The Trip I Didn’t Plan On (But Absolutely Needed)

A $5,000 cross-country errand that turned into a masterclass in surrender, intuition, and unexpected blessings — at half the price.

Historic Bridgeton, Indiana

My recent trip home to Indiana was born out of what I’ve perfected through years of chasing vagabond dreams: honing in on something I want to do, calculating non-negotiable costs and writing them down, and then releasing that dream to the universe —trusting that it will fall into place as I envision it or better. From there, I pay attention to the ideas and inspiration that arise, and I tune into how my body feels as I begin to sort out logistics and make arrangements. I explore options and adjust plans based on those physical cues, whether I face obstacles or new opportunities.

While the nine days I spent in Indiana were exactly what my soul needed, the trip that happened was nowhere near the original plan. So, in addition to being a healing balm for my heart, that trip will stand as a powerful reminder of the magic that unfolds when we release our hopes and dreams to the ethers, let go of the need to control every detail, listen to our bodies, and trust the travel gods. I know I will be a wealthy woman when I master the ability to live from that mindset in my everyday life. And I don’t just mean financially. I’m talking joy, time, health, peace, and love. But more than any riches, the legacy I want to create through my travels, writing, and soon-to-be-reborn coaching business is teaching others how to live from that same space.

I hope this update captures that essence in a way that you easily start applying to your own dreams and to-do lists.

What I Thought I Was Planning

The one thing I wanted to do this year was get my stuff out of storage in Florida. They kept increasing my rent, and within less than a year of moving out here, I was paying $210 a month to store my belongings in a state I have no intention of ever living in again. For obvious financial reasons, I wanted to vacate it last year, but I prioritized my long-overdue soul-resuscitating pilgrimage to Ireland.

As 2024 drew to a close, I took out my trusty notebook and began the calculations. Flights in dollars or points, the mileage and drive time from Florida to Salt Lake, how much time I would need off work, how much money to cover the time off work to ensure my budget stayed on track, cargo van rentals versus regular minivan rentals for potential savings, average gas mileage of each for fuel costs, food expenses for the duration, etc. The original list I made has since been discarded as the trip evolved, so I don’t have the exact calculations. But, all up, the total fell between $3,000-$5,000, pending van type and whether I smashed it out in one stressful week or gifted myself a bit of ease and grace with two weeks.

The next thing I committed to was chipping away at that goal. Ski season was just getting started, so I promised myself to be extra strict with my spending outside of necessities. Anything left over after my bills and basic needs were met went into a separate savings account so it wasn’t mixed up with other funds, and I knew exactly where my progress stood at any given moment. I had already started that approach a few months prior to establish a general travel fund, so the account already had $1,100 in it.

When Dreams Meet Detours

After my impromptu trip to visit my ailing Grandmother right before Christmas, I threw myself into ski season- work, eat, sleep, repeat- and continued to visualize what I wanted this adventure to look and feel like. I realized that driving 2,400 miles cross-country with a van full of stuff would be a lot on my own, so I put the feelers out to a couple of friends I knew would be down for the adventure. Both were willing, pending timing, of course, and again I released the trip back to the Universe, trusting the logistics would sort themselves out when the time was right. As I continued to tune in to this not-so-little undertaking, I noticed a split in my energy. Getting the stuff out of storage was a no-question full-body yes, but bringing the stuff all the way to Salt Lake felt out of alignment. The more I paid attention to that noticing, the stronger that misalignment felt. Then I pondered the question, “If it feels 100% right to get my stuff out of storage, but not the right move to bring it all the way out here, what does that mean? How do I honor both?”

It didn’t happen instantly, but after a few days of pondering those questions, a clear image of the driving route emerged in my mind. It was going to take me straight up the corridor where many of my loved ones live. I was already planning a stop in Atlanta to visit my stepbrother and my longtime bestie Hollee; then on to Nashville, where Dad, Stacey, and another hometown friend live. I’d also been toying with the idea of detouring a few hours north to Indiana for some quality time with friends and family there. That’s when it hit me: many of these people had offered to take me in after my mom died to help me land on my feet—I bet at least one of them would be willing to hold onto my stuff for a while, until I feel certain about bringing it out west or wherever my next stop turns out to be.

