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4 Lessons I Learned from Travel

October 26, 2016
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I don’t know many people who never dream of escaping to the beach or cuddling up with a good book in the mountains every once in awhile.  The jury’s out: vacation is fun.  Duh.  And even though most of us have had the opportunity to get out and see some part of the world (even if it’s just a few hours from home), there’s always something new to learn.  With travel becoming a bigger priority in my life recently, I’d like to share some things I’ve learned beyond what to pack and where to stay.4-lessons-i-learned-from-travel-free-desktop-phone-wallpaper-download

Travel changes you.

Hi, my name is Kristin, and I’m Type A.  I may not say these words at the beginning of a friendship, but I promise you’ll find out in about 5 minutes.  Inefficiency drives me CRAZY.  I’m a planner at heart, and lists are a must.  This personality is conducive to leadership and task completion but for living in the moment?  Ehh, not the easiest thing for me.  But travel has taught me immensely to appreciate the Type A in me as well as take a chill pill or two.  When you know that you only have a specific amount of time in one city, it’s easier to go in with the mindset of living to the fullest.  This summer I visited Los Angeles, but due to the fact that I was at a conference for 12 days, I really only had one weekend to explore downtown.  And when a wild sty on my eye put me in the urgent care for one of these days, I wasn’t thrilled.  But nothing sucks the life out of a trip like freaking out and getting upset.  I was really bummed that I didn’t get to go to the Santa Monica Pier, but hey, that just means I have to go back to L.A. again.

But at the same time, travel changes you.

After experiencing the beauty and healing powers of travel, I know it’s grown me and developed me in ways I couldn’t have from home.  But then again, travel doesn’t transform you into an entirely different person.  You think that you’ll turn into this fantastic new woman after you’ve backpacked through Europe and climbed Mount Everest.  You’ll definitely gather some new memories and bragging rights, but you’re still you.  And that’s not a bad thing.  Before I moved this past August, I thought I’d blossom into this totally different person.  Yeah, I’ve blossomed, but I’m still an aspiring crazy-cat lady and quite the klutz.  You may think that since the Colosseum or Big Ben is in the photo that you’ll snap your fingers and become the classy picture-perfect friend that everyone aspires to be.  But this really isn’t reality.  Travel is about development and personal growth; it’s not exchanging you for someone else.los-angeles-flight-airplane-travel-round-trip

You don’t have to go far.

Now that you already know I’m Type A, it’s only fitting that you know that it’s pretty much my life goal to be French.  But I don’t exactly live close to France.  Through this, I’ve found that travel isn’t so much as an activity as it is a mindset—a mindset of exploration and adventure.  I may not have the cash to jet set the globe on a regular basis, but it’s not hard to explore my hometown or nearby cities.  You may not be staying in a hotel or traveling with a tour guide, but diving deep into your own city can satisfy wanderlust.  And in some ways, being a tourist in your own town can be more enjoyable because you have a long amount of time to truly get to know the city.  And it’s not hundreds or thousands of dollars up front.  You may live in a small town, but have you tried out that one restaurant you’ve driven past a million times?  Even a short drive can open you up to an entirely different culture.  I dare you.

Not everyone is like you.

I’m sure you know this well just thinking back to the people you weren’t crazy about in high school.  But I’m not just talking liking coffee over tea or sweet over salty.  On a mission trip just 30 minutes away from home, I met refugees who could barely speak English and ate meals that didn’t look like mine.  Even a trip to Los Angeles revealed a much different culture: a mix of beach vibes and cosmopolitan city life.  Even talking to friends from China and France, I’ve learned they listen to music and watch movies in different languages.  I absolutely love that my friend listens to American music even though she doesn’t understand every last word.  I feel like this is something deeply engrained into the culture: engaging with the unknown even if it isn’t comfortable at first.  And America could sure use some culturing and understanding of other people’s backgrounds.

Travel is not some frou-frou activity for the rich and famous.  It shapes and develops you in ways staying home can’t.  What has travel taught you, and how have you grown through leaving home?  I’d love to hear about it!  And bonus: there are some free desktop and phone wallpaper downloads below to soothe your wanderlust!!

