Oh The Places We Will Go...

The Itinerary

Pinch me, I am about to embark on a 6-month trip around the world with the love of my life.

This trip is my proudest manifestation yet, and confirms to me that anything is possible if you believe it to be true. Just a year ago, I was working semi-remotely, flying back and forth from California to Georgia where my boyfriend lives, daydreaming about my past 4 month adventure as a Digital Nomad. I was remote 98% of the time, but had to be in California 2% of the month due to my job and I was itching to plan the next trip that would top the last. My boyfriend, Richard, had an office job with the occasional work from home day with your typical 2 week vacation perk. There was no hope in sight I'd be able to explore for an extended period of time again if it meant I wanted to keep my job and my relationship...

Long story very short, the Universe worked in our favor and the active work of manifesting day in and day out finally came to fruition. Everything started to fall in place perfectly, one domino fell and all the rest followed. From getting laid off with no warning (everything truly does happen for a reason), to immediately starting a business 2 weeks later, to Richard talking with his boss about switching roles and working fully remote, to receiving an invitation to a South African wedding, to making my approaching 30th birthday dreams come true, all the stars aligned and we had the green light to create an itinerary of our dreams.

Now, convincing an introverted homebody to leave his routine, dogs, friends and family for a 6-month trip around the world as a working digital nomad with little travel experience under his belt, is no easy task. Yet, he knowingly has been competing with my other lover, travel, to claim the title of "Love of Jamie's Life". Instead of continuing the fight, he decided to embrace it, interested to see what my fuss was all about. The day Richard agreed to embark on this journey with me, was one of the happiest days of my life. We would start in my #1 bucket list destination, celebrating my 30th birthday to Bali, Indonesia for an entire month, an absolute dream come true. This first leg of the trip would not be possible without the most giving mother in the world, who purchased our flights as an early birthday gift, the absolute best gift I have ever received.

We then, will head to South Africa just in time for his best friend's wedding. On this leg of the trip I will finally see where Richard grew up, meet more members of his family, and explore South Africa through the eyes of a local for a little over a month. Safaris, road trips, whale watching, wine tasting and more! The next 3ish months are up in the air, as we hope to meet other digital nomads and see what friends we make, where they are headed, hear other destination recommendations, and go from there. But we have a rough idea of where we are hoping to explore including Egypt, Morocco, Spain, and Portugal.

Then, we head to the UK where I will get the chance to meet more members of his family for the first time including his brother! We will be with family for about 3 weeks before we separate. Mom will be meeting me in Southern Italy for a 2 week mommy-daughter trip while Richard stays with his brother in the UK. The three of us will reunite in Como Lake, Italy for a few days before heading to our final destination, Amsterdam. Making our trip a total of 6 months, from May 1 - October 29. Mom and I will head back home and Richard will depart back to Georgia for a month before he makes the permanent move to California before Christmas. Whew, what a year this will be!

What an opportunity this is not only for our lives individually, but for our relationship as a whole. We get to dive deeper into our love, learn more about each other in the best of times and stressful times (travel isn't always a walk in the park), bond with family members, make new friends, create limitless memories, and most of all realize my love for travel was never a competition for Richard at all, just a commonality waiting to be embraced. Richard, oh the places we will go....