This week, I’m posting from Vancouver, British Columbia.  My husband is here speaking at the Society for Psychophysiological Research Conference, and I’ve come along for the ride.  It’s not a vacation per say, my book writing schedule doesn’t allow for that.  But I couldn’t be happier to get out of the rut of my home office and change up my work environment to spark some creativity.  Sipping a cup of Taiwanese pearl milk tea (Vancouver’s Chinese food is supposedly the best in North America, by the way) and watching merchants tend the outdoor markets in the driving rain, I feel challenged to come up with a different approach for describing the ideal jobs for adventurous types, a new angle for writing about the working life I’ve never considered before.

As part of this section on adventurers, I just did an interview with international NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander.  Peter told me that the best thing about his job is that, traveling to places like Iraq, Israel, Cuba, and China, he gets to see the world through the eyes of the people who live, work, and interact there.  These experiences give him a unique perspective that allows him to evaluate his own life in a fresh way.  Sound familiar?  You may have come across a similar sentiment in the diaries of 16th century explorers.

In the Internet age, geographical boundaries are becoming more fluid, but there’s still something to be said for having the opportunity to do the work you do best, and realize your true potential, in the context of a foreign culture.  Edelman, the PR firm I consult for, has a program that allows seasoned employees to apply to work at an affiliate office in another country, and I’ve seen people go from London to Latin America, and from New York to Hong Kong.  I encourage you to check out similar options in your own company, to see what’s possible when you open your eyes to the world.