![\"van](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Kristen-Bor.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
The American-born adventurer landed a high-profile career working in Congress straight out of uni. Having completed her Masters in environmental management, she started working as a lobbyist to promote sustainable fishing in Washington D.C.<\/p>\n
Kristen specifically choose the job because it offered a lot of travelling.<\/p>\n
“Soon after I got hired, though, I realized that business traveling often meant flying halfway across the world, sitting in a conference room for a couple of days and flying home, without the opportunity to actually see the country or do anything outside of work,” she tells Forbes.com<\/a>. “That wasn\u2019t the kind of travel I was interested in.”<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BVNJRjgl3U1\/?hl=en&taken-by=bearfoottheory<\/p>\n After a number of years becoming increasingly frustrated at the corporate grindstone, Kristen decided the 9-5 wasn’t for her – and jacked the whole thing in to start up an outdoor travel website for women, Bearfoot Theory<\/a>.<\/p>\n As part of the transition, Kristen put her money where her mouth was, and converted a 4×4 Sprinter Van. This is now the place that she lives, travels and works in – affording her the financial freedom to pursue her dreams.<\/p>\n It cost her $45,000 (\u00a334,00) to renovate the vehicle for living in, which included installing a solar system, rack, heater and other essentials for a good quality of life. But she’s saving\u00a0 $14,000 (around \u00a310,500) a year in rent on her apartment, as well as avoiding the daily costs of living in a city.<\/p>\n “I figured if I ever needed a home base for a while, I could always go home and stay with family or I could easily find a new apartment,” she says. “I really had nothing to lose by giving it a try.”<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BPc11_TgwDH\/?hl=en&taken-by=bearfoottheory<\/p>\n Kristen’s biggest expenses now are petrol and groceries. She’s earning double what she did previously, via her new career of blogging and running tours designed to build women’s confidence in the Great Outdoors.<\/p>\n “During my time in D.C., there were so many things I wasted money on,” she says. “Coffee every morning. Lunch. Happy hour. These things were part of my daily routine. I looked forward to them, and they helped me cope with the fact that I was unsatisfied.<\/p>\n “Collectively, though, it added up to quite a lot of unnecessary spending. Now being self-employed, I\u2019ve cut out a lot of those daily expenses. I\u2019d rather use that money to pay an\u00a0employee to get more content up on the blog, draft my weekly newsletter or pitch brands I want to work with.”<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BNu6EgRgy7o\/?hl=en&taken-by=bearfoottheory<\/p>\n By broadcasting her venture,\u00a0 Kristen has built up the incentive to face her fears more, too.<\/p>\n “I figured by sharing my experiences online I\u2019d be more likely to challenge myself and try new activities that I might otherwise be afraid of,” she says. “I also thought blogging would provide me an avenue to continue being an environmental advocate.”<\/p>\n