Mother to Vėjas, wife to Lukas, on a mission with her family to slow down time. We spoke to her about her open-ended journey and the transformation from San Francisco offices to life on the road.
Marija, how did your journey begin and what is your biggest inspiration behind it?
Me and Lukas met on Pylimo street in Vilnius. One month later with two suitcases we started a new life in San Francisco. Six years later, a mission to live, plan, strategize and move from place to place began. We realized that big decisions do not develop fast, but they can be made in a blink of an eye. We were stuck. Stuck in a comfort zone where everything is so thought through, planned, and organized, that there is no place or time for new ideas and energy. So we decided to go without a plan.
Now we travel to slow down time, get out of our comfort zone and develop a new dynamic within the family of three.
If you could describe your adventures as a feeling, what would be the feeling that drives you forward?
When we hit the border of Arizona, we drove into deep winter, below freezing temperatures in the mountains and so much snow. The feeling of being surprised by the unexpected is engaging, it encourages curiosity, exploration, and staying open-minded about the surroundings.
What do your days usually look like?
There are no typical days on the road with a toddler. But so far we only have three basic scenarios for all our days: #1 the travel scenario; #2 the work scenario; #3 the moving somewhere else scenario.
What do you feel has been the biggest accomplishment for you since you started this journey?
I began to break down the stereotype of success for myself. Now I realize that just enjoying our trip from day to day is joyful enough. Enough to feel successful, that we were able to plan things and leave for this trip. Having this ability to travel and enjoy it is quite a success for me.
I am very open to wondering what else there is for me and my family. I want to engage with my surroundings and look for broader ways to define success.
Deep inside we tend to tell ourselves simplified stories and assign purpose to the things that happen to us. So this is one of them - moving forward when everything stops.
