As I said in an earlier post, I’m saying goodbye to Chicago and starting a journey to Sydney starting June 4th.

Why

I need to break out of my comfort cocoon. The idea of giving up my comfortable life here in Chicago terrifies me. And that is the point. It’s far too easy to become a prisoner to familiarity, so I’m consciously breaking routine to pursue growth – to have new experiences. I’m an experience junky that craves variety.

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. – Marcus Aurelius

There is no state of slavery more disgraceful than one which is self-impose. – Seneca

I saw the trajectory of my life and where I would be in 5, 10 years and it bored me. My inner voice was telling me that it is time for big change. I’m a firm believer in listening to the lure of the little voice. If you don’t, it will die, taking a big chunk of you along with it.

What

I’m spending the summer on an extended holiday before making my way to Sydney to live & work. The work visa is good for 1 year, with a possibility to get it extended, although I don’t look that far ahead and I’m taking it one day at a time. My confirmed travel plan is as follows:

Chicago > Dublin > Barcelona > Madrid > Barcelona> London> Athens > Istanbul > Bangkok > Sydney > ???

How

No, I’m not wealthy, nor am I a trust fund baby (I wish – kind of!). This adventure has become a reality due to a combination of the following:

• A well paying job in Chicago combined with a simple lifestyle allowed me to save a significant amount of money
• Amazing friends and personal contacts in Europe and Sydney are helping to drive down the costs of living and connecting me with potential jobs (thanks Adam, Keyan, Jose, Oriol & Diego)
• Working holiday visa that allows me to work in Sydney
• A whole lot of perseverance

I’ll document my extract costs in a future post.