About
Hi! I am Vivian
Welcome to my blog about travel, life, and finding balance between responsibility and enjoyment of life
I’m Vivian, a woman living a fairly 9-to-5 life in Vancouver, Canada. I have the standard markings of your typical late-30s professional woman: a busy career, a mortgage, and that constant struggle that one often has, of finding enough time to do it all. While I enjoy the relative security of the conventional life that I’ve built for myself; there’s a side of me that craves adventure, travel and freedom – aspirations that many people tend to leave behind in their 20s, as they take on a more “grown-up” life with all the responsibilities and expectations that come along with it. I refuse to let conventional expectations of what life should be (career-over-life, deferring enjoyment of life until retirement etc.); crowd out my ability to live in the moment, and enjoy life to its absolute fullest – I hope I can inspire others to think this way as well.
All that being said, I’m not advocating to just drop everything and leave (although I’m kind of doing that in 2022 – but in a “responsible” manner). There’s definitely benefits to having a job and money in the bank. Constantly worrying about money and keeping a roof over one’s head is not an ideal way to live either, so my goal is to find a balance between responsibility and enjoyment. My need to balance the conventional with the unconventional drives me to find travel, fun and exploration in my life, while keeping up with a 9-to-5 life and career that generally keeps me quite busy. I’m hoping this blog about finding balance between life, travel and having fun resonates with you. I hope what I write inspires you to take time to add fun and adventure to your lives – no matter how big or small – and no matter how busy your lives might already be.
I’m starting this blog in the latter half of 2021 as the world starts to open up again from the Coronavirus pandemic, to document my adventures (local and international); provide travel tips/guides, gear review, and also provide insight into what international travel looks like in the Coronavirus era.
A few things about me:
- I have travelled to 53 countries
- I’m an adherent to to the F.I.R.E (Financially-Independent, Retire Early) movement
- I’m a closet opera singer
- I used to compete in triathlons. I quit to save my knees in order to dominate the triathlon world in the 90+ age-group category in the future. I take a long perspective – or the “yay, I still have knees!” view of victory 😀
- I ran my first marathon under 4 hours on a whim (sometimes I miss being an indestructible 20-something)
- I am an avid bike commuter.
- I’m on the Keto diet – but I’m not super-strict about it. If I really want a burger, I’ll eat one. I do feel at my best when I’m on a low-carb diet.
- I’m an ambivert. I can happily spend days/weeks by myself with no issue – but most people who meet me think that I’m an extrovert.
- It took a pandemic to slow my life down enough to find love
- As a Canadian, I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve accidentally apologized to inanimate objects I have bumped into.
- I was born with the travel bug. As a little girl, before I even knew what travel/vacations were; while other kids were playing with dolls and trucks; I would be busy packing my little backpack with clothes and items for journeys to nowhere in particular.
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