https://heatherbegins.com/
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson embodies the unconventional lifestyle that Heather Markel has crafted for herself. While working in corporate America, she realized there had to be more meaning to life than just sitting behind her desk waiting for retirement. She finally ditched her desk in 2017, and has been traveling full time ever since. She now wants to inspire more people to stop asking ‘what if?’ and to start living their dreams.
Heather grew up as an only child in New York City. When she was 16, she was encouraged by her stepmother to live with a host family in another country. Heather chose France, and ended up living with a farm family in Normandy. She was a shy teenager, but with the help of her French host mother and a family cow named Amazonie, she was pushed out of her comfort zone and into her self-confidence. That experience eventually led to studying abroad during college, where she spent a year in Italy, France and England, and worked in Switzerland during the summer. Throughout this time, Heather learned the value of immersing herself in different cultures and languages as opposed to being a passing tourist.
After high school, Heather earned her BA in International Relations at The George Washington University. She then spent more than 25 years working in the corporate world. However, she grew more and more frustrated with her career, because she felt that she was on the wrong path and meant to create something that didn’t yet exist. It wasn’t until she started suffering chest pains from work-related stress, however, that she finally gained the courage to quit her job and pursue that calling. Her first move after quitting was to travel to Costa Rica, where she says she felt the strong presence of gratitude, confirming her choice. In that moment, Heather knew that the universe had her back and was supporting her as she blazed her own trail. A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, she saw an opportunity to embrace the large wave of people who were also beginning to seek more meaning and purpose in their lives. The Great Resignation created the framework to begin a business that would help frustrated professionals ditch their desk and discover their destiny through full time travel. That’s how she became known as the Full-Time Travel Coach.
Today, Heather is a Certified Professional Coach, Bestselling Author, and International Speaker who helps those seeking to start or sustain extended travel, or work remotely while traveling. Her experience traveling solo to 27 countries and six continents helps her teach other professionals by experience and example. She’s known for providing a path to the money, mindset, and mastery necessary for a full-time travel lifestyle. She’s also a consultant for organizations who want to initiate or elevate remote work travel opportunities. Her goal is to help frustrated professionals travel in a way that inspires a life of self-discovery, community, and freedom.
While Heather is helping clients achieve their traveling dreams, she’s still fulfilling her own. She feels lucky to be living her ideal life everyday. As J.R.R. Tolkien said, “Not all those who wander are lost.” Yes, Heather wanders the world. Not because she is lost, but because she is on a purposeful path to help others find their destiny, too.
