Meet Samantha
I am so happy you are here! I am just getting started on my travel blogging journey in hopes of one day becoming location independent. I used to travel as much as I could while working a full time job but now, I am making this Travel Blog my full time job! I know this is the path for me to start living a more fulfilling life that was missing in the corporate world I used to work in. I hope by sharing my travel experiences and my real life journey through travel blogging I will create a travel community that will inspire and motivate you to adventure fearlessly and start your own life-changing journey!
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In 2007 I graduated college with a degree in Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising. I set off to NYC immediately after graduation and set my sights on designing. I worked 3-4 internships over the next couple of months (some paid, some not) while trying to find something that felt right…it didn’t happen. After some time in NYC I moved to Chicago on a whim convinced I was going to get a job I had been applying for. Fast forward to me boarding the plane to Chicago, I get a call from HR telling me they are going with someone more experienced. I totally didn’t see that one coming, I laughed the whole way there and thought “guess I won’t be needing that “Is it Friday yet?” office coffee mug”
I ended up finding another job pretty quickly which I actually thought was going to turn into my dream job. Fast forward a year later I realized that business was going nowhere…I moved back to Tampa (into my parent’s home) because I was broke and visionless but I never stopped working. At one point I was working 4+ jobs (magazine stocker, retail associate, sewing bathrobes, hemming pants and attempting to start an event planning business) trying to save money and find my groove.
Eventually, I took a job as a visual merchandiser and then worked really hard to get the same position at a luxury retailer. When I saw I missed a call from the recruiter I called her back 6 times in a row, not realizing she had caller i.d. She finally called me back and said “so I saw you called a few times”. I was bursting with embarrassment but it had been three weeks and I wanted to know if I got the job. Thankfully I did!
I was excited to start my new job but I was only making $15 an hour with mediocre benefits. This was 5 years out of college, not what I had envisioned for myself.
I took another part-time position and worked these two jobs for about 6 months. I was then let go from my full-time job due to the store closing. I was recruited via LinkedIn only a few days after and wound up being offered another full-time position in the wholesale apparel industry. This time in Miami. New experiences are exciting for me. I’ve never shy away from change so I jumped at the chance to move to Miami not knowing what to expect.
May 2014 I had been in the same position for about a year and a half and while I felt I had finally found a “real” job with all the benefits I thought I needed, it started to become mundane. Boredom set in. I did feel a sense of security knowing I had a steady paycheck which was a great feeling. I still wasn’t making enough to live solo in Miami but at least I was out of my parent’s house.
Right after my 30thBirthday I had no debt, saved enough money for a down payment, bought a condo overlooking the ocean, moved in, renovated a bit and was offered a District Manager position at a new company. I thought this one would give me the satisfaction I was looking for. Two years later I started to get burned out and a bit disappointed with life again….I mean seriously how many times is that supposed to happen in one lifetime? I had big dreams of growing with the new company I worked for but quickly realized a 9-5 corporate desk job wasn’t my cup of tea. I decided I no longer wanted to pursue a career that would take me back to NYC and opted to say in the field as a Wholesale District Manager.
In 2017 I bought a go-pro and tagged along with my parents and a few of their friends on a highly anticipated trip to Iceland. I had not been out of the country since I studied abroad in 2005 and was slacking a bit on the savings since buying and renovating my condo. As soon as I landed I was like what have I been missing? Immediately the travel bug lit up inside me and I began plotting my next adventure.
Iceland was a phenomenal experience for me and really got me out of the little slump I was in. With a bit more soul searching and numerous thoughts about quitting my job, I realized quitting wasn’t an option financially. I started focusing on how I could live a more fulfilling and inspirational life by traveling and experiencing things otherwise unknown. Traveling and saving money to travel quickly became my #1 priority.
I tidied up my spending and became excited about the future again. Here is a post I wrote about how I save money: 17 QUIRKY ways I save money to travel
Since 2017 I’ve been to 10 more countries and even more states all while working a fulltime job. I am thankful to currently have a semi-flexible position with a manager who encourages me to see the world and a fresh vision of what that can do for me.
I had been toying with the travel blogging idea for a while but I always thought I didn’t travel enough and self-doubt always crept in for a number of reasons. After about a year or more of back and forth, with some friend’s encouragement, a more flexible boss, and well nothing to lose, I said what the heck-why not try! I decided one weekend to start what is now Seeing Sam, a collection of my adventures and experiences from around the globe. It is currently September 2019 as I write this and while I’m just beginning my journey, I hope I will inspire you to start your own!
UPDATE: As of February 2020 I lost my job. It was unexpected but not surprising. Restructuring and layoffs are inevitable in a business that is not as profitable as it once was. The layoff sparked wanderlust that just couldn’t be ignored. So for now, I’m out there seeing the world (at least until my savings run out)!
