We recently connected with Haley Hosea and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Haley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
For years I had the dream to move abroad, but I wasn’t sure it would ever come true. Until last year, I was applying for jobs abroad (yet again) and I finally got an offer for a role, in an industry, and in a city abroad that made it a dream opportunity for me! I obviously decided to take the job and ultimately this meant I was moving abroad all by myself just a few months later to pursue this huge dream of mine. While I had thought about it for a year, I couldn’t believe it was actually happening.
Fast-forward, I have now been living in Amsterdam for 8+ months and have been loving it! There will always be moving hiccups, especially when you don’t speak the local language, but overall everything has really fallen into place. It was a huge risk for many reasons – going solo, a new job, a new industry, a new city, new people, a new country, and a new language.. just to start. Now, I feel like I’m really starting to settle in and create my new home away from home. On one hand, it feels like forever since I moved, it also feels like I just arrived. I guess that’s why they save time flies when you’re having fun! Outside of my 9-5 job, I enjoy sharing my travels, adventures as an expat/immigrant, exploring the Netherlands, and various other travel tips as my creative outlet!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Haley and in comparison to many content creators online, I have proudly kept and embraced the corporate 9-5 life. I have been in the corporate world starting in consulting and now as a program manager, which has allowed me to travel, spend quality time with friends and family, learn so much about businesses, and then in my spare time, I have enjoyed a creative outlet of sharing my travels with a 9-5 online in hopes of inspiring others they can do the same.
More recently, I got a new job that allowed me to move halfway around the world from the USA to the Netherlands. This has allowed to create a new home base and explore all over Europe using holidays, PTO days, and weekends thanks to so many destinations being a short train, flight or ferry away!
Throughout my corporate years, I have been able to learn the credit card points travel hacking game, travel to 27 countries, 30+ USA national parks, work remotely across the USA during the pandemic, and now move abroad and explore Europe! And I have my stable corporate jobs to thank for this.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
As someone with a 9-5 who also loves to travel, I know that I am not the only one. Actually, I’m one of the MILLIONS of 9-5ers who wish they could travel and experience life more, but social media often shows us that we have to quit our jobs to be happy, travel the world, or be an entrepreneur. The reality is, social media currently does not reflect the reality of millions of people working AND making their travel dreams come true. I hope to continue to share my love for travel, life moving abroad, and grow in my professional career at a normal 9-5. Additionally, people have many interests and I am one example of that – I have a corporate 9-5, but I also love photography, embracing my creative side, and documenting my travels where I share these via social media.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Notion. It’s one of my favorite resources to organize my personal life and my creative ventures. It allows me to make endless personal goals and to-do lists, while also allowing me to plan a content schedule so I can prepare content in advance and outside my 9-5. The best part is it’s free and there are many templates to help you get started! I have been using Notion daily for years and honestly can’t imagine how to function without it! 
Contact Info:
- Website: halesyah.com
- Instagram: @haleyah