Alana in Paradise

A girl who traded the corporate ladder for a life a little outside the norm.

In 2018, I left corporate life after realizing the traditional version of success wasn’t making me happy. I wanted more freedom, less stress, and the ability to experience the world without waiting for retirement.

Since then, I’ve built a life around slow travel, surfing, and finding creative ways to make my money go further. I rent out my house while I travel, pet sit around the world, run my own business, and invest for my future.

This is my little corner of the internet where I share the life hacks, lessons, and occasional mistakes that make it all possible.

I’m not a country counter. I’d rather spend a month learning the best coffee spots, making local friends, and figuring out where to catch the next wave vs. trying to see every country on a map. Slow travel has become my favorite way to experience the world, and surprisingly, one of the most affordable. Here I’m sharing all of my travel tips!

Somewhere along the way, we were taught that success looks like a good job, a bigger house, a packed calendar, and climbing the corporate ladder. But what happens when none of those things actually make you happy? Unlearning those expectations has been just as important as learning how to manage money. This is where I share the mindset shifts, woo-woo tips, and occasional existential questions that helped me redefine what a successful life looks like.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that income doesn’t have to come from a traditional 9-to-5. Between my business, pet sitting, rental income, and other experiments, I’ve learned how smaller income streams can add up to more flexibility. I’m sharing the side hustles I’ve actually tried, what they’ve earned, and which ones are worth the effort.