Me on a sand dune in the Arabian desert

I am one half of the dynamic duo that’s lifeafter9to5. The other half is my husband Fausto, check out and see what he has to say about himself here. I am a full-time actuary and part-time traveler. I travel on the holidays, weekends, vacation time, basically whenever I have a chance. Check out this map of all the places we’ve been. The map will be continuously updated as we see more of the world. When I am not traveling, I think about it, I plan for it and I dream about it.

Here are a few facts about myself:

• I am from many places, but the place I currently call home is New York City.
• I like to eat, but I can’t cook (aside from some basic Viet food). I eat anything from fancy cuisines to street foods, and love it all. Trying local delicacies is usually the highlight of my trips.
• I am terrified of heights and rodents.  My goal in life is to conquer those fears.
• I love taking pictures. It’s a way for me to capture the moment and so I can remember all the incredible places I’ve been and all the lovely people I’ve met.
• I am an avid reader, my book preference ranges from classics to sci-fi to chic lit.

I’ve been wanting to write and share my stories and photographs from my travels for a long time. Even though I read a lot, I still struggle with writing (those pesky tenses). My thoughts are mercurial and it’s hard to assemble them into a coherent post. I have a document filled with random thoughts that I jot down for future posts. On top of the writing challenge, I am a private person at heart, it’s hard for me to share with people. So starting lifeafter9to5 is me taking a leap of faith and putting myself out there. This is the scariest thing I’ve done (and I’ve rappelled down a 175 foot waterfall).

This blog will give me many opportunities to improve myself as a person as I share my stories and photos with the world. I need to learn patience as I slowly build up the content by constantly developing and honing my written and photography skills. Traveling and seeing the world is so important to me. I always make it a point to fit as much of it in my life as possible even with a full-time job. I read a lot of the travel blogs and they have inspired me to travel to all the corners of the world. I aspire to do that for someone else out there. I hope that reading lifeafter9to5 will give you the inspiration and desire to hit the road as well. This blog will try to provide insights, advice and thoughts on the places we visit as well as help you figure out how to do some part-time traveling cheaply and efficiently yourself. Check out some cheap flight alerts for recent deals we shared.

I hope you will enjoy my stories and photos. If you want to read more, please click the “Follow” button and share. For more pictures, please check out our Facebook page. Or you can email us your questions at lifeafter9to5@gmail.com.

-C