Skip to content
Facebook Youtube Instagram Tiktok Pinterest
  • Blog
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Shop
    • Recommended Travel Brands
    • Remote Work & Productivity Tools
    • Reviews
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Shop
    • Recommended Travel Brands
    • Remote Work & Productivity Tools
    • Reviews
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Shop
    • Recommended Travel Brands
    • Remote Work & Productivity Tools
    • Reviews
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Shop
    • Recommended Travel Brands
    • Remote Work & Productivity Tools
    • Reviews
  • Contact
  • Start Here
  • Travel Guides
    • North America
      • USA
        • Alaska
        • Arizona
        • California
        • Colorado
        • Florida
        • Georgia
        • Hawaii
        • Iowa
        • Maine
        • Massachusetts
        • Michigan
        • Missouri
        • Montana
        • North Carolina
        • New York
      • Canada
      • Mexico
      • Caribbean
        • Cuba
        • Puerto Rico
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • South America
      • Peru
    • Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
    • Europe
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Norway
      • Scotland
      • Spain
    • Oceania
      • Australia
    • Middle East
      • Lebanon
  • Trip Planning
    • Trip Planning Tips
    • What To Wear
    • Solo Female Travel
    • Group Travel
    • Road Trip Travel
    • Responsible Travel
  • Start Here
  • Travel Guides
    • North America
      • USA
        • Alaska
        • Arizona
        • California
        • Colorado
        • Florida
        • Georgia
        • Hawaii
        • Iowa
        • Maine
        • Massachusetts
        • Michigan
        • Missouri
        • Montana
        • North Carolina
        • New York
      • Canada
      • Mexico
      • Caribbean
        • Cuba
        • Puerto Rico
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • South America
      • Peru
    • Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
    • Europe
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Norway
      • Scotland
      • Spain
    • Oceania
      • Australia
    • Middle East
      • Lebanon
  • Trip Planning
    • Trip Planning Tips
    • What To Wear
    • Solo Female Travel
    • Group Travel
    • Road Trip Travel
    • Responsible Travel
  • Start Here
  • Travel Guides
    • North America
      • USA
        • Alaska
        • Arizona
        • California
        • Colorado
        • Florida
        • Georgia
        • Hawaii
        • Iowa
        • Maine
        • Massachusetts
        • Michigan
        • Missouri
        • Montana
        • North Carolina
        • New York
      • Canada
      • Mexico
      • Caribbean
        • Cuba
        • Puerto Rico
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • South America
      • Peru
    • Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
    • Europe
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Norway
      • Scotland
      • Spain
    • Oceania
      • Australia
    • Middle East
      • Lebanon
  • Trip Planning
    • Trip Planning Tips
    • What To Wear
    • Solo Female Travel
    • Group Travel
    • Road Trip Travel
    • Responsible Travel
  • Start Here
  • Travel Guides
    • North America
      • USA
        • Alaska
        • Arizona
        • California
        • Colorado
        • Florida
        • Georgia
        • Hawaii
        • Iowa
        • Maine
        • Massachusetts
        • Michigan
        • Missouri
        • Montana
        • North Carolina
        • New York
      • Canada
      • Mexico
      • Caribbean
        • Cuba
        • Puerto Rico
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • South America
      • Peru
    • Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
    • Europe
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Norway
      • Scotland
      • Spain
    • Oceania
      • Australia
    • Middle East
      • Lebanon
  • Trip Planning
    • Trip Planning Tips
    • What To Wear
    • Solo Female Travel
    • Group Travel
    • Road Trip Travel
    • Responsible Travel
  • Where To Stay
    • North America
      • USA
        • Alaska
        • Arizona
        • California
        • Florida
        • Hawaii
        • Massachusetts
        • Missouri
        • Montana
        • New York
        • Utah
        • Washington
      • Canada
      • Mexico
    • Central America Hotels
      • Belize
    • Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Philippines
    • Europe Hotels
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Iceland
      • Norway
      • Scottland
    • Oceania Hotels
      • Australia
    • Middle East Hotels
  • Remote Work
    • Work From Home
    • Remote Work Travel
    • Workation Travel
    • Digital Nomad Travel
  • Career Advice
    • Navigating 9-5
    • Sabbaticals & Gap Years
    • Business Travel
    • Side Hustles
    • Stories Beyond 9-5
  • Where To Stay
    • North America
      • USA
        • Alaska
        • Arizona
        • California
        • Florida
        • Hawaii
        • Massachusetts
        • Missouri
        • Montana
        • New York
        • Utah
        • Washington
      • Canada
      • Mexico
    • Central America Hotels
      • Belize
    • Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Philippines
    • Europe Hotels
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Iceland
      • Norway
      • Scottland
    • Oceania Hotels
      • Australia
    • Middle East Hotels
  • Remote Work
    • Work From Home
    • Remote Work Travel
    • Workation Travel
    • Digital Nomad Travel
  • Career Advice
    • Navigating 9-5
    • Sabbaticals & Gap Years
    • Business Travel
    • Side Hustles
    • Stories Beyond 9-5
  • Where To Stay
    • North America
      • USA
        • Alaska
        • Arizona
        • California
        • Florida
        • Hawaii
        • Massachusetts
        • Missouri
        • Montana
        • New York
        • Utah
        • Washington
      • Canada
      • Mexico
    • Central America Hotels
      • Belize
    • Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Philippines
    • Europe Hotels
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Iceland
      • Norway
      • Scottland
    • Oceania Hotels
      • Australia
    • Middle East Hotels
  • Remote Work
    • Work From Home
    • Remote Work Travel
    • Workation Travel
    • Digital Nomad Travel
  • Career Advice
    • Navigating 9-5
    • Sabbaticals & Gap Years
    • Business Travel
    • Side Hustles
    • Stories Beyond 9-5
  • Where To Stay
    • North America
      • USA
        • Alaska
        • Arizona
        • California
        • Florida
        • Hawaii
        • Massachusetts
        • Missouri
        • Montana
        • New York
        • Utah
        • Washington
      • Canada
      • Mexico
    • Central America Hotels
      • Belize
    • Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Philippines
    • Europe Hotels
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Iceland
      • Norway
      • Scottland
    • Oceania Hotels
      • Australia
    • Middle East Hotels
  • Remote Work
    • Work From Home
    • Remote Work Travel
    • Workation Travel
    • Digital Nomad Travel
  • Career Advice
    • Navigating 9-5
    • Sabbaticals & Gap Years
    • Business Travel
    • Side Hustles
    • Stories Beyond 9-5

