*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!* I'M TAKING THE PLUNGE!

Hi everyone,

So earlier on this week I announced something pretty special on my personal Facebook page and thought the time was right to share it with the rest of the world, and all of you lovely readers of course! Back in January I made a crazy, crazy decision… here’s what happened…

announcement

I know what you’re all thinking.. typical new year, new me status blah blah blah.. to be fair I don’t blame you for thinking that! Just after Christmas I realized that 2016 HAD to be the year for things to change for me. I’d been moaning for ages that I needed to do something travel related for work and I needed to explore some more places in order to cure some of the crippling wanderlust that had been trapped inside of me!

 

After deliberating for a couple of weeks I decided to pop into my local STA Travel Store in Oxford to see what long-haul adventures they could tempt me with. I’ve always wanted to visit the States so I was keen to take a look at their American tours. Within just a few minutes I had found my dream adventure: a 27 day mega road trip from LA to  NYC with Contiki Tours – OH.MY.GODDDDDD!

Taking in sights including the Grand Canyon, the Vegas strip, Panama Beach and Universal Studios the tour offers the trip of a lifetime with first class accommodation and incredible options including paragliding, helicopter rides and  theme park entry. I couldn’t contain my excitement as I considered all the different places I could potentially visit in just a few weeks and my heart started beating faster and faster at the thought of just entertaining the idea!

contiki grand tour

Then I did something crazy… I BOOKED MYSELF ON THE TRIP!!! AHHHH!!

So I’m doing it! My first ever solo adventure across 27 states (okay, I’ll join tonnes of others on my trip when I arrive in LA- but I’m flying on my OWN and that’s a big thing for me!) and I’m sooooo freakin’ excited!!! I’ll see so many amazing places that I’ve ALWAYS wanted to visit and cannot wait to make new friends, memories and have the time of my life.

Oh and the other part? I’ve only gone and QUIT my office job in the hope of being able to work in the travel industry when I return from my trip in July! I was undecided whether I should just take a sabbatical from my current job and continue working and earning money when I come back, or whether I should take the plunge and just quit altogether. Then I remembered that, if I don’t leave now, I probably never will, so I just thought, what the hell, and quit anyway!

 

Handing in my notice at work was nerve wracking but my bosses were so good and they fully supported my decision. I think they’d realized that I’ll be 100 times happier travelling the world instead of being stuck at my desk for 5 days a week! Although I’ll be forever grateful for my first ever grown up job they knew it’s not something that I wanted to stay in forever and, right now, I feel the time is completely right to change everything up. My friends and family have been amazing too and they’re all so excited for me!

So that’s it – I’ve finally found the courage to change my life and now I can just look forward to the incredible adventure that I’m going to have this summer! Some people have already started asking me what I’m going to do when I get back and, in all honesty, the answer is.. I HAVE NO IDEA! It’s kinda scary but super exciting at the same time. This is the first time in my life where I have no plans or a routine and I’m looking forward to being spontaneous and just enjoying life, as well as trying to figure out exactly what it is that I want from this beautiful world.

 

I don’t have a boyfriend, kids or a house to worry about and bills to pay, so why  not just be selfish for a few months and look out for number 1?! I’m sure it won’t do me any harm and I’m 99.9% sure it’ll help me figure out exactly what I want to do career wise too. I’m not looking for a new job anytime soon, I’ll probably do some temp work when I come home just to earn some cash and will look for travel related internships ANYWHERE just to get some experience!

I’m super duper excited for my new life though and, as always, I’ll be sharing it all with you every step of the way! Thank you (again) for continuing to follow my travels, your support is incredible and I’ll be forever grateful- I bloody love being a travel blogger and never want this to end!

Have you ever done something crazy and traveled on a whim? I’d love to hear your stories…I wonder if they’re as crazy as mine?!

Love Jess x

 

14 replies
  1. EatSleepLoveTravel
    EatSleepLoveTravel says:

    Wow this is amazing Jess! What an adventure. Wishing you all the best on your journey and we will certainly be travelling along with you through social media and your posts! x

  2. misadventuristmedia
    misadventuristmedia says:

    Congrats! There’s so much to see and do and explore, I hope you enjoy our home country (especially the West Coast, not that I’m biased…:) If you want any tips ask away, we’ve camped and hiked in at least 40 out of the 50 states

    • JourneyswithJessica
      JourneyswithJessica says:

      Thank you so much I’ll be sure to come to you for advice a little closer to the time! I’ll be visiting 27 states so a fair few and can’t wait to start my adventure! Would love to hear some of your stories too!

  3. shannonamills
    shannonamills says:

    This post makes me sooo happy!! I’m following the same dream living in England, you won’t regret it, best decision you are making. You will love traveling around the states, I’ve been to a few! Don’t worry about your next step, whatever is meant to happen when you get back will! xx

    • JourneyswithJessica
      JourneyswithJessica says:

      Ahh thanks so much Shannon so pleased you found my post uplifting! I am super excited and cannot wait to escape! Make sure you follow me on Instagram to keep up to date with my big adventure! 😀 x

    • JourneyswithJessica
      JourneyswithJessica says:

      Ahhh amazing Kate I’m going on 7th June I’m so so excited!! What was your fave part? I’m looking forward to evvverrryy part but mainly Vegas and Grand Canyon! xx

      • katevictoria2014
        katevictoria2014 says:

        Oh you will have so much fun! It’s by far been my favourite tour. All of it was fantastic but highlights were definitely Washington DC ( random- didn’t think this would be the case) Savannah and Miami. Vegas and GC were fab also. I wasn’t really over interested in the middle bit .. I.e – Memphis, Dallas, New Orleans etc but they were also awesome. The whole thing is amazing. I am so jealous 😭😭 xx

        • JourneyswithJessica
          JourneyswithJessica says:

          Ahh it literally sounds so so amazing Kate, I received my itinerary through the post this morning and it’s starting to feel so real now! I’m looking forward to just meeting everyone and having the best adventure. Have you got any blog posts or photos I can have a look at from when you went on your trip?! xx

          • katevictoria2014
            katevictoria2014 says:

            I have on the North America section a category called ‘Contiki Diaries’ they are full posts with a few pictures from each day. Or for more photos add me on fb – Kate Victoria Williams and they are all in my albums xx

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