The Road Less Traveled. Walking Away from a Life of Convention to Create One of Magical Moments | Ep 27

She Hit Refresh

This is the last episode of season two. It's been a wonderful season full of personal refresh stories from our members. If you've ever thought about radically changing your life and fulfilling that need to travel or move away you're in luck.

First up we have Lynn Strough, who lived the conventional life of wife, mother, and working in a cubical. After a divorce and job layoff she took the opportunity to forge a new path and travel the world on her own at 56. Then we'll hear from Elizabeth Quintal a Houstonian who was ready to leave Texas for somewhere and chose Madrid as her new home. But she didn't come alone, it was a family affair, she moved here in her 30s with her husband and son.

What We Discuss

• Life after divorce and a job layoff
• What it's like to hit refresh in your 50s
• Facing agism in the workplace
• Taking life on the road for 4 years as a solo traveler
• How to travel on a budget
• What's it like to stay in a hostel
• Leaving the American dream behind for a better life abroad
• What it's like to move abroad with a family
• Moving to Spain without knowing Spanish
• What are the best parts about living in Madrid
• What has been the most surprising thing about moving to Spain
• It's about the journey not the destination

About Lynn

At age 56 after a perfect storm of job layoff, divorce, and giving up her home, Lynn hit refresh by selling almost all of her possessions and taking off with just a backpack to travel around the world solo on a shoestring for a year. This morphed into almost 4 years! She has house and pet sat, stayed in hostels, even couch surfed, in 15 countries, from Australia to SE Asia, to Eastern and Western Europe. Currently, she's back in her home state of Michigan after my daughter had a baby. While she's not sure when, she's pretty sure this won’t be her permanent landing pad, as wanderlust runs through her veins.

Read more about Lynn in our Member Spotlight.

Follow Lynn on her website at Travellynn Tales and Facebook and Instagram.

About Elizabeth

Elizabeth Quintal is a coffee fueled wife, mom, writer, photographer, and small business owner living in Spain. She is the co-founder of The New Antiquarians, a photography studio based in Madrid, believing deeply in the power of storytelling, being adventurous, and capturing the everyday magical moments.

And when she’s not with her camera or chasing her son around a playground she’s working on her first book of poetry. As a passionate dreamer, lover of the journey called life (even the messy) she uses the lens and the pen to tell her story, help others share theirs, and amplify the stories overlooked, untold, or forgotten.

Connect with her on her website The New Antiquarians and Instagram @thenewantiquarians and @elizabethmquintal

Join our She Hit Refresh Facebook Group, get more tips and advice on how to hit refresh on our blog and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.