Moving to Hawaii from Thailand

 

You may be wondering where I went for 10 years. Here’s what happened.

 

I moved to Hawaii from Thailand in 2013. This is when my life changed dramatically.

 

After 18 months of solo travel in Thailand, Bali, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Nepal I knew I needed to speak English again. And eat a grilled cheese sandwich which you can’t find in Asia.

Are you looking for incredible countries to solo travel at any age? Here are my top 5 countries.

 

Living in Hawaii was one of the best things I ever did for myself.

Swimming with wild dolphins, writing books, leading photography and yoga workshops on Kauai, Big Island, and Oahu and taking photographs was a dream come true.

The Hawaiian islands were my playground. I had enough money to not work every single day. This hadn’t happened since I was in kindergarten.

This was little kid ecstasy!

But eventually the bank account needed some fuel.

So I moved back to Silicon Valley, California to continue my photography business in Palo Alto where I get paid well to take photographs.

This was a Come-to-Jesus moment. I was ready to revamp my life.

Moving all the time was exhausting. I wanted to stay in one place longer. Or at least one country.

And it felt absolutely amazing to make a robust income again from my photography business. And re-connect with old clients and friends. I love my work!

So in 2017 I came back to California.

But I didn’t stop traveling, I just had a home base again. Since returning to the USA I’ve traveled in Cambodia, Nepal, Mexico, Italy, Sicily, France, and USA.

Are you curious about what I learned from my solo travels? Things no one told me about.

And  I’m certainly seeing and exploring things in the USA, I’ve never seen before.

One thing I loved doing was going on a Solo CamperVan trip for a month on the Oregon Coast.

And I’ve gotten to be with my family more than I’d experienced in many years.

Living in Thailand for 12 months was life changing.

Making it a home base and getting a retirement visa in Thailand had been my goal. But I had no intention of retiring.

I’ll retire when I die!

So I was close to getting this coveted Thai retirement visa after spending the money for it and going for appointments with embassies and visa agency workers and suddenly it all changed.

I had a motorcycle accident in Chiang Mai.

Suddenly a rainstorm struck after motoring out of a local dairy to purchase yogurt and cheese, not easily found in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Swerving away from oncoming cars I noticed my leg was next to a fast moiving car, and the next second I was on the pavement, my motorbike still running on top of me.

So I could have expired but instead got banged and sprained up with stitches in my face.

This was another Big Moment.

Laying in my air-conditioned studio apartment in Chiang Mai, with private balcony for only $220USD per month, I realized this:

I could have died in that crash! Or been permanently injured as so many people are in Thailand from motorbike accidents. (My Chiang Mai chiropractor told me and suggested I never get on a motorbike again.)

So it was time to fully and unapologetically live because we don’t know when we’re going to die. What did I always want to do?

Meditating upon this delicious unknown I remembered how I felt after 5 luxurious and exhilarating trips to Maui in my former family life.

I knew what I wanted.

This secret bubbled up from my heart and was blasting my brain with one thought: Move to Hawaii! Just do it and worry about it later.

But I did worry about it. How was I going to pay 5 times more money for the same things I purchased in Thailand? Rent, food, transportation, and fun.

Moving to Hawaii, how could it be possible?

This Moving to Hawaii mantra wouldn’t leave my mind. So I began deep research online: moving to Hawaii. What is involved?

And while my limbs and face healed from the accident my head was percolating with pings of Hawaiian dreams.

Soon I was buying a one-way ticket to Honolulu from Bangkok for $500USD and it was all set.

I was going to Hawaii with my three pieces of luggage; not knowing a soul in the Islands.

This did put a skip in my step.

Even though I was dragging a sprained arm and scaring people with my stitched face.

But Moving to Hawaii! It was happening.

Kauai Anini Beach

Soon after arriving in Hawaii I started teaching private yoga sessions. Being a resident of Hawaii rather than a visitor I realized tourism was the biggest industry on the islands. Didn’t understand the magnitude of this when I didn’t live in Hawaii.

 

And then I started up my photography private sessions and retreats. 

 

Moral of the Story: sometimes you have to have an accident or huge life wallop to understand you need to go in a different direction.

Would you like to travel with me in Italy or Mexico?

See the details and photos for Sicily here.

You’ll learn how to take incredible street photographs in stealth mode and You’ll get all my killer secrets of being invisible while shooting and capturing amazing photos while learning the 4 Most Important Tips to get the shot!

 

You’ll come home with remarkable photographs that you took with your own camera or phone. Bring any camera or phone, even if you’ve never picked up a camera before. 

 

Check out the Oaxaca City Mexico details here. 

 

And if you’re wondering about going to Italy on your own solo journey check out this 2-week Italy itinerary here. 

 

Curious about your own solo travel escape and need advice on planning a trip?

 

Or changing your country?

 

Get in touch with me: [email protected]