I'd become the kind of adult my younger self would have pitied. A weeklong Arctic retreat helped me find my way back.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Stephanie Pensa is taking a selfie in Norway.
Stephanie Pensa was feeling lost and went on a hiking retreat in the Arctic to help her reconnect with purpose.

Provided by Stephanie Pensa

I pushed myself to talk to strangers every day in a foreign city. It went so well that I brought the habit home.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The writer in a phone booth in London.
caption TK

Chelsia Durkee

After traveling the world, I moved back in with my parents. It shattered my ego, but I've learned to look at success differently.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The author posing in Scotland.
After traveling the world, I had to move back in with my parents.

Annmarie Gajdos

We've been married for years, but we both love traveling alone. Solo trips have made our marriage stronger.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
The writer on a solo trip in San Juan.
I traveled to San Juan without my husband, and the solo trip only made our relationship stronger.

Liana Minassian

My husband and I unexpectedly moved in with my parents as newlyweds. It became one of the best seasons of our lives.

Tech Insider : Business, Environment
The author taking a selfie with her husband, her mom, and her dad.
My husband and I were newlyweds when we moved in with my parents. It was a great experience.

Lauren Barnhill

I quit my job to travel the world. About 18 months later, I realized living abroad isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel, Business
A woman stretches her arms out and smiles while standing in the mountains in Vietnam.
I quit my job to travel full time.

Christina Fang

We thought we'd planned for a successful early retirement — but we're picking up side hustles just a few years in

Tech Insider : Business
Man and woman sitting on bench staring out at water
We invested in savings plans and paid off most of our debts before retiring at 55 — but we've still run into issues.

sylv1rob1/Shutterstock

I spent 8 years living in big cities on the East Coast before realizing my ideal home was the smaller one where I grew up

Tech Insider : Business, Style
A woman smiling and posing with her arms up at the High Falls in Rochester, New York. She's wearing a green long-sleeved sweater.
I spent years living in major East Coast cities, and now I'm back in my hometown of Rochester, New York.

Emma Guillen

I bailed on my sister-in-law's destination bachelorette party. If she wanted me there, she should've paid for my trip.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Women in robes cheers-ing Champagne flutes
Destination bachelorette parties can be expensive and turning down an invitation can feel difficult.

David Tadevosian/Shutterstock

I moved from the US to France. It took 4 years and one great piece of advice for the country to finally feel like home.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Sand beach beneath the colorful old town Menton on French Riviera, France
When I moved from the United States to France, one piece of advice and a few years of living in my new country helped me adjust.

Xantana/Getty Images

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