How I discovered my life-purpose in an 8 months trip to South America

By Laura Rodriguez of AIREO, atelier de viajes

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After 7 years working as Brand Manager in a big multinational I decided to quit my job in my hometown Barcelona (Spain) and embark into a one-way ticket trip to South America. Few people understood my decision, not even my family, but I was absorbed by routine and my intuition told me that life had to be more intense and exciting out there. 

The trip began in Colombia and ended in Argentina; in total 8 months of adventures through 7 countries and, without any doubt, the best decision of my life. 

I admired the power of nature in amazing places such Machu Picchu (Perú), Iguazu Falls (Argentina) or the magical Eastern Island (Chile). I collaborated with an NGO during 2 months in Bolívia in a project to enhance rural scholarship. I visited unreal landscapes such pink lagoons, a sea of ​​salt (Uyuni) and infinite deserts (Atacama). I even felt in love and met extraordinary people that I will remember forever. 

I learned about fundamental human values and the need to release control and be open to vulnerability and uncertainty. However, the most relevant learning was about myself: I realized that I never wanted to stop traveling and that I needed to go in depth into my self-knowledge. 

Upon my return, I changed my job and enrolled into a personal growth Master where I learned about coaching, NLP, mindfulness and much more tools to become a better version of myself. The result of all these years is my current life project, AIREO atelier de viajes, in which I merge my two deepest passions: travel and personal growth. 

In this historical moment of hiperconnection and stress, where we feel more lonely than ever before, my purpose as travel designer is to empower people to leave their confort zones and experience the power of a life-changing trip.