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Tag: giraffe

Wine Tasting in Malibu (With Stanley the Giraffe!)

This is what you can expect when wine tasting in Malibu (giraffe included).

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In 1.5 years of coliving in Los Angeles, I have co In 1.5 years of coliving in Los Angeles, I have come to appreciate that...

1. More Space Does Not Equal More Happiness.

I don’t need as much square footage as I thought in order to be satisfied. Just a comfy sofa, a kitchen to call my own, and a functional workspace will do the trick.

2. Coliving Reminds Me to Value Community.

We’re taught to believe we need to create distance. Soundproofing. A bigger yard. Tall fences. But there’s something grounding about coliving that makes you feel a sense of belonging you otherwise wouldn’t. Like living in a hostel long-term and recognizing familiar faces over time.

3. Where I Spend My Money (or don’t) is Exclusively Up to Me. 

I value my own personal space, but I value funneling my money into experiences more. People often tell me they wish they could travel as often as I do but don’t always see the logic or practicality behind the things I’ve given up in order to do so.

4. Being in Sync with Your Partner is The Most Important Thing.

Jacob and I are SO good at sharing space, and I do not take that for granted. This living arrangement couldn’t work if we needed separate rooms to disappear to or if our work from home schedules were vastly different.

5. Coliving Can Be a Clever Hack to Save Money.

I wish coliving wasn’t necessary at all and housing wasn’t such a ridiculous financial burden. But in expensive cities like Los Angeles, coliving is just another tool in the toolkit, particularly if you don’t have other “hacks” available to you like finding a roommate or living with friends or family for a temporary period.

And my biggest realization of all? The things that used to make me feel like I was falling behind (the house, the kids, the whatever) aren’t even things I really want (yet) anyway. 

Society has a way of making us feel like we’re falling behind but having free will to define our own timelines to the extent that we can is a privilege! And I didn’t want to share my sabbatical journey without first reflecting on our coliving journey and one of the biggest money-saving hacks that allowed us to have a debt-free destination wedding and move to Australia in the same year.

Day 11 of 30!
Want to know what the heck a Working Holiday is? L Want to know what the heck a Working Holiday is? Let’s discuss! 👇🏽

PS - if you’re seeing this reel, you don’t follow me yet, but if you’re seeking work and travel tips like these, come follow along on @racheloffduty! 

When I first learned about this visa, I was 25. And the idea of moving to Australia lived rent-free in my head ever since. But it wasn’t until the week before I ‘aged out’ that I finally took the leap and applied. 

What can I say? Procrastination makes me do the darndest things 🤓

I’m breaking this down because if you are an American in your late 20s or even 30 years old and wondering if it’s too late to take a career break... first of all, no, you absolutely aren’t. And while Australia might have its working holiday age restrictions (30 for USA, 35 for some other countries!), this is only one example of the many, many ways to take a career break. 

Have you ever considered taking a career break?

Travel Tips | Travel Sabbatical | Career Break | Gap Year | Australia | Moving to Australia | Working Holiday Visa | Work and Holiday
Want to know what the heck a Working Holiday is? L Want to know what the heck a Working Holiday is? Let’s discuss! 👇🏽

This is day 10 of 30. My first post from AUSTRALIA! 🇦🇺 #GoingForTheGap

When I first learned about this visa, I was 25. And the idea of moving to Australia lived rent-free in my head ever since. But it wasn’t until the week before I ‘aged out’ that I finally took the leap and applied. 

What can I say? Procrastination makes me do the darndest things 🤓

I’m breaking this down because if you are an American in your late 20s or even 30 years old and wondering if you’re too old to take a career break... first of all, no, you absolutely aren’t. And while Australia might have its working holiday age restrictions (30 for USA, 35 for some other countries!), this is only one example of the many, many ways to take a career break. 

In fact, I’ve been adding all sorts of new resources to RachelOffDuty.com on the topic of career breaks (as I worked up the courage to take my own). 

👉🏽 comment GAP YEAR IDEAS if you want my full list of career break / sabbatical ideas! 

It might just be the push you needed 😉

Travel Tips | Travel Sabbatical | Career Break | Gap Year | Australia | Moving to Australia | Working Holiday Visa | Work and Holiday
My husband and I co-lived for 1.5 years to save mo My husband and I co-lived for 1.5 years to save money for travel, our wedding, and now, my sabbatical.

What is co-living? Think of it as a resident community where you have roommates and share common areas but have your own dedicated private space. It’s kind of like dorm living for adults 😂 

In our case, we rented a studio in the back, but had several ‘roommates’ sharing a large front house. We saved about 30 - 50% on LA rent prices this way which we felt really proud of, but as our friends were starting to buy homes and upgrade their apartments for larger spaces, at times, we’d feel a bit silly, like we were falling behind or not living the way we “should”.

The truth, though, is that when we stopped playing the comparison game, we loved our little studio and what it allowed us to do. And if you’ve ever thought of taking a gap year or saving up to travel, it can be a good way to help finance that lifestyle. 

Have you ever heard of coliving? Did you (like me) think this was exclusively something travelers do abroad, or have you ever considered it in your home city?

PS – follow @racheloffduty for more tips to travel more ✈️

Travel Tips | Coliving | Co-living | Saving Money to Travel | Travel Sabbatical | Career Break | Gap Year
My husband and I co-lived for 1.5 years to save mo My husband and I co-lived for 1.5 years to save money for travel, our wedding, and now, my sabbatical.

Day 9 of 30!

What is co-living? Think of it as a resident community where you have roommates and share common areas but have your own dedicated private space. It’s kind of like dorm living for adults 😂 

In our case, we rented a studio in the back, but had several ‘roommates’ sharing a large front house. We saved about 30 - 50% on LA rent prices this way which we felt really proud of, but as our friends were starting to buy homes and upgrade their apartments for larger spaces, at times, we’d feel a bit silly, like we were falling behind or not living the way we “should”.

The truth, though, is that when we stopped playing the comparison game, we loved our little studio and what it allowed us to do. And if you’ve ever thought of taking a gap year or saving up to travel, it can be a good way to help finance that lifestyle. 

Have you ever heard of coliving? Did you (like me) think this was exclusively something travelers do abroad, or have you ever considered it in your home city?

PS – comment TRAVEL FUND for my full list of money-saving tips to travel more ✈️

Travel Tips | Coliving | Co-living | Saving Money to Travel | Travel Sabbatical | Career Break | Gap Year
5 steps I took in order to take a career break [WA 5 steps I took in order to take a career break [WATCH]

Hi! I’m Rachel and I create content for overachievers and career girls looking to live more adventurous lives. If that resonates, you’ve come to the right place. Be sure to follow along on @racheloffduty
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