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Thursday, April 28, 2022
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
8 Months Pregnant...
Hey there!
Keeping it short and sweet today, but thought I'd share a few little life updates! I'm officially in my 8th month of pregnancy (which is WILD—and it also has to be the most uncomfortable part of my pregnancy). The 1st trimester wasn't great with nausea and overall exhaustion, but the 3rd trimester is a completely different ball game...as in, my belly is the size of a basketball, and then some.
Alas, I'm soaking up all the Bailey cuddles and enjoying this time with Meyer before things get...real.
We're finishing up the nursery and I'm excited to share it in a few weeks! Any guesses as to what the "theme" will be?
If you have any questions about pregnancy, traveling while pregnant, babies, or anything like that — I'm all ears!
P.S. If you're not here for baby content, no worries — I promise itineraries, travel guides, and everything are not stopping!
Monday, April 25, 2022
I bought that plane ticket 10 years ago
Hey fam,
I recently shared on Instagram that it's been 10 years since I decided to buy that one-way ticket to Bangkok and commit to taking off to the other side of the world solo.
Here's what I wrote on the caption of that reel: "10 years ago I closed one of the biggest deals my firm had touched and watched as they congratulated my male superior who did 1% of the work, if that, instead of me, who did 99%. I bought the domain for bemytravelmuse and the one way ticket to Bangkok shortly after.
10 years ago I didn't know what I wanted out of life and Instagram barely existed yet, blogs made very little money, and I was leaving a stable and lucrative career, but there had to be more and I realized money didn't make me happy. Freedom did.
It would be 6 months before I started posting regularly and really "started" the blog, but 10 years ago is when I pushed the purchase button on the flight and committed.
There were some very lean years. I only slept in dorms, hitchhiked to keep going, and would write freelance articles for as little as $50 to keep the dream alive. But one thing I knew for sure - I wasn't going back. I wasn't going to watch someone else get credit for what I did ever again, no matter what it took.
I met my love on the road, and we're starting a family, but I'll never forget my first baby - my blog. Social media is fun but the website is where I poured all my passion. Writing is my truest love. Now it gets nearly 500k visits every month and I'm so thankful for it all.
For so much of it I felt like I was too far behind, not good enough, never would be good enough, but somehow I stuck with it anyway. So if anyone needs to hear this - when you think it can't be done, do it anyway. What really makes people succeed is grit ♥️"
Special announcement: We've got spaces on our final BMTM Adventures women's tour of 2022, swimming with Humpback whales in French Polynesia! I will not personally be on this trip as I'll have a newborn, but you'll be with an amazing group of fellow female adventurers! Learn more and apply here.
There were so many comments on there from others who are on this journey of self discovery. If you're finding yourself in a similar place, check it out here. You're not alone.
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead!
Hugs,
Kristin
European dreams are made of this 😍
Hello Occu V !
I'm currently in Estonia, traveling in the Baltics. Since we got back in Europe about three weeks ago, I can't believe how nice it is. In many countries, we don't need to wear masks anymore and more importantly, we don't need to handle complicated travel restrictions. With more countries re-opening, travel is finally back on!
Below, you'll find the latest travel news on A Broken Backpack as well as some sweet travel deals!
⚡ Travel news ⚡
Cyprus relaxes travel restrictions
Cyprus has to be one of the top destinations for living out that dreamy European fantasy, sipping Ouzo while singing Abba, sprawled out in the sun, surrounded by palm trees and azure waters. Does that sound magical to you? Cyprus has relaxed its restrictions, meaning summer vacations are BACK ON. Read now ➡
Which EU countries have zero restrictions?
Speaking of countries relaxing their restrictions, how about 11 EU destinations that you can visit without a whisper of COVID anywhere? That means no PCR tests, no quarantine, no vaccination certificate. Just grab your passport and go. There are some AMAZING destinations on the list, like Czech Republic and Slovenia. Read now ➡
⚡ Travel deals ⚡
Get $10 off your Worldpackers plan
Save $10 when purchasing an annual plan with Worldpackers, and get the best volunteering opportunities from around the globe.
Get 10% off your TrustedHouseSitters membership
Trying to sneak your furry friend into your case and pretend it's a scarf? Get a TrustedHouseSitters membership with 10% off, and know that they'll be treated like royalty while you're away.
Save 8% on your TEFL internship
One of the easiest ways of earning money abroad is by teaching. Save 8% on your internships with Premier TEFL and get out into the world ASAP.
Save 15% on your car rental
Planning the perfect road trip? Save 15% on your daily or weekly car rental with Hertz, throughout the U.S. and Canada. All you'll need is the perfect playlist.
Find out more details of all the deals here.
If you're planning a trip in the upcoming weeks, you should know that many travel websites offer flexible bookings!
☑ Lots of hotels offer free cancellation depending on your destination. You can browse on Booking.com to find deals that you can cancel at any time if you need to. (I already got a few free upgrades myself!)
☑ Certain airlines offer free cancellation and a flexible booking policy at the moment.
☑ SafetyWing (travel insurance that I use myself) covers Covid-19. So, that's great news for us! They are covering quarantine too! 😷
Need more inspo? Take a look at our destination guides here.
Chat soon,
Melissa 👋
Thursday, April 21, 2022
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