Alright ya’ll, let me tell you about expat, english teacher, and solo female traveler Kayla Marie!
She’s fire. She’s flame. She’s an Aries (as if you couldn’t tell) and she is here to INSPIRE YOU to live your life for YOU.
Travel goal after travel goal, I’ve had plenty of people tell me, “Wow, you actually made it happen.”
Of course, I did. I set a global goal, strategically planned, and did it regardless of my fears.
I’m no Ariana Grande fan, but as she sings, “I want it, I buy it.” I say, “I want it, I make it happen.”
My point is, too many people see their travel goals as unrealistic or beyond what they can achieve – but that’s not true! It’s about perception.
The world is right at our fingertips, and it can be right in front of our feet if we truly desire (and have the resources, of course!)
What kindles your fire?
Do you want to back-pack longterm?
Create more travel opportunities?
Study, work, or volunteer abroad?
How about pursue an international lifestyle?
My mission is to inspire you to take the leap and feed your fire, regardless of doubts that hold you back.
I created this blog for brave, solo (and budget) adventuresses who want to take on the world and aren’t sure where to start.
Plus, as an expat in Taiwan, I share in-depth information on how to relocate and build a new life in this wonderful country.
I’m here to inspire you to hustle & see the world you wanna see.
It’s time to stop ignoring the goals you truly want to pursue and I’m here to provide the inspiration and practical information on how to do it.
Here’s a taste of what you can expect to find:
Google Voice: The Essential & Free Travel App For U.S. Citizens Abroad
Why & How I left the United States
How To Book A Spontaneous Trip On a Budget
Why You’ll Regret Not Studying Abroad In College
My Story:
The Mini-Version:
I’ve dreamt of living abroad since I was a teenager and my first international travel to the Philippines lit a small fire inside me.
Since then, I took as many opportunities to experience our world as I could.
By the time college had ended, I had traveled to Mexico on a group spring-break trip, visited my best friend in London and Paris, and studied abroad in South Africa.
After college, I began planning my official move abroad — selecting Taiwan as my destination to live and teach English.
I worked and saved for months to make my goals possible: backpack Central America, then move to Taiwan.
& here I am today, with hella’ better Spanish and a payday in Taiwan on the strangest Island you’ve probably never heard of: Kinmen.
The Full Scoop:
The truth is, I could envision myself living abroad since I was a teenager.
When I traveled internationally for the first time in 2013 to the Philippines, the small fire began inside me. One that influenced my desire to immerse myself into the world (and escape my small-town life).
In 2014, I was increasingly unhappy in my first two years of college in Western Pennslyvania so I dropped out & drove my car cross country. I couchsurfed the U.S. from East to West in a period of two months at the age of 20.
After this trip, I moved to Philadelphia where I settled for four years. I also continued my education and graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies in 2018.
Before my college experience was over, I had traveled to Mexico on a group spring-break trip, visited my best friend in London and Paris, and studied abroad in South Africa (paying the same price had I stayed in the U.S.!)
After graduating, I volunteered as an English teacher in Panamá for two months before returning to the real world in Philly. I now had my heart set on backpacking and then moving abroad — a dream I could finally go for.
I worked as a substitute teacher and afterschool arts’program assistant — saving and saving until August of 2019, when I packed my whole life in four large suitcases and took a 16-hour Amtrak to my family home is the South.
With plane tickets in hand, I boarded the plane to backpack Costa Rica & Panamá for two months before flying off to Taiwan in December of 2019.
It was a ride my first few months in Taiwan, with one job failing me and another eventually coming through. I now live on a strange (& lovely) island out here teaching some of the most entertaining students.
The plan: stay a few years, then hit the world again. Trust me, every choice I make is a part of a bigger plan.
As I travel, I aim to have experiences that go beyond simple tourism. I aim to live as a global citizen.
Let’s Get It Done
Intimidating international goals are easy to set aside out of fear and a sense they are unattainable, but when you organize the process and listen to your fire, you can do it.
I’ve boiled travel goal achievement down to four aspects:
- Budgeting
- Logistical planning
- Passion to know a culture
- Action
My experiences come down to looking at a goal and figuring out how to make it happen.
& I ‘ve made many goals, ones that even include interviews, fundraising, and scholarship applications, happen because I knew what I wanted.
Besides being the reason I’m here today in Taiwan, that’s why I’m here as a blogger.
It’s time to share my ultimate travel mission: share gems of knowledge, tell my story, and impact others who have yet to embrace the world they desire to be a part of.
Ready to make your dreams reality?
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Solo Traveler & Freelance Creator 