Woman Retires at 29, Calendars Her Way to Near Death by Exhaustion

KEY POINTS

•At 29, Maria Laposata quit her job and took a yearlong gap year with her husband Nick, traveling to 70 cities across 22 countries.
•Her extensive planning neglected rest days and a supportive backpack, causing exhaustion and a lingering back sprain.
•They spent $75,000 but overlooked post-trip expenses like deposits and movers, while Maria later founded her own travel company after a layoff.

Maria Laposata took a "mini-retirement" gap year at 29, traveling with her husband Nick across 70 cities in 22 countries. She fondly remembers standing 15 feet from rhinos in Zimbabwe and learning to haggle in Morocco, but forgot the sacred ritual of weekends, leading to exhaustion levels Dave Chappelle might envy. Her back sprain—caused by prioritizing 'anti-theft pockets' over support—left her limping like a sad camel. They had a hefty $75,000 travel budget but forgot to budget the ‘welcome home’ party costs like apartment deposits and movers. In the big plot twist, Maria only reconsidered her career path after the economy handed her a pink slip, which finally led to founding Travelries, her own travel company.