Riga woman quits office job for a 3,000 km bike journey across New Zealand
Riga resident Jevgeņija Šļonska left her predictable life and data-related office job in Latvia, bought a one-way ticket to New Zealand, and is now cycling roughly 3,000 kilometres across the country.
Not long ago, Jevgeņija Šļonska's life followed a clear, predictable path — an office job working with data, and confidence that a stable career lay ahead. Like many others, she lived by a familiar routine and had no other plans in mind.
Over time, however, that predictable life began to feel increasingly confining. A growing desire to travel and stay in motion gradually took up more and more space in her thoughts, eventually turning into a decision to change everything.
Jevgeņija chose to leave her everyday life in Latvia behind and bought a one-way plane ticket to New Zealand, a country she describes as the land of kind people. There, she embarked on an unusual adventure — a bicycle journey covering roughly 3,000 kilometres.
Reflecting on what she has experienced along the way, Jevgeņija says the journey has changed how she sees herself and her own capabilities. As she put it herself, after everything she has been through, it feels like she can do anything.
Her choice to give up a stable job and familiar surroundings for a long journey to the other side of the world reflects a broader trend of people stepping outside their comfort zones in search of new experience and self-discovery through travel.
