Our generation needs to get out more - and no I don’t mean Friday night parties  or weekends spent up at the mountains (no hating, I love a good campfire). I mean get out, get out. Break down the invisible walls that were forged after years spent living in the same city, state, coast, and even country. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 100 miles, 500 or a few thousand away, a lot can be learned and gained by being in a new place.  

However, don’t take my word for it. I encourage you to read the stories of people who experienced it for themselves. Starting tomorrow, every day for the next six days I’ll post two stories from an amazing set of individuals who ventured out beyond their borders. They decided to see what more the world had in store. They’ll be a part of a 7-day series called Beyond My Borders. I consider myself grateful for knowing each of them because all have inspired me to live life adventurously and to enjoy every minute - good or bad. I only hope that reading their stories will have the same, if not greater impact on you. 

Beyond My Borders: Tyler & Jordan Dardis

Jordan and I both grew up in the Portland area. We met in high school and went on to study at Oregon State University together. We both knew we wanted to be together and in 2011 we finally married. In our last year of college we began planning what we would do after graduating. As much as we loved Oregon, we knew we wanted to move somewhere new. We talked about various places we could go, and as soon as we brought up Alaska, we knew that was it. We both love the outdoors, the mountains, the snow… Alaska had everything.

It was important to us to set a date to move by because we knew we could be sitting around the rest of our lives for the perfect time, which may never have come. So on July 22nd, we packed up the car, grabbed our puppy and headed to Anchorage. When we arrived we pitched our tent and started looking for jobs. After about a month, I was offered a job by my top choice organization in Anchorage. We found a great place to live with a big yard for our dog, and soon after, Jordan was able to move into a position where she could apply her degree in design.

This year we’ve spent in Alaska has been incredible. It definitely pushed me far outside of my comfort zone, which was scary but awesome at the same time. We both were given opportunities we wouldn’t have had in Oregon. We have been able to see and do things that we wouldn’t have been able to see or do in Oregon. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We both truly believe that everybody should travel and experience a new place in their lives. It doesn’t take a lot of money or tons of planning. It just takes willingness to get up and go. In hindsight, the month we spent living in a tent was just a small sacrifice for the amazing experience we have had here. We are not sure how long we will be here or where we will go next, but we will always have this experience for the rest of our lives.

Our generation needs to get out more - and no I don’t mean Friday night parties  or weekends spent up at the mountains (no hating, I love a good campfire). I mean get out, get out. Break down the invisible walls that were forged after years spent living in the same city, state, coast, and even country. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 100 miles, 500 or a few thousand away, a lot can be learned and gained by being in a new place.  

However, don’t take my word for it. I encourage you to read the stories of people who experienced it for themselves. Starting tomorrow, every day for the next six days I’ll post two stories from an amazing set of individuals who ventured out beyond their borders. They decided to see what more the world had in store. They’ll be a part of a 7-day series called Beyond My Borders. I consider myself grateful for knowing each of them because all have inspired me to live life adventurously and to enjoy every minute - good or bad. I only hope that reading their stories will have the same, if not greater impact on you. 

Tune in tomorrow to meet Alyson Raabe from Costa Rica and Joe Vassel from New York. 

Want to share your personal experience?!  Upload your picture, tell your story and don’t forget to hashtag ”BeyondMyBorders” on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to hear about it as well as post it on the blog and instagram too. 

Our generation needs to get out more - and no I don’t mean Friday night parties  or weekends spent up at the mountains (no hating, I love a good campfire). I mean get out, get out. Break down the invisible walls that were forged after years spent living in the same city, state, coast, and even country. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 100 miles, 500 or a few thousand away, a lot can be learned and gained by being in a new place.  

However, don’t take my word for it. I encourage you to read the stories of people who experienced it for themselves. Starting tomorrow, every day for the next six days I’ll post two stories from an amazing set of individuals who ventured out beyond their borders. They decided to see what more the world had in store. They’ll be a part of a 7-day series called Beyond My Borders. I consider myself grateful for knowing each of them because all have inspired me to live life adventurously and to enjoy every minute - good or bad. I only hope that reading their stories will have the same, if not greater impact on you. 

Tune in tomorrow to meet Alyson Raabe from Costa Rica and Joe Vassel from New York. 

Want to share your personal experience?!  Upload your picture, tell your story and don’t forget to hashtag ”BeyondMyBorders” on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to hear about it as well as post it on the blog and instagram too. 

Our generation needs to get out more - and no I don’t mean Friday night parties  or weekends spent up at the mountains (no hating, I love a good campfire). I mean get out, get out. Break down the invisible walls that were forged after years spent living in the same city, state, coast, and even country. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 100 miles, 500 or a few thousand away, a lot can be learned and gained by being in a new place.  

However, don’t take my word for it. I encourage you to read the stories of people who experienced it for themselves. Starting tomorrow, every day for the next six days I’ll post two stories from an amazing set of individuals who ventured out beyond their borders. They decided to see what more the world had in store. They’ll be a part of a 7-day series called Beyond My Borders. I consider myself grateful for knowing each of them because all have inspired me to live life adventurously and to enjoy every minute - good or bad. I only hope that reading their stories will have the same, if not greater impact on you. 

Tune in tomorrow to meet Alyson Raabe from Costa Rica and Joe Vassel from New York. 

Want to share your personal experience?!  Upload your picture, tell your story and don’t forget to hashtag ”BeyondMyBorders” on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to hear about it as well as post it on the blog and instagram too.