Where in the World is Nina?—Recap: March 2020

Oh hey, welcome to my recap series. You guys asked for it—so here are my monthly musing, life updates, and other personal tidbits that would be annoying to put in my usual blog posts where you’re just trying to get some simple info! Just to note, I’ll be doing these monthly (I mean, I’m going to try to) and in efforts to keep these candid (and like, not mega time consuming like all my other posts) I won’t be editing them TOO much like I usually do (read: 20 times over the course of two months. yes, really) so sorry for any mistakes. I hope you enjoy these little recaps of my month!

WHAT. THE. FUCK, March?!

It started off great, I played on volcanoes and went to my mom’s wedding…And then 2020 just fell off a fucking cliff and into a huge shit pile.

March 2020, you’ve been the worst year of my life, and probably everyone else’s too. Congrats.

Here’s how it went for me…

Where in the World is Nina?

Currently back in Oregon

Places I Went in March:

• Ecuador
• Florida
• Portugal
• Oregon

Musings and Highlights This Month

Cotopaxi

I got to play at the world’s highest active volcano and one of Ecuador’s coolest spots—Cotopaxi! Damn, this is an epic spot! I stayed at one of the best places I’ve ever stayed at—And that says a lot because it was a HOSTEL! I never stay in hostels, but I made an exception because I found that one that looked great (and it had private rooms).

This hostel was in the middle of nowhere and rewarded guests who stayed here with some of the best views you could ask for—it was right across from Cotopaxi.

I climbed to the glaciers on Cotopaxi, took on a 10-mile hike on Pasachoa, and found a waterfall during my stay near Cotopaxi. It was a great way to end my time in Ecuador and literally the only thing I did that wasn’t on the coast.I’ll eventually write up a post on this place because if you go to Ecuador, you should definitely go here!

Wedding

Mama got remarried! That’s why I did a quick visit to Florida before heading to Portugal, and I needed to grab some of the hiking gear I left here. She’s super happy, and I’m really glad, she deserves this happiness as the last few years have been a bit rough on her. Go, mom <3

Things That Were Meh

Uhm, and then things went to COMPLETE SHIT.

Coronavirus

Yep, the world came down with Coronavirus and really, I just don’t understand. It happened so quickly and the next thing you know, my income went out the window as did my travel plans and now I’m stuck indoors like everyone else should be and it’s just all so weird. 🙁

Almost literally – the world has turned off. Take a sec and reread that, think about that. When has something like ever happened?! I’m so wild. I have no words.

This is where I was when shit really went down…

I was stuck in Portugal, which wasn’t such a bad place to be but after toying with the idea of heading back to the USA or staying, ultimately we decided to go back. The airports and flights were somber and eerie, and I am now in quarantine. Again.

I wrote about my entire ordeal here and here’s a resource I’ve made for freebies and opportunities during this time.

There will be lots to recover from, emotionally, financially, economically… These are weird and hard times, guys. I hope you’re staying clean and healthy wherever you are.

Travel Plans Canceled

I know that this is a first world problem but dammit, I had some pretty exciting things lined up and the next thing you know, everything went out the window (just like my income, wwaaaaa). Morocco closed its borders. We were due there just after Portugal to go surfing again.

And then just a bit after that our hiking trip to Pakistan was canceled as well.

I guess there will be a next time…

HELP ME HELP YOU!

Hey! Over here! Help me help you by taking my quick survey, please? I mean I doubt you have much more going on considering, right?!

Anyway, its a survey that will help me understand what you guys really want so I can deliver!  Soooo yeah, help me out?

Take my survey pllleeeaasseee

New-ish Blog Posts/Updated Posts/Look Out For

That New New

• Simple Travel Home Office Accessories You NEED – Have you all of a sudden started working from home? Steal my travel-friendly accessories to make a home office that’s comfortable, can travel, and is cheap.
• My Trip From Europe to The USA During the Pandemic – Airports were eerie and I went psycho with wipes.
• Resources and Freebies During This Shitty Time – Coronavirus sucks, I hope this post makes it suck a bit less.
• 27 of The Cheapest Countries to Visit – Inspo for your next destination, check out these cheap places!
• La Cueva del Esplendor – Colombia’s gorgeous cave waterfall hike – is it worth it?
• Jerico, Colombia Guide – This adorable pueblo in Colombia that you should definitely visit.
• Jardin, Colombia Guide – OMG another amazing pueblo in Colombia that I want to live in one day!

New-ish Blogs:

• Travel Jackets! – Because being cold sucks.
• Long Term Travel Insurance – Bc that sh*t is confusing AF.
• Medellin Day Trips That Are Actually Worth It – It’s a great base for some cool spots!
• 13 Work Abroad Opportunities for Canadians – Start looking into these for the future!

Freshly Updated Blog Posts:

• Nada! Too busy trying not to catch Corona but I’m working on it!

What Blogs to Look Out For:

ALL THE REMOTE WORK BLOG POSTS! Guys, I’m going into overdrive and helping out with more remote opportunities and work abroad stuff.

1. Remote work – I’ve been doing it for eight years and haven’t shut up about it because it’s awesome. Get on it! Now is a great time to start or something 🙂
2. Work abroad stuff – It takes a while to research, save, gather thoughts and documents, learn new skills, etc in preparation. You could be getting on this now to prep for when this shit blows over!!!

SOOO yeah, get ready to get a bunch of info on this type of work, like even more than usual. I’m ramping all this up for you guys so I hope you are ready! You DID ask for it so… Here I am. Of course, you check out all the info here for what I have so far. A lot more is coming!

Travel wise… More Colombia to come, around 3 posts are in the works. I’ll then work on my posts from Ecuador! But these are on the backburner for now.

Previous Recaps:

• Jan 2020
• Feb 2020

EXCITING NEWS:

My Australia ebook is ALMOST DONE!!! It’s been a long time in the making. Essentially if you want a virtual kick in the ass plus all the info and tips you need to get to Australia and SAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, I want to help you.

I know it scary, I know the info can get confusing, I know the temptation is a real thing but I got you. I was able to save $20k and Garett saved $34k USD – I know you can too. I’ll help you get there, give ya the confidence, tell you exactly what I did, and explain what it did for me and what it can do for you.

SPOILER: It’s going to be life-changing.

Curious and want more info? Sign up below to get notified when it’s out.

What’s Next?

Uhm, no fucking clue actually! When will the virus be over?!

For now, I’m on day 8 of self-quarantining here in Oregon, that’s after my 14 days of self-quarantine in Portugal. So I’m getting pretty antsy but at the same time, I’m lucky to work online, so I’m keeping busy.

If you’re wanting some inspo for working online, search no more, I have tons of resources for you.

And some more coming soon. Woop woop!

Thanks for tuning in, friends. <3

Until next month! Unless you follow on Instagram stories, were you can find me almost every day 🙂 

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