Bises,

Kristin

Desktop Background/Desktop Wallpaper Downloads:Version 3Version 2Version 2

Phone Wallpaper/Lock Screen Downloads(fits iPhone 6 best):Version 2Version 2Version 2

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  1. My 4 Biggest Travel Regrets (+ Giveaway!) – Round Trip says:
    April 12, 2017 at 11:14 am

    […] promises adventure, exploration and experience.  I’ve learned so much about myself and others just by driving or flying hours away.  Whether it be practicing my several […]

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Hi, I'm Kristin. I'm a content creator teaching English in southern France. I'm all about exploring new places, practicing my French and sharing blogging tips. Allez-viens!
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Hi, I'm Kristin. I'm a content creator teaching English in southern France. I'm all about exploring new places, practicing my French and sharing blogging tips. Allez-viens!
learn more about my story

Want free access to my 30-minute travel budgeting course?

#IMO sipping coffee with a friend is truly one of #IMO sipping coffee with a friend is truly one of the best pleasures in life☕ 

Nothing beats finding a new drink to order (or your go-to beverage) and sharing it with another human. I love that coffee seems to spur deep, real, uninterrupted conversations with one another. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve received some of the best advice + wisdom all over coffee dates💗

⌛But as humans, we only have so many hours in a day. Add in time and geographical differences, plus jobs + commitments + kids. And the window for sipping coffee with a friend closes ever so slowly.

👏Here’s the thing: as much as I love creating content for my blog and social channels, I wanted to create a more immersive, intimate experience than a 700-word post or a Cheese of the Week Insta story. I wanted to create some sort of coffee-date ambience with the wonderful humans who have been following and cheering me on along this crazy journey.

📖Enter Round Trip: The Magazine, a 20+ page physical + digital experience with both tips and heart. I love providing practical content for my blog readers — and there is PLENTY of that in my magazine — but I long to show you the other side of the coin. 

✏️The anxiety and fear behind edited Instagram photos. The hustle that is saving every last penny to move abroad. The vulnerability of inserting yourself into a new culture and language. The panic that is navigating Covid lockdowns far from home. The wild goose chase that’s called following down your passions till your body aches.

In these pages, I answer all of the questions that I’ve been getting about my life abroad and from asking you what you want to know. Ever wondered what life in lockdown in France looked like? Curious about the day in the life of an English teacher in France? Ready to explore France beyond just Paris and drool over the most darling French villages? Ouais, it’s all in there.

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Hi, it's been a minute, and I'd love to reintroduc Hi, it's been a minute, and I'd love to reintroduce myself👋

🇺🇸I'm a Missouri girl living in southern France where I teach English to French kiddos and update my blog, Round Trip. I moved here in the height of Covid last fall, and boy, do I have some STORIES that I dish in my brand new magazine (keep scrolling for the dirty deets)

🐝I majored in magazine editing and would love to talk your ear off about the Oxford comma. Oh, and I won the school spelling bee in 7th grade. Yep, I peaked😂

💃I'm a middle child, and I don't let my family forget that. I've always loved the attention, and I suppose that manifests in my addiction to glitter and leopard print.

📖This week I launched Round Trip: The Magazine, a 20-page print + digital experience. It’s jam-packed with articles about how I moved to France during a pandemic, the best French villages to add to your bucket list and how I saved $7,000 to move abroad. I spill the tea on how travel and life abroad has taught me the best lessons about insecurity and confidence, heartbreak and love👀

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(giveaway) What's a magazine launch week without a (giveaway) What's a magazine launch week without a giveaway?!💥 I recently announced my latest project, Round Trip: The Magazine. This 20-page physical + digital magazine is jam-packed with articles on how I made the move to France during a pandemic, the best French villages to visit, how I saved thousands of dollars to travel and the lessons I've learned through travel. And lots, lots more!

🎉Here's how to enter my giveaway (it takes 30 seconds!):
1️⃣Like this post
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😳Here’s a little secret for you: I was terrif 😳Here’s a little secret for you: I was terrified I would fall flat on my face. Now I’m happy and loving every second of life in France, but let’s rewind the clock back to one year ago, shall we?

⏰I was a mess. Last spring, it’d already been several months since I submitted my application to teach English in France. My heart was set on living abroad. And it was shattered as headlines and exclamation points littered the world with this virus called Covid.

