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My Gap Year Has Been The Worst Decision I Ever Made
Yeah, you read that correctly. Last June, Maggie and I decided to take a gap year abroad and move to Ireland. It sounded like the perfect idea. I was just finishing my Master’s and we both had zero clues what we wanted to do in life. Why not whisk away to an exciting country to forget all of our problems? WRONG! This gap year has been the worst decision I’ve ever made and here’s why. Now as you may remember, my fellow Coddiwompler wrote an article back in August 2016 that told you why taking a gap year would be the best decision you ever make. Don’t remember it? Go…
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I Ended My Engagement to See the World
I’m usually pretty good at starting articles. I like writing introductions. I think they’re fun. But full disclosure: I have no idea how to start this one. So here it is: the story of why I broke off my engagement to see the world. Let me start with some disclaimers. Yes, my ex knows that I’m writing this article. And no, I’m not going to bash him or talk shit about him – if that’s why you’re here, you can go ahead and ctrl+w out of here. Ok. So let’s back up to a time in May, when I moved to Ireland at the beginning of the month. Immediately, I…
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Comeback Kids: The Coddiwomplers are back!
We did the one thing we always told ourselves we wouldn’t do: we stopped writing. You may or may not have noticed that we disappeared (we understand if you didn’t – you’re busy too) but disappear we did and trust us, we didn’t like it. Where did you go? When will you start writing again? Are The Coddiwomplers dead? These are the questions that we have been receiving since our last post back in February. While we love writing as The Coddiwomplers and sharing travel tips, a whole lot of life kept hitting us that stopped us from writing. Probably the biggest or most obvious reason is that we were…
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10 Books That Will Make You Want to See the World
Both of us here at The Coddiwomplers are huge bookworms. We met in college and have shared many books about travel and life with each other. I personally (Maggie) feel as though my purse isn’t completely packed if my Kindle isn’t inside. Plane and car rides would drag if I didn’t have a good book to distract me. ***This article contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated for any purchase made by clicking on them. Thank you for supporting The Coddiwomplers!* The books we’ve got for you today aren’t just your garden-variety trashy romance novels. These are books that are going to light a fire under you and make…
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Why Traveling Should Be a Part of Your New Year’s Resolutions
That time has come again to make our new year’s resolutions. A new year, a new you and you have a list of things you want to accomplish. More than likely you have getting healthy, spending less, etc. But did you add traveling to your resolutions? Traveling is one of the best ways to grow and discover more about yourself so why not make that a top priority? Here is why I think you should make traveling a part of your new year’s resolutions. Travel on a budget Unless you are some kind of millionaire, when you choose to travel you are doing so on a budget. You save up…
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The Purge Pt. 2
Yes, it is time again to go through all of my stuff and figure out what has to go, with part 2 being the hardest. The holidays are usually the best time of the year but this year it makes getting rid of things even harder when you’re constantly getting more and more gifts. Although I am of course grateful, getting more stuff only makes it harder to let go when the time comes. So here is how I was able to purge more of my things and get closer to moving abroad. If you have not read the purge pt. 1, look over it now before continuing! As mentioned…
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How to Handle Your Last Holiday at Home
We are already in the swing of things for this holiday season. With Thanksgiving having just happened, you need only to blink before Christmas and New Years are here. But what if this is your last holiday season stateside? This is the last time you will be surrounded by this much family for a while. For me, Thanksgiving was my last holiday because I am not going home for Christmas or New Years. We tend to complain that time with family is not a vacation but rather more work but if this is the last one with them for a while, what would you do differently? Here are some things…
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How to Stay Focused When You’re So Flippen Excited to Leave
I was so excited to write about this because this is something that I have the hardest time with. Staying focused and in the moment when you’re so flippen excited to leave. The second I make a grand decision, I’m ready to carry it out. Deciding to get a tattoo? Let’s go right now! Thinking about cutting my hair? Let’s pull out the scissors! While this can be an exciting quality because I want to live life to the fullest, it’s also a curse because I then want to drop all responsibilities and keep moving forward. Sadly, I don’t have that option this time because I have some pretty big…
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Taking a Gap Year is the Best Crazy Decision You Can Make
“So what are you doing when you graduate?” Ah, yes. The age-old question that every graduate, whether high school, college, or graduate school, has heard. This well-meaning query often comes from the mouths of an older person, possibly a grandparent, a friend of your parents, or *gasp* your parents themselves. Most people are expecting the traditional answers: “I’ll be starting at Kansas State in the fall,” “I’ve been accepted to a great graduate program in Michigan,” “I’ve been offered a position at Big Corporation in Chicago.” Most people expect the routine high school –> higher education –> career path. But what if you mixed it up? What the heck is…
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What to Expect When You’re Expecting…To Make Big Life Decisions
Life is comprised of many big life decisions. The decision to leave home. The decision to go to college. Buy your first car or maybe in my case, move out of the country. While these are exciting occasions to you, the people that are most important in your life might not be as enthused. And of course, no matter what you say to yourself, it is always hard knowing that not everyone can accept what you are doing. So here are a few things to expect when you’re expecting to make big life decisions. Telling Your Family via GIPHY So I have always been one to run any idea past my…
