Life Beyond Borders

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The first time I left the country, I was a fresh-faced, 26-year-old surfer girl living in Hawaii with a passion for exploring the ocean and going with the flow in all areas of life. I had a job that I loved, a loving and supportive community, AND I could hear the sounds of the Pacific Ocean from my bedroom.

I was living the dream.

I ate amazing food, lived on one of the world's most beautiful beaches and, absolutely LOVED my life. I’m not sure how I got so lucky, but life was good.

Then one day, seemingly out of the blue, I met a couple of guys from New Zealand who were visiting on holiday. I’d never heard a Kiwi accent before and to be honest, it took me a while to be able to understand what they were saying. I was amazed that we all spoke English but in such vastly different ways.

Meeting those two opened up a portal of possibility and new ideas. I realized that even though I was living in paradise, there was a whole world waiting to be discovered.

You see, somewhere deep down, I’d always wanted to travel to the far-flung places I’d seen in the pages of magazines. I’d wanted to do a semester abroad during university and backpack around Europe.

But, two things held me back - money & no one to go with.

Meeting those two Kiwis gave me the one thing I needed to take the leap and book my first international ticket - a couch to crash on on my arrival. 😂

Seriously! That’s all it took (go with the flow gal here, remember?!?) I spent the next 6 months working and saving money for my trip. I left (after missing my 1st flight - but, that’s a story for another day!) with $3k in my bank account, zero plans or a timeline, but with a ride from the airport once I got there. Winning!!

That $3,000, zero-plan trip turned into a journey that lasted 2.5 years and took me to 6 countries. And that journey shaped me into the person I am today.

You see, I needed to meet someone doing what I wanted to do. I needed to know that it was possible by seeing others do it. I needed someone to reflect back to me the possibilities I felt were available, but I didn’t yet know how to tap into.

Today’s guest is that person for so many people.

​Weekly Episode:​

Matt Kepnes - aka: NomadicMatt - started his travel blog as a side hustle while he worked teaching English abroad way back in 2008. At the time, he had no idea it would grow into the online travel resource that it is today.

Matt’s work continues to inspire people to explore the world and NomadicMatt.com is now an award-winning budget travel site. His writings and advice have been featured in countless publications such as The New York Times, CNN, The Guardian, Lifehacker, Budget Travel, BBC, Time, Fox, and the Wall Street Journal. He’s also a NYT bestselling author.

During our conversation, Matt shares the lessons he’s learned from a life of full-time travel, and we discuss why he’s chosen to slow down and have a home base after all these years.

I love that Matt and I were traveling the world around the same time. It’s hard to explain how different traveling was before the luxury of cell phones and 24/7 internet access, but in this episode, we dive into those changes and discuss the ways Matt has created balance in life through all these changes.

Matt is a wealth of knowledge. Click here to tune in and hear more of his story.

We all need that person in life to help guide us on the path we know is possible, but haven't seen modeled. If that's you, tune in. There is wisdom to guide you.

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To living beyond a life beyond borders,

Kim

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