Ever since I left Europe, I’ve gotten lots of questions about what’s next. I’ve been asked by you guys via Snapchat or in e-mails, from friends I recently re-connected with after being away, and even from people that I’m just meeting for the first time when they hear that I just moved back.
First and foremost, my answer isn’t that I’m simply going back to normal life at home. As dramatic as it may sound, my “normal" life died a long time ago. For a while that term could have meant having my same circle of friends I had always had. Then it spoke more to having a great corporate job. Then it was a season of navigating starting a business, followed by a season of planning to move abroad. Long story short, things have progressively become less and less “normal” in my life these past few years, so I wouldn’t really know which of those normal lives to go back to, even if I tried.
So if I’m not going “back to normal” that brings us back to the original question: what’s next?
The long term answer is that I’m still figuring that out. While I do have several possibilities I’m mulling over, the reality is that none of them are certain yet. I mean, do any of us actually know what we’ll be doing later this year? You may think you do, but life has a funny way of throwing us curveballs...
As for the short-term future, I’ve had something up my sleeve for a little while now that I’m excited to share: I’m hitting the road in February for a six-week road trip to the west coast and back!
Seeing so much of Europe made me realize how many places I still haven’t seen in my own country (there really are so many wonderful places to travel in the US). I’ve never seen the Grand Canyon or lots of other National Parks. I’ve never seen some of the amazing cities in the southwest. I’ve never been to some of the spots I’ve always wanted to go in cities where I’ve already been. So since I already had a few speaking gigs coming up at Universities out west (and since my car had a nice little break for about 5 months) I decided I want to hit the road and see some of the best travel destinations in the US before making any further plans abroad.
I’ll be using the next few weeks to sort out details from the last adventure and to prep for this next one. I can’t share all the confirmed locations just yet (gotta keep some mystery!) but to give you a little taste of what’s to come, expect to see travel guides featuring: SantaFe, The Grand Canyon, Palm Springs and a handful of surprises that I can’t wait to share!
I also have a few open slots in my itinerary if you’re interested in booking me to stop through your city and host a goal workshop for you and your friends. I love hosting these dinners + dreaming big with people, and there’s no better time than the first of the year to make the happen! Click below to learn more or shoot me a note at: theblondeatlas@gmail.com.
Lastly, if you have any requests for cities you’d like to see travel guides on or any suggestions you think I should check out, I’d love for you to share in the comments below!
Stay tuned for more details to come, and cheers to another year of adventure ahead!
xx- Whitney
