At the end of 2022, after a year of living together, my boyfriend broke up with me. I’d built my life around him, even taking a marketing job in Colorado to move in together. I was shattered.
I was stuck at a job I wasn’t excited about and found myself with nowhere to go. I knew I needed a change, but I wasn’t sure what that could look like.
Shortly after the breakup, I called my best friend, Megan, an English teacher in Madrid. We’d always dreamed of backpacking together, but the timing had never worked out — until now.
She had the summer off, and I was suddenly untethered. So, I saved every penny, quit my job, and set off for Madrid in June 2023.
At first, the trip was everything I could have dreamed of
The first few months were magical, as my
I Quit My Job to Travel Full Time; Struggled, Went Home After 18 Months
