Early Lessons: Community, Planning, Minimalism

Dreaming of quitting your job and becoming a digital nomad? Planning a career break to travel the world? If you need some inspiration to make those travel dreams a reality, look no further! We're resharing some of our Transition to Travel episodes this month to help kickstart your plans in 2026. In this series, we interview a guest both before and after their travels (or during if it's long-term), so we can see how it all panned out and how travel has changed them. 

Lance Wright is a longtime higher education professional and the creator of The Midlife Crisis Traveler, where he shares the story behind taking a major travel leap in midlife. At the time of this episode, he stepped away from his role at Colorado State University to take a seven-month trip, and that experience led him to rethink work, identity, and how he wanted to live. 

This conversation gets into the real stuff behind long-term travel. Lance shares what it was like to ask for time away from a job he actually loved, how he and his wife navigated his decision to travel solo, and what helped him through the lonely stretches on the road. We also talk about minimalism, masculinity, identity, and the surprising clarity he had when he got home. 

What chapter in your life might be ready to close so a new one can begin? I'd love to hear your thoughts and hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message. 

Tune In To Learn: 

• Why Lance finally stopped waiting and committed to a seven-month trip 

• How he negotiated a leave of absence from a job he genuinely enjoyed 

• Advice for talking with your spouse about a solo long-term trip 

• What Albania taught him early on about connection and loneliness 

• How local tours, cooking classes, and Workaway helped him meet people 

• Why travel pushed him toward minimalism and a simpler lifestyle 

• How the trip reshaped his thinking about work, masculinity, and identity 

• What happened when he came home and realized he needed a new chapter 

• Why trusting your own travel style matters more than following someone else’s plan 

• And so much more 

Resources: 

• Sign up for our FREE newsletter 

• The Midlife Crisis Traveler 

• Tours By Locals 

Want More? 

• Transition To Travel: Radical Life Change For World Travel w/ Jordan & Tyler 

• Transition To Travel: Single Mom + 3 Kids Move To Mexico (Jenita's Story) 

• Transition To Travel: From 9-5 To Biking The USA with Joe Ferrara 

Thanks To Our Sponsors 

• Earn Cash Back and rewards on nearly every purchase with Rakuten. 

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