One of my life dreams was to retire early and spend three months per year in a foreign country, preferably somewhere in Europe, exploring and really taking time for a deep dive into the area. When I was working full time and only vacationing, here's what I heard:
"That's exciting!"
"What a great dream!"
"I can't wait to follow your adventures!"
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| My life plan is still a work in progress! |
Lots of positive feedback when I was in the planning stages of my future life and making daily decisions about how to live simply so that one day I could retire early and turn my travel dreams into real life.
Now I'm there! Woo hoo!! Retired from the legal profession, designing hats, helping people create amazing trips, and - yes - visiting Europe for roughly three months per year. And the response? Mostly amazing and supportive ... but occasionally, it's like this:
"Must be nice."
"Lucky you, traveling for free!"
Honestly? It *is* nice! But it's a lot of work: I have spent nearly a year planning this year's Curated in Residence eight-week route:
* researching destinations,
* figuring out lodging and transportation that meets both my preferences and my budget,
* prioritizing activities and reserving must-book-in-advance experiences,
* learning to say "I'm allergic to" in the local language of every place I visit,
* etc. etc. etc.
And is it free? Hardly.
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| How do I gather the best travel intel? I travel just like you do. |
Part of my goal as a travel advisor is to provide real honest feedback. No kickbacks. No "stay for free and write a review" trades. Just researching and gathering information so I can bring you, my trusting clients and fans, valid and accurate information.
And I pay full price for every single thing.
Sure, some travel professionals choose to ask for discounts and freebies. That's the perk of being a travel advisor, right? Maybe. But I prefer to give reviews without external influence, no matter how subtle that influence may be, so you can have the best experiences and make decisions based on the most accurate information available.
So when you see my tagline at the end of every blog saying "Just good travel info ... all Curated by Karla," you can know it's true.
And when we collaborate to plan your special vacation, you're going to get my honest feedback based on years and years of experience. Whether you are 5-Star everything or prefer traveling on a shoestring, I work hard to ensure that you have the trip you've envisioned at a price point you can afford.
Your Trip, Your Way.
As for me? I'm living my dream life. And it's nice. And yes, I'm lucky and grateful that I get to live it. But please don't think it just fell into my lap. My current life is the culmination of decades of hard work and living intentionally with this future in mind.
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| New Year's Resolutions? How about Life Resolutions instead! |
Can you do it, too? Sure! What *is* your dream life? What decisions can you make today to bring it to fruition? I don't have any advice, but I can promise you this.
When you make your dreams come true, this is what you're going to hear from me:
"Amazing! Congrats!!"
"Awesome! I'm so proud to know you!"
"Cheers to your success!"
And then I'll ask, "Where should we go to celebrate?" And then the next planning phase will begin.
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(No ads. No subscriptions. Just good travel info ... all Curated by Karla.)
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