Since she quit her job on Wall Street a few years ago, Laura’s been splitting her time between New York and Southeast Asia, and is also starting to scope out a third location to use as a base.

Most Memorable Location-Independent Experiences
Riding through the middle of the remote Bali countryside on my motorbike alone, jamming out to trip-hop and feeling freer and happier than I ever have in my life.

Biggest Surprise along the Way
This lifestyle is exciting and rich…but it’s also very very hard at first. Honestly? The freer you want to be, the more you have to plan. For me to be the master of my own experience, I really have to crack a whip. You can’t make money, travel hard, play hard and maintain your close relationships with friends and family by doing things on a whim. My life is often very planned out in order for me to have ultimate freedom. This was very surprising for me in the beginning.

Also, living this way has in many ways actually brought me closer with my friends and family back home. Not only does it make me schedule very focused time with them when I’m back, but it also helps me be a happier person. Being happier and living my dream means I make more money and I have more freedom, which all adds up to being a better friend and daughter, because I’m a better version of myself. But don’t get me started on long-distance relationships—I have no answers there…yet. 😉

Bonus
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