Meet 

Many of us travel in hopes of finding something: happiness, ourselves, a new favorite food, or a killer new profile picture to replace our current one. Back in 2015, we found all of that and more (seriously, those new profile pictures were incredible). 

We met while we were both interning in Hua Hin, Thailand. After meeting, we hit it off immediately and effortlessly. We spent a few weeks together, traveling whenever we could. At the end of those few weeks, once our internship had ended, we parted ways at the airport in Bangkok.

We’re from different parts of the country so, with our separate flights booked, we left Thailand convinced that we’d return to our homes in different states and never see each other again. (There’s actually an ongoing debate between us about which one cried at the airport, but we’ll let you be the judge of that).

Met in:

Thailand

CIRCA 2015

As you’ve probably figured out, that wasn’t the end of it. A few weeks after returning home, Zach bought a one-way ticket to see Amanda at college, prepared to stay for as little as 2 days or as much as 2 weeks and just “see how it goes.” (we’ll just say it was on the longer side of things and are very grateful that Amanda had 3 very understanding roommates). 



Once Amanda finished college, we both started our careers as part of corporate America like many young college grads. We worked in Chicago for a year and then moved to Philadelphia to explore the east coast, however, we already knew at this point that we wouldn’t be here long. 

It quickly became obvious that we weren’t where we needed to be. Corporate America was decidedly not for us, and the “work hard, play hard” culture was definitely not enough to keep us building careers that we didn’t see a future in. 

As you’ve probably figured out, that wasn’t the end of it. A few weeks after returning home, Zach bought a one-way ticket to see Amanda at college, prepared to stay for as little as 2 days or as much as 2 weeks and just “see how it goes.” (we’ll just say it was on the longer side of

things and are very grateful that Amanda had 3 very understanding roommates). 



Once Amanda finished college, we both started our careers as part of corporate America like many young college grads. We worked in Chicago for a year and then moved to Philadelphia to explore the east coast, however, we already knew at this point that we wouldn’t be here long. 

It quickly became obvious that we weren’t where we needed to be. Corporate America was decidedly not for us, and the “work hard, play hard” culture was definitely not enough to keep us building careers that we didn’t see a future in. 

Knowing that we wanted something different, we began to search for a way out. Moving abroad was immediately part of the goal, as travel was something we were both passionate about. But traveling was only half of the equation. We knew that without a plan, we’d eventually run out of money and end up right back in these ergonomic seats (or a fancy standing desk if we were lucky). 

As we sought out a permanent solution to support a lifestyle that would allow us to travel long term while also making money, we learned about the idea of location independence. Now, we had a goal. Knowing that we couldn’t settle for anything less than the life we were dreaming of, we started planning and preparing to quit our corporate jobs and make this lifestyle a reality.

We spent the next year doing everything we possibly could to get ourselves ready for this massive change. We created budgets for ourselves, read [what seemed like] every blog possible, and eventually sold almost all of our belongings. We still worked our corporate jobs and spent our nights and weekends building our dream, because if we were going to do this, we were going to do it right. We understood that this wasn’t an extended vacation or a fun year abroad. 

Now we travel full time, living in Southeast Asia while running our own businesses from our laptops. We never could have imagined the journey that this uncommon pursuit would take us on, but we truly couldn’t imagine our lives any other way. We strongly believe that this is a movement. The world of entrepreneurship and remote work is growing rapidly and changing the landscape of business and the traditional path to success. 

That’s why we created The Uncommon Pursuit as a central hub for all things travel and digital nomad. Here you will find everything from business and mindset tips, travel itineraries, templates and tools to build a legitimate business, and courses to fine tune your skills and knowledge. 

We were signing up to do things differently: to leave the comforts of our routine in favor of a chance at living on our own terms. This was a lifestyle overhaul and we were ready to go all in.

Where it all began...

We gave corporate America a shot

Here & Now

There’s never a good time and there is never the perfect opportunity to change your life. You deserve to live the life of your dreams full of freedom, autonomy, money, adventure, and fulfillment. You CAN have it all. You CAN pursue the things uncommon. We are proof that anything is possible if you are willing to decide and work hard for what you want in this life. 

Through everything on this site, we hope to empower you to start down the path of re-designing your own life. The question is: are you ready to start your own Uncommon Pursuit?