I have no regrets with any of the major choices I’ve made in my life. I am eternally grateful for my current job and would never quit unless the company goes bankrupt or gets sold to a different company that chooses to change its identity at its core. I have almost no insecurities and am often praised for my explosive (and sometimes excessive) confidence. I am completely financially stable and am satisfied with the volume of my various income sources.

 
With all that being said, I do think that my youth is running out. Due to the work-from-anywhere nature of my current job and the freedom I have from not having a wife, children, or pets, I am able to do quite literally whatever I want. But, once I start settling down in a few years, I’ll have new re­spon­si­bil­i­ties that limit my range of activities.

I think it’s reasonable to want to capitalize on this youth without it being considered a quarter-life crisis. There was a good transitional phase in my hous­ing situation that just came up, so I decided to pass on extending or signing a new lease. I am going to put all my belongings in a storage facility in Las Vegas and spend at least the next half year being a nomad.

I’ll be splitting my time primarily among three places:

1. In a spare bedroom at Tempo’s company headquarters in Long Beach, California;
2. At my parents’ house in the Chicagoland suburbs, where I grew up; and
3. At various Marriott-branded hotels across the country with extended-stay discounts, such as Residence Inn and Courtyard.

My current plan is to head over to Southern California for a few weeks, then set off on a 1½-month-long road trip to Illinois, stopping by various major cities in all the states along the way. I would spend about a week or so in each city and drive no more than about 3-4 hours on each weekend day to make it to the next city. This will ensure I don’t get driving fatigue while traveling alone, allow me sufficient time to work my normal working hours, and give me an opportunity to explore the best parts of each city during my free time.

Once I make it to Illinois, I’ll spend about a month and a half living with my parents, whom I have not seen in-person since December 2019 prior to the pan­dem­ic.

By this point, it will be the beginning of September, upon which I will make a determination depending on how my road tripping has been so far—either continue East to extend my journey, or make the 1½-month-long trip back to Southern California, this time taking a more southern route as to avoid potential inclement weather in the Rocky Mountains.

And from there, I’m unsure what will be next. I may continue spending more time with friends and family and traveling around, or I may want to return home to Las Vegas and sign a new lease to settle back down and return to normal life. The entire point of this experiment is to be flexible with whatever might come up, so I’m leaving the possibilities open.

 
So… I guess I’m a travel blogger now.