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  • Home
  • Blog
    • Blog
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    • Life List
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      • 100 Bucket List Ideas
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  • Travel
    • ‘Round the World Travel
    • My First Backpacking Trip to Europe
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    • Asia
      • Cambodia
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      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
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      • Czech Republic
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Galway, Ireland
October 31, 2013
in Bad Decisions, Europe, Galway, Ireland, relationships, Round the World, sex, travel

When I woke up I was all alone, with a broken heart and a ticket home.

I already never wanted to leave. I'd only been in Galway for a couple of hours and had only made it down the main stretch of restaurants and shops. But I felt like I could stay there forever, trying out different pubs, listening to the live...

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Bogota, Colombia
August 26, 2013
in Bad Decisions, Bogota, Colombia, Latin American Adventure, relationships, Round the World, sex, South America, travel

On (not falling in) love at first sight. (or, why does everyone hate on Bogota?)

It wasn't love at first sight. Of course, it rarely is. I arrived in Bogota on a Sunday afternoon, after an 8-hour bus ride from San Gil, and opted for a too-expensive taxi into town. Pointing to one of the recommended hostels in my Lonely Planet, I...

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Wednesday night party at Aqua Lounge in Bocas del Toro, Panama.
July 19, 2013
in Bad Decisions, Bocas del Toro, Central America, Latin American Adventure, Panama, relationships, Round the World, sex, travel

The three lies of Bocas del Toro.

1. I am not drinking tonight. I arrived in Bocas del Toro on the Fourth of July. In the morning, in Puerto Viejo, I watched Joey Chestnut break his hot dog eating record with the help of a vpn, a borrowed cable login, and espn.com, and...

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Skinny Dipping in El Nido, Philippines.
September 5, 2012
in Asia, Bad Decisions, El Nido, Life List, Philippines, relationships, Round the World, sex, travel

Life List #88: Go skinny dipping.

"When I met you I thought you were together," the Korean girl sitting across from Alex and I at the bar said, "you seemed really close." This was after we answered the other guy's question of "where did you two meet," with "at the hostel yesterday." And...

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Clubbing in Boracay, The Philippines.
August 17, 2012
in Asia, Bad Decisions, Boracay, Philippines, relationships, Round the World, sex, travel

The time is now.

I had some of the crazier nights I've had in a while while in Boracay. Nights where this suppressed dancer danced and sang all night long. Nights where we listened to acoustic music and drank happy hour Red Horses or two for one cocktails....

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Falling for a guy in Pai, Thailand
July 7, 2012
in Asia, Bad Decisions, Pai, relationships, Round the World, sex, Thailand, travel

Falling.

All I wanted was dinner. Scratch. Dinner and wifi. That was my plan. My mission. That was what I was looking for when I was walking down the street on one of my first nights in Pai. I certainly wasn't looking to meet a guy. In...

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Bungee jumping in Chiang Mai, Thailand
June 8, 2012
in Asia, Bad Decisions, Chiang Mai, relationships, Round the World, sex, Thailand, travel

On being rational…or irrational…or…whatever…

I am afraid of heights. No, that's not quite true. I am afraid of plummeting from heights. I held on for dear life and cried excessively every time a child bumped into me at the top of the Eiffel Tower for god's sake. So, how,...

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Khajuraho Sex Temples in India -- Western Group sex temples in Khajuraho, India.
April 16, 2012
in Asia, India, Khajuraho, Round the World, sex, travel

Sex in the Temples (Khajuraho Sex Temples in India)

You can't tell Jaime and I that there are sex temples in India — temples that feature erotic depictions of sex, orgies, oral sex, anal sex, bestiality, random sexual positions no one on earth can possibly maintain — and not expect us to book the...

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Koh Tao, Thailand
March 1, 2012
in Asia, Bad Decisions, Koh Tao, relationships, Round the World, sex, Thailand, travel

Turning around.

When I turned around, Aaron, one of the only others who stayed behind, asked me why I didn't go with them. And I replied, "I don't know." Because none of my excuses seemed valid. Then Aaron asked me if I wanted to go book a ticket with...

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Bucket vendors in Koh Phangan, Thailand
February 28, 2012
in Asia, Bad Decisions, Koh Phangan, relationships, Round the World, sex, Thailand, travel

On expectations.

I expected Koh Phangan to be a party town. One where I'd spend my days relaxing on the beach and my nights drinking buckets until I passed out. In five nights there, though, I mostly sipped beer, nary finished a bucket, hardly even made it...

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Hi, I’m Val. I spent most of my 20s in a standstill, unable to pick which path in life I wanted to take. I wanted the nomadic life of a traveler but also wanted the husband, the condo, and the teal couch. Unable to decide which life I wanted more, I did nothing. I lived my life in limbo. When I turned 30 I’d had enough of putting my life on hold and decided to start “choosing my figs.” So, I quit my job and bought a one-way ticket to Europe. After 3 years on the road I’m back in Chicago, exploring the city, learning guitar, decorating my apartment in too much teal, cuddling my cats, and planning my next adventures.

            

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2006 –

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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN YOUR LIFE?


Feeling stuck? Sick of living your life in limbo? Want to finally do all those things you always say you're going to do? Sign up for the Choosing Figs newsletter now to get a FREE e-book with tips on starting your own life list, inspiration for things to do in life, and worksheets to get your life goals out of your head and into action!


Your information will be used to send you our Life List e-book and subscribe you to our bi-monthly newsletter. View our full Privacy Policy.



            


MEOW | Is Val in Chicago?