Woman Quits American Dream, Travels 17 Countries To Find New Type Of Miserable

KEY POINTS

•After a breakup and two layoffs in 2023, Macie Strum took a new job with a family wedding travel business but found it draining.
•In early 2024, she sublet her apartment, sold her belongings, and began traveling through Asia, Australia, and Europe to escape societal expectations.
•She eventually settled in Sarajevo as a freelance journalist, reshaping her definition of success beyond traditional American checklists.

Macie Strum’s 2023 was an all-you-can-feel buffet of disaster: broke up unexpectedly in January, laid off by Amazon in May, landed a soul-crushing commute and office gig at a family-run wedding travel biz, then a toxic roommate, family health scare, and an oh-so-timely car accident. Just to spice it up, another layoff days before New Year’s meant relief — ironically. By April 15, 2024, Macie had sublet her apartment, sold her belongings, and took that 15-hour flight to South Korea, kicking off two years trekking through Asia’s chaos, Australia’s sun, and Europe’s underrated Balkans, now freelancing from Sarajevo with zero deadlines, zero fixed address, and lots of motorbike panic attacks.

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

Queer take: Trading ‘American success’ checklist for two years of confusing hostels, motorbike panic, and existential freedom sounds like a Netflix special nobody asked for.

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