Introduction
Hello and welcome!
My name is Max Lam and I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I am currently on a mission to break free from the conventional lifestyle. I aim to inspire others to live life to the max by traveling and experiencing food from around the world. This site will contain travel guides, blogs, videos, tips, and many more to help travelers plan out their journey!
What is a conventional lifestyle?
It is a life that is mostly organized and planned. It usually consists of having a typical 9-5 job which enables you to pay your bills, buy a house, start a family, and buy useless things. It’s a great lifestyle except if you’re anything like me you’ll soon start to lose interest. Mondays are your least favorite days and Fridays couldn’t come any faster. You daydream about your limited PTO vacation days hoping it’ll rejuvenate you enough to get you through the rest of the year but you know all too well that it’ll never be. The only reason you’re still sitting in your cubicle is because it is the safe and secured way of life.
I Quit My 9-5 Job
The American Dream
My parents came to America during the Vietnam War period. They started with nothing at arrival but worked tirelessly in order for their kids to get an education for a better life. I ended up graduated from the University of Houston with a B.B.A in Finance. I had a prosperous career in the oil & gas industry making well over six figures as an energy trading risk manager. I was living a lavish lifestyle of fancy dinners and expensive things. Flying in the company’s private jet was a dream come true. Until I woke up at age 29 and realized none of this ever kept me happy for long. So I quit.
The Vacation that Inspired Me
Nicaragua was the travel destination of my first week long vacation after a few years in the workforce. I was nervous and scared when asking for such a “long break.” My sister had planned this exotic trip for our family in hopes to inspire us to travel more often. Nicaragua was an extremely underdeveloped country where people didn’t have much. But they didn’t need much to be happy. The locals were always happy just being with each other and they were always kind to us foreigners. We were there dancing away during New Years with fireworks flying and that’s when I realized what I wanted. A stress free simple life.
My Pursuit of Happiness
Quitting my 8-5 corporate job was not an easy decision. It’s the single biggest risk I have ever taken so far with the exception of eating my girlfriend’s french fries. I’ve minimized my risk by accomplishing my goal of paying off my student debt and car loan before I took the plunge. I still have a long road ahead of me with no set destination but I cannot imagine sitting behind a computer desk and having to deal with corporate politics until retirement. The time was now to break free and to find my way towards happiness. Follow me through my journeys!