Featured Female Traveler: Kristen – Florida, USA

Kristen Breunig’s Gone Global, and is bringing us with her on each of her Adventures. This week’s Featured Female Traveler is a 32 year-old who has cast her sails from the typical 9-5 job to see the world. Here she shares with us some of her travel experiences and tips.
Her home? A sailboat, Kokoi, traveling the Eastern Caribbean.
Next up? An RV en route to Chile.
Sound intriguing? You bet it is! Here, Kristen’s life is chronicled through various sailing-related spoofs with some serious stories behind them.

Here we capture Kristen’s route of long-term travel:

Kristen Abandons Ship

K: The most positive memorable experience I have is the last trip I did solo. I quit my very well paying good benefits job, sold my house and car, and downsized all my belongs to what would fit on a pallet and booked a one way ticket to the Bahamas. My plan was to sail on a boat that I found online and get off in the Dominican Republic to continue backpacking through South America starting in Argentina. The most memorable experience is when we pulled the sails up and left the harbour. I felt true freedom!

Bahamas - Beach Yoga - by Kristen Breunig - Miss Maps Featured Female Traveler — Bahamas – Beach Yoga – by Kristen Breunig – Miss Maps Featured Female Traveler

Kristen Sets Sail Without a Crew

K: I have done a few trips alone and they were the best experiences I had while travelling. My first solo trip was not intentional. I was 29 years old and was supposed to travel to Costa Rica, a place I had not been before, with my then-boyfriend. Our relationship ended and I took the trip by myself. Since this was my first time traveling alone, I didn’t want to get stuck in a bad situation plus I do not speak very good Spanish, so I arranged all my transportation and housing in advance. Since then I have done three other solo trips and each time I take a little more risk. Now I have no problem finding the public bus or a hostel.

Traveling alone can help open you up to meet lifelong friends and give you the freedom to make your own choices about what you want to do each day. If you are considering travelling alone for the first time, DO IT! Decide what you need to do to feel safe and be mindful of whatever situations are going on where you choose to go. Stay aware of your surroundings and be open to new experiences.

Kristen Finds Her Captain

K: My favorite travel companion is also the love of my life. What makes him so great is that he also wants to live a life of travel and adventure. Traveling together is about as close to perfect as you can get. Our schedules seem to be harmonious together, when I want to relax so does he. When he wants to play hard so do I. When it is time to work we both can focus to get the job done. We also make each other laugh constantly and he has the ability to push me outside my comfort zone to try new things.

Since that initial experience of setting sail, I never did leave the boat and ending up falling in love with the Captain. I have become the main editor and photographer on his blog: http://www.goneglobaladventures.com. Instead of continuing my journey into South America I stayed on the boat and sailed all the way to Trinidad. From there we went back to the states together and invested in real estate to support ourselves. Right now we are sailing back to America where we plan to sell the boat and start a new adventure, driving an RV through America all the way down to Chile. I guess I get my South American trip after all. The greatest gift I have ever learned is how to simplify my life.

Stages of Tuna - by Kristen Breunig - Miss Maps Featured Female Traveler — Stages of Tuna – by Kristen Breunig – Miss Maps Featured Female Traveler – “This is a recent photo I put together. We caught a tuna while sailing. In the first photo you will see Matt, the Captain of the boat, filleting the fish. IN the next photo is an example of another hobby I picked up, fish rubbing. I make a print of the fish we caught, our crew members are helping me. Then finally we have the most amazing fresh sushi dinner. Love this lifestyle”

Kristen Avoids the Grog

K: When I was working full time, my budget was not as much of a concern. Plus, if you are working full time most likely you are only travelling two weeks or so out of the year. Budget didn’t play a huge role. The idea was instead to maximize the experience. However, today I have to be very mindful of my spending, which is part of the reason I barely drink alcohol. Traveling and getting drunk is dangerous itself, plus it can be a huge drain on a budget. For eating out, I am always looking for a stand on the side of the road or a place with cheap plastic chairs. I also like to ask the price of everything before I order. Also, I buy fruits, veggies and meats from the markets so I can cook my own meals. If I am in a place to fish, then we are out fishing looking for our next dinner.

Kristen Puts Destinations on Her Radar

K: I love the waters of the Bahamas. I love the waterfalls and hiking in Dominica. However, I hold a special place in my heart for Colorado. I love that state. It is full of adventurous people ready to have fun outdoors (rock climbing, biking, rafting, kayaking, skiing/snowboarding, dog walking, and more) They also have great beer, the best music scene, and people love to get dressed up and ride around on bicycles.

Next, I want to do a three month safari trip through Africa. You travel in a type of school bus and every night you set up a campsite and sleep in tents.