Traveled to 35 Countries Over a 15-Month Break; Returned Ready to Move

This as-told-to essay is predicated 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 was a whirlwind of auditions, stunts, and fixed coaching. I had been working within the leisure business 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 business had slowed to a trickle, my financial savings had been tight, and I spotted the best way I used to be residing — chasing gigs, having fun with luxurious, but always harassed — simply wasn’t sustainable anymore.

I’ve all the time 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, trend 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 huge break got here after I bought employed to be Miranda Bailey’s stunt double on “Gray’s Anatomy.”

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

I felt trapped. It was a dialog with an in depth pal that modified all the pieces: “What do you really need?”

I admitted I needed out

I needed to journey and expertise the world beyond LA. So I began imagining a sabbatical — not for just a few weeks, however for a full yr or extra.

I did not have an in depth plan. I wrote down 12 international locations I hoped to go to, offered all the pieces in my LA apartment, broke my lease, and located somebody to lease my automobile to cowl the funds.

My family and friends had 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 aircraft ticket, which wasn’t too exhausting since most had been one-way.

First cease, India

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

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

From there, the journey unfolded organically. My sister joined each time she may get time without work — she ended up touring with me to 13 international locations. Even my mother, who had feared flying for many years, caught up with me alongside the best way.

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 street.

Some experiences had 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 pal’s wedding ceremony, reconnecting with individuals I hadn’t seen in years.

Traveling solo compelled me to problem-solve always: exchanging forex, navigating transportation, discovering meals, and making pals in unfamiliar cultures.

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

Journey reshaped my perspective

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

Now, again within the US, I am navigating reverse culture 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 want to live abroad.

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 could have a narrative about taking a niche yr that you simply need to share? Get in contact with the editor: akarplus@businessinsider.com.