Everlasting Voyage Reborn: Travel, Stories & What Changed in 6 Years

12/13/2025

Six years ago, I unintentionally hit the imaginary pause button on blogging for Everlasting Voyage, not realizing how much both travel and I would change before I found my way back. What started as a hobby to document my travel journey living overseas with the Military, turned into abandoning my love for travel blogging. Since then, I’ve had big career moves, personal growth, and a deeper understanding of what it means to explore the world. If you’re here reading this right now, I invite you to come along and stay for my next chapter!

Why I Stopped Blogging

So, when I first started Everlasting Voyage over 10 years ago, I felt all the feels! It was that initial spark of wanderlust, passion, and pure excitement for something new. I was living in Germany for the first time and was open to all the endless travel possibilities in Europe. It was easy at first and it felt just right to share my experiences, the wisdom I gained, and the breathtaking scenery of the world.

As life did its thing, there was an immense amount of pressure to handle everything from work promotions to relationship dynamics changing to then uprooting my home each year – It was a lot! I told myself I would take a short break on blogging until I could gather my bearings, yet I went on a 6-year hiatus. Looking back, stepping away helped me learn to travel differently, less anxiously, and free from the pressure of perfection.

One the most relaxing solo trips in Crete, Greece

What I’ve Been Up To

A lot has happened in six years - new jobs, new destinations, and new ways of seeing the world! I’ve lived in places that challenged my comfort zone and redefined what “home” means. I’ve met incredible people, reconnected with my roots, and learned that sometimes, the biggest adventures are the ones that happen offline.

Since my last blog entry in 2019, here’s where I relocated:
→Grafenwoehr, Germany
→Colorado Springs, Colorado
→Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
→Grafenwoehr, Germany (again)
→Seattle, Washington
→near Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington
→near Fort Drum, New York – Phew! USPS was having a hard time keeping up with the latest forwarding address, that’s for sure. But with all these big moves, I had to make my own sense of home and appreciate the ambiguity of what comes next.

Puget Sound views from my office window in Seattle

What Travel Taught Me (Even While I Wasn’t Blogging)

These years of traveling taught me to slow down and to appreciate the uncertainty of life. I remember I’d missed a connecting train from Nuremberg to Munich a few winters ago because there was a delay with the Deutsche Bahn from Weiden to Nuremberg. I was on the phone with one of my lovely gal pals when she said “wait, did you just miss your train? What are you going to do now?” and I responded so nonchalantly “I’ll just make the next one” - not a care in the world, even though it could’ve very well been the last train to connect me to my destination. I was headed to Venice, Italy via an overnight Flixbus from Munich. That delayed train I mentioned earlier totally saved me from standing outside at the bus stop for another 2 hours in the cold! In those moments, I was starting to learn to trust myself that it’s ok to go with the flow – Often, something better will work out for me in the end.

That didn’t just apply to traveling, it applied to other aspects of life such as when I recently resigned from 10+ years of federal service during an extended federal hiring freeze which would pause my dream of PCSing to Germany any time soon. There was no doubt I was afraid, yet challenges felt more tolerable after I tweaked my mindset. I was so dead set on moving back to Germany this year since it was my first year of eligibility to return as a federal employee (along with 2 job prospects that were eventually paused/cancelled due to the hiring freeze), so it was really difficult to accept that I was delaying my dream of moving back to Germany.

Taking in the best views in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

With some great thought and discussions with loved ones, I made the brave decision to move to Upstate New York without knowing when I’d be employed again but instead with the intention to trust and prioritize personal and relational growth. What I did know was that I would still travel at least once a year to Germany to alleviate some of the grief that came with not following through on my dream to move back this year. The first few months certainly felt like heartache, and at times it still does! When the pain became too much to tolerate, I turned to the medicine I knew that could help me return to my grounded self - I booked an unplanned trip to Germany for 3 weeks and I’m so glad I did! Not only did I receive a job offer at Fort Drum, NY as a DoD contractor while on my trip in Germany, I learned through grounding myself, that I could replicate the same feeling I get in Germany while living in NY through new experiences, new hikes, and returning to travel blogging. These experiences proved to me that what I learned from my travels was more than just booking a flight to anywhere – It opened my mind to a different, more slowed down, and more trusting version of experiencing life.

Fort Drum, NY

Why I’m Blogging Again

After a long break, I realized I missed the conversations and I missed reliving my travel experiences through travel blogging. I missed talking about my travels in a community where we bounce off new ideas and experiences while learning something new together. Something new about a historical location, a lesser-known location, a new scenic hike, a cultural experience waiting to happen, a phrase in a language I’ve not spoken before, the people I’ve met by chance, or a way to support a community I just arrived at.

So, I’m returning to Everlasting Voyage with a new mindset. Less pressure, less perfection. Just genuine stories, practical advice, and new insights either from the road, the train, or my window seat on a plane. Whether it’s a 24-hour layover, 3 weeks abroad, or life in between living overseas, this blog is about finding meaning wherever we are.

What’s Next for Everlasting Voyage

Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing new posts on how to balance travel with everyday life, how to plan meaningful trips, and behind the scenes stories from my past and recent experiences abroad.

If you’re one of my day ones – thank you for sticking around! Your support is what brings me back. If you’re new here, I’d love to give you such a warm welcome! Wherever you are on your own journey, I hope these stories remind you that the world is still full of wonder and that it’s never too late to begin again.

I thank y'all for joining me on this journey and as always, bon voyage!

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