I felt into who and where it felt right to leave not only my stuff, but what was left of my mother’s. The first face that came to mind was Auntie J, my mum’s best friend, Janet. I called her that week, and not only did she say absolutely, but she also volunteered to join me on the road trip for help and moral support. Talk about an instant full-body yes! Just the thought of doing a multi-day road trip with Pegster’s bestie, the literal reason I tell all the kiddos to call me Aunt Cat, felt immensely healing and special.

Auntie J and Dead Pegster Juju

In discussing logistics for the newly updated version of this trip, Auntie J offered to ask her partner if we could use his cargo van to save me money on the rental. I wasn’t keen on doubling the drive time from one way and 14 hours to a round trip of 28, but I was keen on the massive savings a borrowed van would bring. A week later, she called to let me know he wasn’t comfortable with us taking the van on such a journey. It was older, with a lot of mileage, and he was worried that if anything broke down midway, we’d get stranded in the middle of nowhere with a van full of my life. Valid, and appreciated, obviously. Though the van wasn’t available for us to commandeer, he countered with a very generous offer to retrieve my belongings for me for less than half the price he would typically charge for that kind of run. I sputtered in amazement.

Hold up, you’re telling me that for less than what it was going to cost me to do it all myself, someone extremely trustworthy is going to fetch my things and deliver them to your garage, I don’t have to think about it, I don’t have to step foot in the godforsaken state where my mother died, and rather than multiple days of blood, sweat, tears and driving I can take a relaxing three hour flight to come sort it out at my leisure?! Sold! Where do I send my money?!

Since a magic wand cleared my schedule of the grunt work—and I had already planned to take at least a week off to handle it myself—and with my belongings now being relocated to southern Indiana, a new idea was born. I decided to redirect the remaining funds toward a long-overdue visit to my hometown, a few hours north.

Slow Travel, Soul Rest

Normally, when I go back to Brazil, I give everyone a heads-up, gather schedules, and try to fit in as many catch-ups as possible. But after five straight months of Alta Ski Season intensity, I knew that kind of hustle would drain what little energy I had left. I needed this trip to be slow, spacious, and restful—with minimal running around. The perfectionist and people-pleaser parts of me had to stay behind. Usually, when we are on the edge of burnout, as I was, our adolescent chair parts (like perfectionism and people-pleasing, etc) slide into the driver’s seat without us noticing, but that’s the beauty of my vagabond adventure mindset: it’s always been a direct line to my adult chair—calm, intentional, and wise—long before I even knew what the Adult Chair Model was. Which probably explains my addiction to travel because that kind of flow state is an extraordinary place to live from. But, I digress.

I kept the planning simple and told only two people I was coming. I saw far fewer people than my ego would have liked, and I even hurt some feelings as I adapted to what I felt I needed while the trip was in progress. Still, overall, the trip turned out to be more healing than I ever imagined it would be, with travel magic woven throughout the week, including pulling off one hell of an epic surprise. All of those stories and lessons, however, will have to wait for another update.

The Gifts in Letting the Universe Lead

Initially, the plan was to fly myself to Florida, return to the place tied to the most painful experience of my life, load up what remained of my things, and drive it all cross-country solo—hoping I could scrounge together enough savings over the slow summer season to make it to Indiana in the fall. That trip had been on hold since 2020, repeatedly postponed by, well... COVID, my mom dying, survival mode— you know, the usual.

By getting clear on what mattered most in the present—writing it down, listening to my body’s wisdom, taking aligned action, and trusting the universe—the plan transformed and took on a life of its own. What started as a high-intensity logistical mission morphed into a relaxing, soul-nurturing week filled with love, connection, and the comforting, not traumatizing, memories of the Pegster. And the one thing I wanted to take care of? It was literally taken care of for me.

To really highlight the magic in this unfolding, I’ve got to talk numbers real quick.

By the time the trip happened, I had $2,709.99 in my travel savings account—$300 less than the most stripped-down, stressful version of the original plan. After the trip was all said and done, I still had $119 left over. So—at the risk of sounding redundant—for less money than the original plan, the one thing I most wanted to resolve this year came together with ease... and I was gifted the long-overdue trip home I’d been dreaming about for five years. In relinquishing control of what I thought was the best way for my desires to unfold I was rewarded with a two-for-one that hadn’t even been on my radar.

~

Thank you for being here and being a part of my adventures.

Hugs,

Cat