Hi there! My name is Maria, and before my adult gap year, you could find me working in New York finance or at a fast-paced start-up. I lived in spreadsheets. I had always wanted to travel around the world, but it was never the right time. Finally I stopped making excuses and decided to commit. 

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My husband and I decided we were going to quit our jobs and travel the world for one year, living off of savings. After a ton of careful, meticulous planning, we decided to:

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• Spend 3 months in Italy to learn Italian

• Spend 4 months in Africa, including driving from Nairobi to Cape Town and going to a dozen national parks in between

• Looping through southeast Asia in 3 months, lounging on beaches and eating amazing food

• Enjoying 2 months in Argentina to see Patagonia and learn Spanish

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Through the whole trip I was sure something big would go wrong. This was too good to be true, right? Nope! We made it through in one piece. Why? We planned aggressively. We faced our fair share of challenges, but we were prepared for them. For two years, we had researched and answered questions like:

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• How to travel in expensive places like Africa as affordably as possible

• How to reliably communicate with friends and family back home

• How to prepare for medical problems abroad

• How to see as much as possible without getting too exhausted from travel

 

I had amazing experiences traveling - from standing 15 feet from rhinos in the wild to going to pizza school in Italy. But I also learned a lot about myself, and I think I came home a better person. Today, it's my mission in life to help others experience these life-changing trips. It's the whole reason I founded Travelries. 

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If you're ready to plan your trip, let's chat!