OOO
your email not be finding me
It’s summer, and I’ll have been Out Of Office for about two weeks by the time you read this. This is the first time I’ve set an out of office response on my email and blocked off my calendar for a huge chunk of time… ever.
If you’ve been reading along for the last six months, you may be aware that I’ve really struggled with work-life balance as a freelancer. Taking half of July (and probably a chunk of August too if we’re being honest) off is a way to reset and hopefully get a little bit of my life back, coming into the fall with a healthier relationship to work and boundaries.
(Although is it really time off if I’m shooting content throughout every trip? Hard to say. Count it as half-time off maybe.)
I’m OOO. Here’s a content dump:)
Okay so I’m out in the mountains and swimming in the lakes, bumping up backpacking trip to backpacking trip right now.
Here’s an article on how and why I’m able to do that:
The Secret To Getting Paid To Travel
I remember the exact moment I realized I wanted to be a travel writer. I was sitting in my college cafeteria (Synder-Phillips, Michigan State, Go Green!) with a stack of pharmacology notecards neglected next to me scrolling Pinterest on my desktop, reading travel blogs.
Running my own business as a writer and creator didn’t happen over night, and hinged on some kind of big chances I took in my early 20s. For example, some friends and I took a whole summer off and decided to live out of kayaks for two months while paddling British Columbia. You can find the one-minute version of that trip below:
Or, you can wade through the blog posts I wrote from the field right here.
Most of my travel and adventure in this little block of summer are going to be Great Lakes related! I know that summer is beautiful everywhere, but lately I just can’t bring myself to leave the Lakes for long in the summer. This is just such an incredible region and I really love exploring here.
Check out some of my favorite places for adventure below!
Your Great Lakes Summer Bucket List☀️🗺️
Way up north the lupine are blooming, big purple flowers flashing in and out of existence along the sides of the winding roads of Northern Wisconsin. In a coffee shop in Duluth I order a drink that’s a mix of lemonade and coffee, two things I like on paper, and gag on it, because some things are not meant to go together.
I’ve been touch and go with YouTube lately, but it’s something I’ve been hoping to dive into more with my bigger trips, especially multi-day overnights. I’m definietly still learning and playing around with my own style, but I’m hoping to film for a handful of videos from backpacking trips I’m currently on.
So while (for now) I’m peppering you with some older good links, I’m really excited to share some fresh adventures when I get back!
In the meantime, you can find some fresh updates on my Instagram :)
Hope you’re having a great summer, and hi from a hiking trail!
xMad