Traveled to 35 International locations Over a 15-Month Break; Returned Able to Transfer

This as-told-to essay relies on a dialog with Sharonda Scott, 37, an LA-based stuntwoman. It has been edited for size and readability.

Two years in the past, at 35, I made a decision to take what I now name my “radical sabbatical.”

My life in Los Angeles had changed into a whirlwind of auditions, stunts, and fixed coaching. I had been working within the leisure trade as a stuntwoman and actor since I used to be 30, however by early 2024, after the writers’ and actors’ strikes, I hit a wall.

The trade had slowed to a trickle, my financial savings have been tight, and I noticed the way in which I used to be residing — chasing gigs, having fun with luxurious, but continuously pressured — simply wasn’t sustainable anymore.

I’ve at all times loved touring

I grew up in Detroit because the youngest of 5, raised by a single mother. Faculty took me to the College of Miami, the place I switched from pre-med to worldwide research and frolicked in Brazil studying Spanish and Portuguese.

After commencement, I labored in prostate most cancers analysis however knew it wasn’t my path. I bounced between singing, vogue design, and volunteer work in Rio earlier than shifting to LA — the place a background appearing job unexpectedly led me into stunt work.

My first large break got here after I acquired employed to be Miranda Bailey’s stunt double on “Gray’s Anatomy.”

However by January 2024, the trade was quiet, and I discovered myself anxious about payments regardless of cautious saving.

I felt trapped. It was a dialog with a detailed buddy that modified every little thing: “What do you really need?”

I admitted I wished out

I wished to journey and expertise the world past LA. So I began imagining a sabbatical — not for a number of weeks, however for a full yr or extra.

I did not have an in depth plan. I wrote down 12 nations I hoped to go to, bought every little thing in my LA house, broke my lease, and located somebody to hire my automotive to cowl the funds.

My family and friends have been supportive; they helped me pack and even purchased a few of my issues to assist fund the journey. My rule was to spend not more than $500 per airplane ticket, which wasn’t too laborious since most have been one-way.

First cease, India

Individuals warned me about touring solo as a lady in India, however from the second I arrived, I felt welcomed.

What I believed can be a brief keep grew to become transformative. Two younger women who had skilled trauma arrived the identical week, and we rapidly grew to become inseparable.

From there, the journey unfolded organically. My sister joined at any time when she might get day off — she ended up touring with me to 13 nations. Even my mother, who had feared flying for many years, caught up with me alongside the way in which.

We zip-lined alongside cliffs in Cape Verde, rode camels in Morocco, and cage-dived with sharks in South Africa. In Zimbabwe, we even cage-dived with crocodiles. We paraglided over Rio throughout Carnival and danced for hours at a salsa congress in Paris.

However I additionally discovered magic within the quieter moments — sharing meals with locals in Vietnam and Thailand, wandering Moroccan souks, and experiencing festivals and ceremonies via invites from individuals I met on the highway.

Some experiences have been deeply private

Within the Philippines, I accomplished my divemaster certification, mastering expertise I had been working towards for years. In Scotland, I celebrated a buddy’s marriage ceremony, reconnecting with individuals I hadn’t seen in years.

Touring solo compelled me to problem-solve continuously: exchanging forex, navigating transportation, discovering meals, and making buddies in unfamiliar cultures.

As an introvert who thrives on connection, I found I might construct group anyplace, and people relationships formed my expertise as a lot because the locations themselves.

Journey reshaped my perspective

I slowed down, discovered to belief the method, and stopped striving for the American dream as outlined by society: the home, the automotive, the white picket fence. My dream grew to become freedom — the power to maneuver, discover, and expertise the world alone phrases.

Now, again within the US, I am navigating reverse tradition shock. Hollywood is just about decentralizing itself; auditions are scattered. I am exploring new initiatives in journey filmmaking and documentary work.

However my long-term imaginative and prescient is clearer than ever: I wish to dwell overseas.

Trying again, my recommendation for anybody contemplating an grownup hole yr is straightforward: do not overthink it. Cut back your monetary anchors, embrace flexibility, and belief the method.

Do you’ve gotten a narrative about taking a spot yr that you just wish to share? Get in contact with the editor: akarplus@businessinsider.com.