Italy

What It Was Honestly Like Traveling with Contiki: 10 Days of Group Travel in Europe

What to Wear on a Summer Vacation in Italy (June through August): Packing List

Follow the Off Duty Life
Facebook Youtube Instagram Tiktok Pinterest
Truly, TGIF 🇵🇭 I can’t believe I never shared the Truly, TGIF 🇵🇭

I can’t believe I never shared these photos from earlier this year, but they are some of my absolute favorites. We celebrated our wedding (part 2) with a salo-salo in Manila and the sinigang gang, the fili-primos, and so much of the fam turned out in their filipiniana best. 🤌🏽

Being mixed heritage is such an interesting puzzle piece to unpack over time. I paid no mind to it growing up but now that I’m older I’ve definitely had moments where I’ve felt “not Filipina enough.” I don’t speak the language, I might not understand all of the nuance. I may not look the “part,” though my name is RJ (iykyk). But you don’t need to meet a threshold or a quota to be able to acknowledge or celebrate your roots. Your story belongs, wherever you are, exactly as it is. 

So here’s some Filipina joy, in my own way. Happy Filipino American History Month! 🤍 #fahm #filipinoamericanhistorymonth 

📸: @thinkingchairstudios (the best!!)
my outfit: @bridalvaniaromoff
Spend a day w/me in Sydney & I’ll tell you what yo Spend a day w/me in Sydney & I’ll tell you what you need to know about taking a career break abroad. My top 3 tips below! 👇

@safetywing [ad] 

1. Let yourself feel all of the things: journal, slow down, romanticize it all (yes, even the uncomfortable parts). Because one day, you will be standing on the other side of this chapter, looking back on this exact moment and thinking “wow, I really did that.” 🥺

2. Save 10-20% more than you think you need: you’ll want a financial cushion for spontaneity and new experiences, and so you don’t have to rush into looking for another job. saving extra gives you more freedom 🙏🏽

3. Don’t skip the travel/medical insurance: Prioritize easy, flexible coverage that moves with you. As soon as I lapsed my corporate health policy from my last job, I got @Safetywing, for my medical, dental, travel coverage, and so much more. They have per trip, monthly, and annual policies so you can choose what works best for you! 

👉🏽👉🏽 Comment ‘ADVENTURE’ and I’ll send you my link to check out SafetyWing for yourself, plus a special code to get 8 weeks of FREE electronic theft coverage when you sign up!

See you on the road 😌 #safetywing #SafetyWing26

Career Break Travel Tips | Digital Nomad | Living Abroad
Week 3/12 of our lap of Australia: we made it to a Week 3/12 of our lap of Australia: we made it to a place less than 1% of Australia’s visitors will ever see....

ULURU!!! 🥺👏🏽

I told myself there was no way I could live in Australia for a year and not make it to Uluru. This is the spiritual and cultural heart of the country 💕 smack almost directly in the center of the continent. Some say it’s just a big rock. But to Australia’s First Peoples, it’s where our entire story of life begins.

Part Three Stats: another ~1,227 miles down!
Uluru
Kings Canyon
Alice Springs
Tennant Creek
Katherine

Highlights:
- Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park!!!!
- Dining experience Tali Wiru (recommend)
- Waking up at sunrise
- Hiking Kings Canyon
- Karrke Aboriginal Bush Walk (highly recommend)
- Barra & chips at Daly Waters Pub 🤤

We dedicated about a week exploring Uluru-Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon, and Alice Springs before making our way up north. And honestly, it was nowhere near enough time.

