It all started when I was about 12 years old.
I saw New York City on that episode of Dawson’s Creek where Joey visits it for the first time and something shifted. I had seen New York on television shows and movies before this moment but I wasn’t really paying attention until that moment Joey Potter and I traveled there together. I was obsessed. From that moment on, it was all I thought about.
I bought a ticket to New York City the second I turned 18. It wasn’t a one way ticket back then. I was too young and insecure to ever make that big of a jump. I just know that first trip lit a spark and I spent the next 10 years figuring out how to fuel that spark into a fire that would carry me from one ocean to the other.
When I was 24, I took my first overseas trip to Europe. I had no idea that when I returned home from that trip, nothing would ever be the same. I would never be the same. Exploring the world became the only thing I could think about. New York began to creep back into my mind, but this time it wasn’t a dream, it was a plan.
In 2014, I finally said enough. I couldn’t watch my life pass me by from the inside of a cubicle anymore. I had run out of excuses. I put my plan in motion to save money, quit my job, get rid of everything I owned and make two major life dreams come true. First, I would travel as much as I could. And second, I would finally make New York City my home.
Goodbye to the OC
I left my home in Southern California with a one way ticket to New York, Boston and then Portugal. I spent four months bouncing around Europe before I landed back in New York with no job, no friends, and no permanent place to stay. It was the best decision I ever made. Fifteen or so countries later and over five years of living in New York, I know what it means to really start over.
What I hope to do with this blog is to inspire others to not only travel, but to take big jumps in life. Move away from home, quit your job, travel and gain the self-esteem and independence to do it on your own.
If I’ve learned anything at all, it’s that it really is possible to live the life you have always wanted to – I don’t care how cliche that sounds. I moved to New York with very little, knowing next to nobody, and having no safety net to fall back on. I know that if I can do it, so can you.
Then Krystal Says is a blog about me. I’m Krystal, a 32 year old bartender, vegetarian and minimalist, living in the most exciting city in the world. I travel as often as I can and I am still lovestruck by this jungle of a city that I live in.
Let’s work together!
I’m always looking to meet, collaborate, and share my love of travel and storytelling with like-minded individuals and businesses to build valuable, long-lasting relationships.
I’m available for guest and sponsored posts, photography services, press trips, affiliate partnerships, and hotel, brand and restaurant reviews.
If you would like to discuss working with me, please email me at krystal@thenkrystalsays.com or use my contact page.