Moving to Argentina – Official Announcement

Saying goodbye to Vermont is hard in the summer, it’s so beautiful!

I get to see this guy again! #longdistancesucks

I find that traveling as a tourist is more difficult than traveling as an expat. As an expat you are getting an insider’s view. I rarely travel as a tourist, so I can’t wait to share my new expat experiences as this journey begins.

I’ve moved out of my home already and now am staying at my mom’s place until the weekend. Then I will be flying down to Virginia to stay with my sister and brother-in-law for a few days before my flight. I’ve stuffed everything I want to take into two suitcases. On the plane I will just have a backpack and purse. If you are moving somewhere take less than you think you should, because you will be buying new things where you are going and traveling light is so much easier. On the same note, it can be worth it to pay overweight luggage fees when necessary. Moving somewhere and just cannot seem to pare down your bags to below the 50lb limit? Then don’t, and add the fee into your budget. If you prepare, then you can spend less on a going away dinner and more on those luggage fees. Fees on flights can be a real bitch, so be sure to do your research prior to buying a ticket and prior to flying. You can find baggage policies and hidden fees on airline websites, they are always available and usually easy to find.

When I pack I find funky headbands & take selfies to procrastinate.

I like to make my in-transit experience as pleasant as possible, particularly on very long flights. That is why I try to pack my carry on into just a regular backpack and my purse. It makes getting on and off the planes quicker, and doesn’t hinder your mad dashes between connecting flights. I have less than 90 minutes to make a connecting flight in Columbia, I am making that flight, ain’t nobody got time to be stuck in an airport all night. I know how much it sucks to be stuck in an airport overnight when you can’t wait to make it to your destination. A big bag will just slow me down!

From one of my India journals, I was kinda homesick.

I’ve traveled enough and lived abroad enough to know that I am jumping into the unknown. I know there will be struggles adjusting to a new country. I know that I will get homesick and I know that living abroad isn’t always the fairy tale it sets out to be. It’s still life, and people there are going about their lives the same way you are going about yours at home. If I mean to accomplish anything in my travels and in my writing, it’s to connect people. I want to see how others live and understand the complexities of life as an experience that is different for every person. I want to show you why we need cultural diversity. I also want to be a set of eyes for those who cannot travel to the places I can. I do things other people don’t: I taught English and math at a Tibetan Buddhist Nunnery in the Himalayas of India for a summer; I traveled around Dehli and Agra solo; I traveled alone when I went abroad for the first time; I volunteered on an organic farm in Ireland; I studied archaeology in England; I worked in daycares and nurseries in Scotland; now I’m moving to Argentina. I am the girl next door, I’ve just been infected with the travel bug.

Follow my adventures here, I’ll be writing about my travels and experiences in South America, as well as flashing back to my past travels!