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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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What You Need to Know When Looking for Jobs Abroad
You have decided to move abroad. That’s awesome! What a great decision. Butttt you know you are going to have to get a job, and if you’re looking for a good one, you are going to have to start searching before you leave. That can be tricky finding a job across the pond. There is the time difference, different phone numbers, and no good way to tell if the position is legitimate. However, it is doable! So here is what you need to know when looking for jobs abroad! Right Visa Before you can go start working in any other country, you need to make sure you have the correct…
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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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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 Handle Your Health Care When Moving Abroad
When I decided to move to Ireland I just figured that all other details would resolve itself, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts. However, after reading many other travel articles, talking to my fellow Coddiwompler, and listening to my mother questioning my every move, I realized that there are many details that have to be thought about. One big one is health care. Up until now, I’ve been resting easy because I am under my parents’ health care plan. However, that all ends when I turn 25. I will be turning 25 while I am in Ireland. So not only is it goodbye America but also goodbye cozy health care.…
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The Purge Pt. 1
Gaining the courage to pack up and leave is a big moment of your life. You become so wrapped up in the excitement of moving away and starting a new adventure that you forget about reality. Specifically, you forget about all of your crap. I wouldn’t say that I am necessarily a hoarder, but I have accumulated a LOT of things over the years. I obviously can’t take all of this stuff with me to Ireland so I have had to do the hardest thing there is to do: Purge. I love love love my stuff but getting rid of it is hard. So I have decided to break up my…
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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…
