I’m laying on my bed in a small room on the 4th floor of my new room in Miraflores. In 2 weeks I plan to be in Cusco, exploring ancient ruins like Machu Picchu for my week off. I’ve grown to like this place; I’m sharing it with ~6 other International travelers, it has a nice rooftop right outside my window, and it’s no-frills cheap. $280/month rent. Beats the hell out of $850/mo in NYC.

Drop Machu Picchu. Drop Patagonia. Drop festival in Rio de Janeiro. I’m going to India!

I’m switching tabs back-and-forth between launching nodes in aws and researching bus routes for my next 6 months in South America: Valparaíso, Buenos Aires, Los Ríos, Christmas in Torres del Paine (Patagonia), Montevideo, Festival in Rio de Janeiro. I’m excited as I read through the internet travel guides and multi-day, international bus routes.

My boss sends me a message. I expect he’s going to yell at me for signing-off for an hour during lunch. Instead, he asks, “Would you be interested in working in India for a couple months?”

Drop the phone. Drop everything. Drop Machu Picchu. Drop Patagonia. Drop festival in Rio de Janeiro. I’m going to India!

I do not have a travel job. In the 2 years I’ve worked here, the only place I’ve ever been flown was to the office for my interview. My employer is in America, so I can work almost anywhere with solid Internet in America; I can return to South America later. But I’ve never been to Asia, and I can’t generally work there due to timezone issues. Getting paid to work in Asia with the ability to work in the local timezone? Count me in!

So my South American bus searches turn to flights-back-home searches. I just paid for for two 1-month leases just last week (home & office-space). Nevermind. I’ll be on a plane to New York City in 2 days.

Just when you start developing plans, the winds change and carry you somewhere unexpected. If you have the courage to uproot yourself and go with the flow, you’ll be amazed where life takes you <3