One lesson from the road so far – always double-check your route when driving anywhere in remote Australia. If it’s too good to be true, it’s probably unpaved 😅

I’ll share more about Uluru specifically in my next post!!! 3 weeks down, 2 months to go as we drive nearly 12,000 miles to finish our lap of the country in our trusty RAV4.

#CareerBreakDiaries #LapofAustralia #CareerBreak #gapyear
File this under: things I wish someone told me at File this under: things I wish someone told me at literally any stage of my career so far.

There is honestly no longer any “right” way to build a career, or a life outside of it. 

Take it from someone who needed years to work up the courage to take time off, and almost talked herself out of taking a sabbatical in her 30s because I was worried it wouldn’t look good on paper. 

Consider this your permission slip to go after what feels right for you 📝

Which slide did you need to hear most today? 

career break | permission | sabbatical journey | advice in your 30s
Chaotically organized wonder is how I always imagi Chaotically organized wonder is how I always imagined Tokyo would be 🇯🇵

We were here for @jacobsmedium’s photo exhibition at this year’s T3 Photo Festival, and I’m so glad we were, because I have no idea how I slept on visiting this city for so long!

In the overwhelm that is Tokyo, I actually found myself trying to plan way less out of this trip than ever before, and letting more free time and random discovery lead the way.

Neighborhood izakaya around the corner with no sign on the door, but it’s been in business 60 years? Why not. 

Disneyland Tokyo is just a few stops away on the metro? Omg! 

Karaoke in order to eat something from my childhood in the city that invented it (honey toast)? Hand me the mic. 

Shinto procession an hour away? Let’s go. 

Random question, do you find yourself planning your trips more, or less, now that AI is around? I’m curious! #OffDutyinTokyo
This is what it looks like when you drive into the This is what it looks like when you drive into the heart of a country. Away from crowds and cities and any logical explanations for how something like this can exist. 

It’s been a month since our lap of Australia has come to an end and to be honest I feel like I’m dropping my marbles (pun, obviously, pls laugh 🥲) on sharing what we’ve seen because there’s just no way of capturing every feeling or memory. The more I think about it, the more I simply have no idea where to even begin. 

It was the best gift of time we could’ve given to ourselves. A career break road trip in our 30s. To see places like this with our own eyes!!! 

What I will say is that on this particular day, we had just driven 8+ hours, racing into the outback all so we could make it here by sunset (and we hardly made it). We spent one night camping in this completely illogical and special place far from anything, where rounded granite marbles emerge from the earth. A place so strange even Aboriginal Dreamtime stories say this place was formed by the journey of a Devil Man. 

Can you believe this is only week 2 of our lap? But already, this was one of my favorite camping memories from the road. 

📍 Have you heard of Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles) in Australia’s Northern Territory? 

PS - if you’re new here, follow for more career break road trip diaries! I have sooo much more to show you! #CareerBreak #CareerBreakDiaries | Lap of Australia | Gap Year
Join a Community of Go-Getting Travelers.

Sign up below!

Start Here
Travel Guides
Where To Stay
Remote Work
Career Advice
Contact
Terms & Privacy
Site credits
Copyright © 2026 Rachel Off Duty
Copyright © 2026 Rachel Off Duty
  • Start Here
  • Travel Guides
    • North America
      • USA
        • Alaska
        • Arizona
        • California
        • Colorado
        • Florida
        • Georgia
        • Hawaii
        • Iowa
        • Maine
        • Massachusetts
        • Michigan
        • Montana
        • North Carolina
        • New York
      • Canada
      • Mexico
      • Caribbean
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
    • South America
      • Peru
    • Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
    • Europe
      • Czech Republic
      • France
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Norway
      • Scottland
      • Spain
    • Oceania
      • Australia
    • Middle East
      • Lebanon
  • Trip Planning
    • Trip Planning Tips
    • What To Wear
    • Solo Female Travel
    • Group Travel
    • Road Trip Travel
    • Responsible Travel
  • Where To Stay
    • North America
      • USA
        • Alaska
        • Arizona
        • California
        • Florida
        • Hawaii
        • Massachusetts
        • Missouri
        • Montana
        • New York
        • Utah
        • Washington
      • Canada
      • Mexico
    • Central America Hotels
      • Belize
    • Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Philippines
    • France
    • Europe Hotels
      • Czech Republic
      • Iceland
      • Norway
      • Scotland
    • Oceania Hotels
      • Australia
    • Middle East Hotels
  • Remote Work
    • Work From Home
    • Remote Work Travel
    • Workation Travel
    • Digital Nomad Travel
  • Career Advice
    • Navigating 9-5
    • Sabbaticals & Gap Years
    • Business Travel
    • Side Hustles
    • Stories Beyond 9-5