From Lake Life to Suitcase Living
The Art of Starting Over (One More Time)
#20
I’m back on the road — slow-traveling through Europe and Asia for the next five months. Travels with Spirit shares real stories of freedom, growth, and soul-led adventure — told in real time from the journey.
There’s something that happens when you move from one stasis to the next. The energy it takes to shift from a stable home environment into a nomadic lifestyle is not always as I expect. I like to think of myself as adaptable, able to pivot when needed — and yet I also love my world to be neat and orderly. Living out of a suitcase again took more adjustment than I anticipated.
As I shared in the video this past weekend on social media, I’m officially back on the road. I left the lake a few days earlier than planned as Tim wanted to host family and friends one last time, and I hit an energetic wall of no. I simply had no more bandwidth for smiling and playing nice. So I listened, extracted myself, and returned to Portland for some alone time. Errands still needed to be done, the weather was warmer, and my bags were already mostly packed. Pivoting was the best choice I could have made.
Those few days gave me space to reset my energy. Planning this five-month journey has taken countless hours, and even though there are still moving pieces, I needed to rest. I napped, walked, meditated, worked out, watched TV, and went to bed early. Whenever we step into something new, there’s an internal growth process that deserves to be honored. I’ve done this solo many times before, and I know Tim and I will continue to evolve in how we do it together.
On Sunday, I picked Tim up and we spent one final night together in town before he flew to Germany with his son. We emptied the fridge, took out the trash, said goodbye to the lake for a while, and cherished that extra bit of time together.
Meanwhile, the charges for hotels and rentals are starting to roll in. When I booked them, I timed payments as close to check-in as possible — just in case. In the back of my mind is the thought of our parents - his mom and my mom and dad - as they are in their early 80s and not in the best of health, so flexibility matters. We’re always committed to the journey, but life can shift fast. Travel insurance will cover a trip, but since we are gone for such a length of time, it’s not practical to cover each and every stay. I have bought travel insurance for most of the flights as that’s easy to do when I’m booking them.
A big budgeting win: over the spring and summer, I played the credit card points game and got Tim on board, too. We each opened up a card offering airline miles after spending $3,000 in three months. Once the points hit, we could cancel before the annual fee kicked in. Thanks to that hack, I was able to book our flights from Sardinia to Istanbul to Chiang Mai for free. I highly recommend this strategy if you can do it responsibly.
I also did some final shopping: a pair of travel pants, a light sweatshirt, and cozy socks. (I’m still mourning my missing purple ones.) One pair of shoes didn’t make the cut — the black flats took up too much space, so back they went. I smile now at how casually I packed last time, lugging around a third of things I never wore. This time, every item has a purpose. With Europe’s cooler climate, leggings replaced dresses, and I only brought one skirt. Purposeful, simple, aligned.
And yes — my hair got the full works: cut, color, deep conditioning. That’s a luxury I’m not ready to let go of. I’ll stretch touch-ups a bit longer this trip, but it still feels like a non-negotiable. You’ll see more of the journey soon on YouTube — I’ll be filming our stays and sharing them (for the views and adventures, not my roots growing out… ha!).
At my friend’s home in Portland, I’ve been surrounded by beautiful quotes. One by the bed reads:
“May I honor what I have endured and have gratitude for any unexpected gifts it brought.”
Another says:
“Peace — it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”
As we each move into new awareness and expansion, may you carry that peace in your own heart knowing your Light is valuable, your gifts worth sharing, and that Love is what connects us all.
To your highest and best,
Dianna
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