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Mexico

Where to Stay in Tulum: Hotel Bardo

The Coolest Woman-Owned Boutique Hotels in Mexico City

Where to Stay in Cozumel, Mexico: Villas El Encanto

Rachel Off Duty: Aerial view of a woman laying near a pool at the beach

Where to Stay in Los Cabos: Krystal Grand Los Cabos

Where to Stay in Valle de Guadalupe: Lumi Hotel

Where to Stay in Valle de Guadalupe: The UvaUva Eco Cabins

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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
Another 2,000 miles down! If you missed part one Another 2,000 miles down! 

If you missed part one, Jacob and I are on a 3-month drive to complete Australia’s biggest road trip, aka Big Lap of Australia. This week is exciting because we’re heading into the outback for the first time, and crossing into the Northern Territory! Follow along if you want to see us make our way around the continent!!! 

Part Two: ~2,000 miles
Rockhampton
Longreach
Mount Isa
Karlu-Karlu

Highlights:
- Mount Archer National Park
- Qantas Founders Museum (so cool, do not skip)
- Drinks at the Isa Hotel
- Sunsets in Karlu-Karlu

We’re finally ironing out the road trip mishaps and finding our rhythm, but this stretch of driving is pretty long... straight... and repetitive until just outside of Mount Isa. Lots of overnight oats and cold brew getting us through the long days! 🥲

Next week, we’re in Uluru and the NT. It’s one of my favorite weeks so you won’t want to miss it!!

#CareerBreakDiaries #LapofAustralia #CareerBreak #gapyear
I’m 33 this month 🫶🏽 Here’s some candid advice I w I’m 33 this month 🫶🏽 Here’s some candid advice I wish someone had told me in my 20s ⬇️

1. Do not rush into career permanency ❌ In fact, don’t rush into anything. Yes, it may seem like everyone is getting jobs or heading off to grad school. But do not say “yes” simply because you feel you have to. It’s okay to experiment. Take risks!! Now take more!!!! No decision is final. And a breadth of experiences and skills makes you more hirable these days, not less.

2. Travel ✈️ Please travel. Be curious, and open, and go. The world is so wide open and so much fun in your 20s. Backpack your way through South America, hostel-hop across Europe, get a working holiday job in Australia. You aren’t wasting your time, I promise.

3. Eat whatever you want and drink the margarita and don’t think twice.... and (⚠️) understand that making healthy choices 50-60% of the time and finding fun, challenging, consistent ways to move your body is not as hard or uncool as it seems (future you will thank you).

4. The thing you need to let go of might feel like the end of the world at the moment 🙏🏽 the relationship, the job, the college friendship, the comfortable bubble you’ve built. but this isn’t an ending, it’s the beginning. let it scare you, and do it anyway, to create space for new opportunities, new people, new environments to find you.

5. Invest that money! 💰 Even if it’s just a little. $83 a month is $1000 a year. And it’s okay if you don’t understand how this all works yet. Talk to someone about it. Money talk doesn’t have to be taboo.

If you think your 20s are the peak, just you wait 🤍 And if you think you’re running out of time or have no idea what to do with your life yet, I promise – you don’t need to have it all figured out (we’re all still figuring it out).

Save this or send it to someone who needs it. What would you add if you’re in your 30s, or what are you still holding onto if you’re in your 20s? 🫶🏾 #virgoseason #lifelessons
I’m 33 this month 🫶🏽 Here’s some candid advice I w I’m 33 this month 🫶🏽 Here’s some candid advice I wish someone had told me in my 20s ⬇️

1. Do not rush into career permanency ❌ In fact, don’t rush into anything. Yes, it may seem like everyone is getting jobs or heading off to grad school. But do not say “yes” simply because you feel you have to. It’s okay to experiment. Take risks!! Now take more!!!! No decision is final. And a breadth of experiences and skills makes you more hirable these days, not less.

2. Travel ✈️ Please travel. Be curious, and open, and go. The world is so wide open and so much fun in your 20s. Backpack your way through South America, hostel-hop across Europe, get a working holiday job in Australia. You aren’t wasting your time, I promise.

3. Eat whatever you want and drink the margarita and don’t think twice.... and (⚠️) understand that making healthy choices 50-60% of the time and finding fun, challenging, consistent ways to move your body is not as hard or uncool as it seems (future you will thank you).

4. The thing you need to let go of might feel like the end of the world at the moment 🙏🏽 the relationship, the job, the college friendship, the comfortable bubble you’ve built. but this isn’t an ending, it’s the beginning. let it scare you, and do it anyway, to create space for new opportunities, new people, new environments to find you.

5. Invest that money! 💰 Even if it’s just a little. $83 a month is $1000 a year. And it’s okay if you don’t understand how this all works yet. Talk to someone about it. Money talk doesn’t have to be taboo.

If you think your 20s are the peak, just you wait 🤍 And if you think you’re running out of time or have no idea what to do with your life yet, I promise – you don’t need to have it all figured out (we’re all still figuring it out).

Save this or send it to someone who needs it. What would you add if you’re in your 30s, or what are you still holding onto if you’re in your 20s? 🫶🏾 #virgoseason #lifelessons
Here are 5 unexpected places that blew me away in Here are 5 unexpected places that blew me away in Queensland, the first leg of the final stretch of our full-country road trip! 👉🏽

Lap of Australia | Australia Road Trip | Queensland | Australia Travel | Career Break | Great Barrier Reef | Outback Queensland

What they say about Australia is true: it’s absolutely MASSIVE. And there’s so... much... s p a c e in between. Visiting some of these places is really only possible by car. But I gotta say, this is THE way to see Australia.

It’s been nearly a month since finishing our full lap of the country and I have no idea how to process any of it but I’ll share a few brief memories from each of these places, and why they surprised me, in the next few slide captions 👉🏽

This was the very first stop on the last stretch of our full-circle road trip, and as you can see, we got here sooooooo late we could hardly see anything 😅 but the Glass House Mountains are stunning (look them up!) and there are several trails and viewpoints to admire them.

👉🏽 You’ll pass the Glass House Mountains heading to/from the Sunshine Coast from Brisbane!

Lots of people visit North Queensland as their jumping-off point for the Great Barrier Reef, but the southern stretch of the reef is easy to access and just as epic. Lady Elliot is a green zone (the highest level of marine protection in Australia), and I couldn’t believe how many turtles, schools of fish, eels, and reef sharks I saw just snorkeling a few feet from shore. My favorite memory from here was snorkeling in the pouring rain in the lagoon and getting it (nearly) all to myself!

👉🏽 Lady Elliot is a quick 40-minute flight from Bundaberg.

Bundaberg was just a family visit originally, but I ended up really enjoying it! It’s a coastal city but also agricultural, so you can visit (and camp at) farms, taste fresh macadamia nuts, and even visit the famous Bundaberg Rum Distillery.

👉🏽 Bundaberg is a quick flight from Sydney, or a 4-hour drive/train ride from Brisbane.

Rockhampton was supposed to be just a stopover on our road trip, but visiting Mount Archer and walking the Nurim Circuit Boardwalk was such a good surprise. The views from up here are incredible and well worth th
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