without me sprinting through the hall in heels or my clip art emails.  Shout out to all the hugs and tears yesterday, you know how to make a girl feel loved.

I’m taking this trip because I need to.  Because I’m not scared.  Because I’m confident in my ability to be scrappy and be sure I am consistently employed.    Because I’m also confident in my ability to come back to the states and find another corporate job after the year is over if that’s what’s necessary.  I’m taking this trip to grow and learn and explore and drink wine and let go and have fun and live in and embrace the messiness and chaos that is sure to come with a gypsy life.  Thanks for all of your support.

Pirate Hats, Penguins, and Professional Goals for the Year

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Ferdinand Magellan, who I did a report on in the 5th grade while wearing a giant newspaper pirate hat, and also who my Remote Year group is named after, was a Portugese explorer in the early 1500s. He is known as the first person to organize a circumnavigation of the Earth.  And that’s also what I’ll be doing this year – going around the world.

My itinerary is:

  1. June: Valencia, Spain
  2. July: Lisbon, Portugal
  3. August: Rabat, Morocco
  4. September: Sofia, Bulgaria
  5. October: Belgrade, Serbia
  6. November: Hanoi, Vietnam
  7. December: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  8. January: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  9. February: Lima, Peru
  10. March: Córdoba, Argentina
  11. April: Buenos Aires, Argentina
  12. May: Santiago, Chile

Click here for some more info on each location: http://www.remoteyear.com/itinerary-4

I spent some time last night working on a list of my personal and professional goals for the year.  This was a surprisingly challenging process that involved 2 glasses of wine and a hard look at why I did this in the first place.  So let’s start with the easy goals – the professional ones.

Goal #1: Work with locals to gain insight into country-specific HR trends, needs, and issues. This will allow me to improve HR policies for international companies, based on the needs of each office location.

Goal #2: Gain an insight into the common HR-related needs of employees who work remotely.

Goal #3: Collaborate with others in the tech and marketing industries to help with the launch of a side entrepreneurial project.

In other news, Magellan was also the first person to note the South American penguins, which were thus named the Magellanic penguins.  Expect some penguin selfies from me in Argentina. #RYMagellan
  

You are not a tree.

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If you don’t like where you are, move.  You are not a tree.

I’m not sure if what my motivation app had in mind was me quitting my job, breaking my lease, and traveling the world for a year, but that’s what I’m doing.  My hope is that this blog post (and the dozens to follow) will give you a sense of what I’m doing and why I’m doing it and what you can learn and apply to your own life and travels.

It started with an innocent little sponsored Instagram ad for Remote Year.  RY is “A group of interesting people traveling together while working remotely.”  My first thought was “This is too awesome to be real!” So I applied.  Round One, Round Two, Interview, ACCEPTANCE.  40,000 applicants for 75 spots.  I said yes and haven’t looked back.  Well, maybe a slight peek over my shoulder, but for dramatic effect let’s just say HAVEN’T LOOKED BACK.

From June 2016 through May 2017, I will telecommute and circle the globe, living in a different city each month.  Think of it like a study abroad program for grown-ups.  I’ll be working as an independent Human Resources consultant for a few companies based in the states, while hitting Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Bulgaria, Serbia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Peru, Argentina, and Chile.  I’m gone for a year.  Wanna keep up?  Want to see how I’ve found out how to work from my couch?  Or from a cafe in Lisbon?  Or a rooftop in Buenos Aires?  Want to know where to get the best pho in Hanoi?  Or the best … what exactly do they serve in Serbia?  Well, where to get the best of whatever that is?  Follow this blog!  And on Instagram @apackedsuitcase_y

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This baby’s about to get a lot more use!