NEW YEAR, NEW LIFE

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Today, I returned my keys and said bye to my San Francisco home of 3.5 years, my first place post college, and the first place that's ever felt like home besides my childhood house. I'm leaving behind a neighborhood I love, that has virtually everything you could possibly want, cheap rent (per current SF standards), and vendors that greet me by name while prepping my order that they already know. It's bittersweet to say the least, but I know that San Francisco has been and will always be my home.

Tomorrow, on the first day of the new year I will embark on a new adventure - Traveling the globe while working remotely with a program aptly named "Remote Year." 2016 as a whole, was a rather unfulfilling year (except for my brothers wedding, that was amazing). After a spectacular 2015, 2016 left me wanting and somewhat apprehensive of the future. Coupled with these basic mental issues, I also began to feel a general lack of direction, and a need for new inspiration and new experiences to drive me forward. Queue Remote Year. Sipping wine at a farewell party for my roomie and longtime best friend at Dolores Park one day in early June, someone mentioned they would be traveling the world while working remotely come August. My roomie said "wow, Kalina that would be perfect for you" and the wheels started to turn. That night I sent in my initial application. Flash forward 2 months, and the idea was becoming actuality. I had spoken with most of my relatives, close friends, and colleagues, with everyone generally agreeing that it was something I should definitely pursue. My dad did not whack me on the head as is his norm when I tell him I'm going on another trip, but the final deciding factor was my boss telling me it was something that I absolutely had to do. Yea, I know, I am really really lucky.

Remote Year brings together a large group of like minded people, whose jobs allow them to complete their work from anywhere. In 2017, I will hit 12 cities, 10 countries, in 12 months (plus a bunch of side trips). You can find my general itinerary here. In each base city, Remote Year guarantees a private room in an apartment or a hotel, access to a coworking space with hi speed wifi, organizes all travel door to door, and puts together various events and networking opportunities. I could of course do this on my own for cheaper, but having others I can turn to if I choose to allows for some peace of mind, for myself and probably for my friends and family as well.

What am I expecting to get out of this year? I don't really know yet. At the very least I'm hoping to be inspired whether it be by places, cultures, people, FOOD, landscapes, cities, architecture, technology, or whatever else. Throughout the year, I will chronicle what I am calling my "musings" about Remote Year, reviews of the coworking spaces & accommodations, and other travel related thoughts/itineraries on this site. For the day to day, the best place to see what I'm doing is on my Instagram. Anyway, this is going on for too long. Mexico City & 2017, here I come.