🙈Between March and August, I might as well have had the words “I don’t know” tattooed on my forehead. My heart was constantly in flux: do I keep fighting for a dream that exists only in abstract? Or do I give up my dream to move abroad because life is too complicated or rather it’s just not possible?

🍳I had put all my eggs in one basket. I’d told everyone that the plan was to move to France, and now all of life’s questions could be summed up in a slew of question marks. I feared embarrassment and failure. But more than anything, I had long dreamed of living in France. It wasn’t only a question of pride but of passion.

⏩Fast forward to today: I’ve been living in France for six months, and although it’s not always perfect, I’m in love with my life here. Sincerely. I take walks around my neighborhood, look around and constantly say to myself, “Is this seriously my life?”

❓I get a lot of questions about my life in France. And for this reason along with the journey to get here, I decided to create something. This week, I'm launching Round Trip: The Magazine. It’s a 20+ page magazine (digital or physical — you pick!) filled with stories, travel tips, language learning ideas, bucket list destinations and beyond. Plus, a password-protected online portal with bonus content.

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(big news!) ☎️Travel called — it wants you b (big news!) ☎️Travel called — it wants you back. The cabin fever is real as we’ve been cooped up in our homes for the past however many months. Whether you’re booking a flight ASAP or wanting to play it safe for a while, many of us have been daydreaming about travel. We miss the thrill of takeoff, the exhilaration of exploration, the elation of discovery.

✈️That's why TODAY I’m launching Round Trip: The Magazine, a 20+ page physical + digital experience. It’s jam-packed with articles about how I moved to France during a pandemic, the best French villages to add to your bucket list and how I saved $7,000 to move abroad.

❤️My heart in creating this magazine is to provide a more immersive, intimate experience than my blog posts and Instagram stories. 

🍵It’s more than just the practical tips but also the raw + real, juicy deets. I spill the tea on how travel and life abroad has taught me the best lessons about insecurity and confidence, heartbreak and love.

I’ve spent HOURS pouring my heart into these pages, and I’m confident these words will not only help you plan your future trips but also inspire you to chase your passions harder.

Today the pre-sale (and sale price!) is available to my email subscribers. Not on the list? Comment 💥and I'll add you to the list. Allez-y !

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Sometimes I just don’t believe my life🙈 Toda Sometimes I just don’t believe my life🙈

Today we took a casual 20ish minute boat ride to a nearby island I can see from my backyard. We hiked up to the ancient fort and danced to music mere feet from ruins — all with views of the Mediterranean Sea and Marseille in all her sunny glory.

I think back to a year ago when my life felt heavy and full of question marks. I think of all the hoops I jumped through and all the doors God opened for me to be here. I think of the daily prayers for answers, long walks to let out the stress and the anxious tears.

And friends, it was all worth it. What a beautiful thing reflection is! What an amazing thing it is to see the pain that was and the joy that is! 

The months leading up to moving to France were absolute mayhem, but oh, I am so beyond glad I didn’t quit when it was hard. Because I am in absolute love with my life in southern France☀️
Been kinda quiet on the socials as of late👀I've Been kinda quiet on the socials as of late👀I've been soaking up the Marseille sunshine with long walks, picnics and the not-so occasional ice cream😋

💪I've also been hard at work. For the past two months, I've been creating my latest project, Round Trip: The Magazine. I've sent out surveys, edited and workshopped this piece for hours upon hours. And I am delighted to say I am all set to launch in APRIL!!

🤔What is this so-called magazine, and why should I care? Alas, in September, I moved to France to teach English — yes, in the middle of a pandemic. It's been quite the wild ride, and along the way, I've been getting lots of questions about my journey here.

I also wanted to take my blog to the next level. As much as I love sharing my travel tips + life abroad peeks on my blog and social channels, I longed to provide a more immersive, intimate experience. Ya know, like a coffee date with your best gal pal?☕

Given that I have a degree in magazine editing, I thought it only fitting to answer the questions, share my stories and dish all the dirty deets in magazine format. And I am sooo stoked for next month's launch!! Want to be first to hear when this magazine drops and to get the pre-sale price? Comment with ⭐and I'll add you to my insiders list.

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