Tag: Travel

Tuna Pizza

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I caught a little bit of crap from my sister for not trying rabbit the other day for lunch.  Be adventurous Casey!

Yeah.  Well.  I ate some sort of tuna salad pizza yesterday and you know what?  I didn’t hate it!  Might have had something to do with the bottles of vino that cost 6 euro, can’t say for sure.

This post is going to be as random as tuna pizza.  Ready for it?

  1. We are 4 miles from the beach.

    @ Playa Malvarrosa

  2. Said beach may or may not be topless.
  3. Apparently there is no age limit for opting for toplessness.  You go girl.
  4. I like people who like Game of Thrones.  We’ve got a crew.
  5. Bronn is back!  Hooray!  (that’s a GOT reference and I’m skipping the spoiler alert because if I watched it from Spain, you can watch it within 4 days)
  6. Flamenco is an art form native to Spain that involves singing, guitar playing, hand clapping, finger snapping, and dancing.
  7. Flamenco fucking rocks.
  8. New career path: become a Flamenco dancer.
  9. The key to lunch in Valencia is ordering the daily special, which is a 3 course meal plus a drink for under 10 euro.
  10. The other key to lunch is asking for the bill when dessert comes out.  Otherwise you sit and wait. And wait. And wait.
  11. There’s no need to spend $$ on a gym when you have workout buddies in the park.
  12. Through trying to speak Spanish I realized how much French I’ve retained from high school.  And how unhelpful that is.
  13. Ordering tapas with 30 people can be a challenge.

    Happy birthday Kiran!

  14. Ordering tapas with 30 people is great fun.
  15. Ordering tapas with 30 people doesn’t work if you don’t bring cash.
  16. It’s fun to have roomies again.

    Casey, Cassie, & Gianna pretending to be one of Drumpf’s many wives

A VERY Packed Suitcasey

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I can’t name my blog after luggage without a proper packing post!  So here we are.  Two sleeps til Spain!

I normally wear a lot of colors – think neon green pencil skirts – and do not shy away from patterns.  So staying neutral with the ability to mix and match was a challenge!  But I think I threw in enough color to last until I inevitably pick up a few fun pieces abroad.  I’ve tried to research packing tips and ‘clothing capsules’ and trends like that, but found the easiest thing to do was pull out what I wanted, lay it out on a bed or table, and see how everything works together. Very visual and hands-on.

This is not an exhaustive list because (A) I’m still making a few tweaks and (B) I’m not listing out things like mascara.  So imagine this plus a few more things in one checked bag and one backpack.  For one year.  Pray for me. 🙏🏼

THE LIST 

  • 3 shorts
  • 3 blue jeans
  • 1 black jeans
  • 1 black slacks
  • 2 skirts (one black, one patterned)
  • 2 cardigans (one black and one leopard)
  • 1 long sleeve chambray shirt
  • 1 vest
  • 2 leather jackets
  • 2 sweaters
  • 1 rain jacket shell
  • 4 neutral tee shirts
  • 1 I ❤ NY tee
  • 3 dressier tank blouses
  • 6 long sleeve shirts
  • 4 layering tank tops
  • 1 crop top heck yes
  • 1 patterned day dress
  • 1 black maxi dress
  • 1 black long sleeved dress
  • 1 nighttime VaVaVoom dress
  • 2 pajama pants
  • 1 nightgown
  • 2 capri workout pants
  • 3 workout/sleep shorts
  • 2 workout tees
  • 4 workout tanks
  • 1 workout long sleeve layer
  • Undies and socks
  • 1 black bra, 1 nude bra, 1 strapless bra
  • 4 bathing suits (mix and match)
  • 1 coverup
  • 2-3 scarves (haven’t decided)
  • Pillowcase
  • Hair towel turban
  • Sleeping bag liner
  • Travel towel
  • Purifying water bottle (LifeStraw)
  • Makeup (in Asia a lot of products contain bleach so I needed to stock up)
  • Sunnies
  • Sunscreen
  • Bug spray w/ DEET
  • All the fun toiletries like wipes and hand sanitizer and pepto bismal for the inevitable dirty bathroom experience
  • First aid kit
  • Malaria pills
  • Altitude sickness meds
  • A few courses of antibiotics
  • Flashlight
  • Spork
  • Sneakers
  • Sperry boat shoes
  • 1 pair athletic flip flops
  • 1 pair gold flip flops
  • Black gladiator sandals
  • Nude wedge (had to have a heel!)
  • Toms
  • Universal adapter
  • USB ethernet converter for laptop
  • Ethernet cable
  • External hard drive
  • Power bank
  • Laptop
  • Kindle
  • Unlocked iphone + extra chargers and headphones
  • Bluetooth speaker
  • New bank account with Charles Schwab (free international ATM use!)
  • International medical insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Vaccines and vaccine booklet (typhoid, yellow fever, re-upped my TDAP, and Japanese encephalitis)
  • Slack
  • Google Translate
  • Dropbox
  • Duolingo

 

All this – under 50 pounds in the checked bag!  Feeling a whole lot more relieved now that this is completed and can focus on being excited for the trip! I have 2 roomies to befriend and 74 other Remotes to meet.  I’ll check back once I’ve touched down in Valencia!

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!