(article from Megan’s Travel Column, Weekly Wanders on Life2PointOh)

A lot of doors have opened and closed for me in the past two years bringing me to what I would now describe as a pre-quarter life crisis. It all started a week after I graduated from college when I decided to pack up my life and head to the Big Apple. With no job, no contacts, no friends and just enough savings to live in student housing for the summer, I was already more New York than I realized.

Luckily, after two days at an unpaid internship in the seemingly glamorous fashion world, I snagged a full-time gig working in the film and publishing industries. Initially given an interview because my employer thought I was related to an old college friend, I somehow convinced him to give me a shot as their event marketing manager.  I certainly learned a lot and met some fascinating directors but after a few months I decided to move on. By September, I landed my dream job. Here I was, 22 years old and working at an international record label. I was on top of the world.

But all good things must come to an end and my story is no exception. Working in the music industry during the digital age is tough to begin with so after sitting back and watching lay-off after lay-off, I knew it was only a matter of time until it was my turn to ride the unemployment merry-go-round. While there was a time when I adored everything about my job, the last few months had left me miserable. Not to say that I wasn’t grateful for the opportunity because I was, but it just wasn’t what I wanted anymore and I refused to settle. Just as people change, so do priorities and I couldn’t ignore that mine had been shifting for some time.

I knew I didn’t want to jump into another full-time job and I also didn’t want to quit with no cushion of savings so in many ways I felt trapped inside my own fear. As it turned out, getting laid off gave me the push I needed to feel alive again. What did I want more than anything? The plain and simple answer is travel. While I am grateful for finding the time and money to travel to some spectacular locations, these brief weeks of vacation never seemed enough for me. I wanted to stay in a place longer than a few days to really experience the people and the culture and that’s hard to do on a time limit.

So I did what I had been talking about for months. Now that I had plenty of free time, I started my own online travel magazine, named it Bohemian Trails after my common comparison to a modern day gypsy and am finally making travel my top priority.  After a rent increase, I even decided to head home to DC for the summer, save up some extra cash and become a nomad for a few months. I have no idea where I’ll go or what crazy situations I’ll find myself in but I am comforted by knowing that I am living my life on my own terms. I never used to believe in the saying that “everything happens for a reason” but I’m quickly learning that life has its little tricks to help people discover their path.

-Megan

Like Bohemian Trails on Facebook and Tweet me at @BohemianTrails