My adventure began in 1995. I grew up in a small Burgundy village of 2000 souls, surrounded by my parents, my little brother and our dog Rex. At school, I was very serious. Yes, I was the person who said she’d failed a test but ended up with a A.

Growing up, when others would answer “Princess” or “Astronaut” to that famous question: “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I would naively answer “travel” without really knowing what that meant. Around the age of 16, still not knowing what to do with my life, I decided to take a high school diploma without any specialties with the idea that I wanted to leave my village and discover the world.

I’m 18, with my driving license and high school diploma in the bag. Like most people who don’t know what to do with their life, I started business courses. However, I always wanted to go abroad. So I chose a university and a course that allowed me to do a 6-month Erasmus in Sweden. Thus, here I am. I’m 19 and flying for the first time. Where? Örebro, Sweden.

And what an experience! I arrive in a country where I don’t speak the language (nor English), and totally alone. Nonetheless, I found that I quickly adapted. My English is improving at an incredible rate. I talk with people from different countries and discover new cultures, and I love it! My taste for travel and adventure is confirmed.

Back in France, still feeling a bit restless, I decided to take a course, still in business, but in Chambéry (France). Once again, I found myself in a new town, where I knew no one. It’s so stimulating! It is as if I could reset myself and become a new person, a better person.

After 5 years of study, and graduated with a master’s degree in purchasing, I moved to Paris. I succeeded in getting a permanent contract with a small cosmetics company and soon realized that I wasn’t fulfilled in my day-to-day life. Having heard about WHV (Working Holiday Visa), I began to take an interest in eventually moving to Canada. It’s January 2020, and I’ve registered myself in the WHV pool for Canada. March 2020 arrives, I won’t tell you the story again, but our plans have been turned upside down.

During the long months of confinement, Monsieur and I were thinking about possibly applying for a WHV in New Zealand, my dream destination. September 2021, the borders reopen for Canada. Monsieur is drawn in October 2021. With no news of a possible reopening of New Zealand’s borders, and a strong desire to go abroad, we decided to continue the application to come to Canada.

March 3, 2022, we leave our jobs, our apartment, our friends, our family, heading for Toronto, Canada. Our parents, reluctant at first, finally supported us in this decision. We arrive in this city we don’t know, in this country we think we know, with only our 2 suitcases each. Once again, I step out of my comfort zone and shake up all my markers. The adventure begins, and it’s very exciting!

I quickly found a job in my field, purchasing. I now work in banking. I thought that changing the company AND the field would make me enjoy my job more, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. I clearly feel a lack of meaning in my day-to-day life.

To remedy this, I launched ORIGIN-ABLE, aiming to select and sell sustainable clothing made under ethical conditions. Spoiler alert, it didn’t work. But I did learn a lot about myself, including the fact that I was driven by working for myself. And, eventually, I got to keep clothes for myself.

We love Toronto, but we always have a trip to New Zealand in mind. Our trip to Banff and Jasper National Parks made us want to repeat the experience over a longer period.

February 2024, it’s official, our flight tickets to New Zealand are booked. We’ll be taking off on October 1, 2024. That feeling of excitement mixed with stress is back. We’ve managed to re-create a cocoon in Canada, and now we’re going to have to leave it for adventure and the unknown. Is this the right decision? It’s probably not the most rational one. But it’s the one that drives us every day.

At the same time, I’ve decided to launch BornToBeAbroad to share my travels and advice with you. If, on top of that, I can give you the motivation to get out of your comfort zone and follow your dreams, I’m the happiest woman in the world!

La Bise,