Postponing my sabbatical

2020 would have marked the beginning of my sabbatical year. I would have quit my corporate job to adventure into the unknown. Ever since I started travelling (in my early twenties), I always dreamt of having a sabbatical, so I can fully enjoy the experience of travelling. Like most of you out there, I was never happy with the amount of annual leave I was entitled to.

That’s because it always felt like there was never enough time to properly enjoy a place. I was always rushing to squeeze as much as I could into my tiny holiday abroad. Booking night or very early flights so that I have more time for visiting was something I always did. But it never felt enough. On top of that, I felt jealous of all the long-term travellers I met during my trips. I wanted to be like them and get to the point where I would also say: OK, I think I’m tired of travelling. I will go home now. How is this even possible?? How can one possibly get tired of something so enjoyable like travelling?

I never felt more alive than when I was travelling. So I cannot imagine getting tired of it. Heading to the airport always made my heart beat faster. I never slept the night before the flight. Of pure excitement for going somewhere new. In 2014, I travelled to Peru, a country that’s so dear to my heart. That’s when I came across this quote:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.

Mark Twain

Ever since I read this piece of text on that hostel wall in Lima, I tried to live by it. And 2020 would have marked the supreme accomplishment of that lifestyle. Unfortunately, everything stopped in March 2020 due to COVID-19, including my long-term travel plans.

I started this travel blog thanks to Covid19

Since March 2020, I kept myself busy to forget I cannot travel for now. I never imagined my sabbatical would be postponed by a global pandemic. But, here we are, and we must carry on. The way I chose to carry on is by starting this travel blog. I wanted to remember how good it felt when I was on my way to the airport. I wanted to keep alive my travel memories for when I will be able to travel again.

Every time I went through sad times, I found consolation in writing. Writing has always been my therapy and something I encourage people to use when they feel blue. So here I am, writing about past travels and thinking of new ones for when things will calm down a bit (fingers crossed it happens soon). I hope my past travel experiences will inspire many people to start planning their next epic trips (once it’s safe to travel again). Until then, I would like to stay connected with fellow travellers, share dreams and plans and learn about your pre-COVID-19 travel experiences. As well as your post-COVID-19 travel plans too.

Who and how can you benefit from The Next Epic Trip?

This blog aims to be a source of inspiration for anyone interested in long-term travelling. Although I use my 10y worth of travelling experience as a solo female traveller, the blog posts provide travel tips, insights and itineraries adapted to a wider audience. I use my knowledge of living and working in over 5 European countries and travelling to a dozen more (European and non-European destinations) to come up with the best travel advice and itineraries. Through my easy-to-follow itineraries, and insightful stories of places I was fortunate to call home for a while, I provide authentic reviews to help people get a sense of what a particular place is like.

Ultimately, by telling my travel stories, I aim to help YOU find inspiration for your next epic trip! So that you do not have any regrets, just like Mark Twain’s quote.

2023 Updates

I felt this section needed some updating, so here we go. If you’ve scrolled around this website, you’ve probably noticed you won’t see much of me. That’s because I’m more comfortable staying behind my blog posts, hence my decision to start this travel blog and not focus that much on IG & YouTube accounts (although I do have them for marketing purposes).

Me hiking the Tataco Desert in Colombia

 

 

 

 

 

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Me hiking the Tatacoa Desert in Colombia 

Nevertheless, I want to let everyone know that there is a real person behind this travel blog (although she won’t show her face too much). And that person finally quit her corporate job and started travelling full-time, the same way she hoped to do in 2020.

To give a brief timeline, In March 2023, I quit my job, and in July 2023, I started travelling full-time around Latin America for 1 year. Finally, I’m living my lifetime dream, which I’m documenting through (I hope) useful blog posts about Latin America here.

My reflections on this 1y solo travel adventure through Central & South America are also captured under this blog category.

Since I’ve been on the road, I already published a few blog posts and have more lined up for publishing in the next few weeks. The plan is to write at least one blog post about every Latin American country I travel to. Let me know if you have curiosities & questions about any of the countries I will be in.

The quickest way to find out where I currently am is through my social media accounts. As you can imagine, it takes me longer to publish a blog post. If you want to keep up to date with my travels, I suggest keeping an eye on my Facebook and Instagram accounts, where I am the most active.

Thank you for taking some of your precious time to read about The Next Epic Trip. It means more to me than you can imagine!

Mina (the person behind the Next Epic Trip)