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In 2022, I was working a 9-to-5 job, saving money each month, and living a fairly responsible life.
But by January 2023, I couldn't shake the feeling that my life in San Francisco was no longer serving me. My friends were starting to buy houses or get married, but I wasn't interested in these pursuits.
Instead, I started to think about traveling and taking an "adult gap year" in Italy. I lived there while studying abroad in college and knew I wanted to return.
I'd also saved $30,000 to either invest in a house or put toward something else. So when I turned 30 that year, I used my savings and $15,000 from my mom to travel, take a gap year, and find "La Dolce Vita" in Italy.
Tricia Patras
At first, my friends and family thought I was wild for putting my job in San Francisco on hold to travel and spend time living in Italy. But gap years are becoming more popular with adults as they seek to reduce stress and travel more.
The only person who didn't question my plans was my mother. She'd always supported my dreams, and she told me she'd help me if I ran out of money.
That year, my mom gave me $5,000 for my birthday. In August 2023, I left the US to begin my adventure.
Using her gift and my savings, I spent a month traveling to five countries, visiting places like Egypt and Greece, before landing in Italy. Eventually, I hunted for an apartment there.
Tricia Patras
When I arrived in Italy, I settled into an apartment in Florence.
My rent was about 1,185 euros, or about $1,250 a month, and I budgeted 50 euros a day for food and other items.
When I realized I could eat out for only 30 euros daily, I took advantage of the extra cash I'd saved and started buying Italian leather goods and other treats, often spending 100 to 300 euros per item.
I had a writing job, but my days were mostly free, so I could travel all week if I wanted to. As I adjusted to life in Italy, I met other adventurous people and started saying yes to spontaneous opportunities, like traveling to Japan and heading to Munich for Oktoberfest.
Eventually, I started running out of money. The four-star hotels I'd stayed in turned into two-star lodging, and I started taking the bus instead of taxis.
By Christmastime, I'd burned through about $20,000.
In December 2023, I came back to the US, hoping to return to Europe in January. However, I didn't know if I had the funds to do so. While home for the holidays, I learned I'd been accepted into a monthlong creative-writing residency in Florence.
I loved the life I'd had in Italy, and I knew I had to finish what I'd started. I didn't know if I could afford it, though, so, I asked my mother for help.
At first, she was hesitant to offer more financial support. Still, she saw the growth I'd been achieving abroad — I was learning to be more spontaneous and felt more creatively fulfilled than I had in a long time. Before I left, she gave me another $10,000 to use in Italy.
On my second trip, I stayed in Florence for six months before returning to the US for good.
Tricia Patras
In Italy, I learned how to leave my house without a plan and go with the flow, whether I was getting my third pastry of the day or catching the sunset by the river.
I'm fortunate that my mom saw my personal growth and was able to support me.
My relationship with my mom even became stronger when I returned to the US. After seeing how inspired and full of life I was, she had no regrets about helping me get there.
Finding self-confidence in Italy was a priceless experience, and I'll always cherish the memories from my gap year.
