Hi! My name is Jon Blomquist.

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Like many kids growing up in small-town America, I always had dreams of “making it big” or living the life that was seen only in the movies. The way to success, as I had always been taught, was to work your butt off towards it, and you would eventually achieve it… even if it took you 40-50 years in your industry.

The lower middle-class work ethic that was instilled by my parents to move me into this direction, started at the ripe, young age of 6, when I took over my sister’s paper-route. I was the youngest (however, not of legal age) paperboy in town! This job would last another 8 years until I started high school. During these years, I would also engage in the usual young entrepreneur’s businesses of selling home-made bracelets, lemonade, basketball/football/baseball cards, and forcing family members to pay for tickets to in-house shows & presentations, performed by yours truly! I would also work at a local golf course as a member of the ground’s crew. My dad had great connections that allowed me to spend my school-year weekends and non-existent summer social life, laboring away in the Midwest heat! I would keep this job for many years, as I was responsible for paying my way through school. On off-seasons, I would take up jobs at K-Mart, mowing lawns, and washing dishes & prepping dinner every weekend for the monastery that oversaw my high-school.

For my entire senior year, I debated between 2 paths; Should I join the Army, or try my hand in real estate? As a testosterone-fueled amateur MMA fighter and strong advocate of the rising popularity of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the Army seemed enticing, adventurous, and exciting! College for me was out of the question. I had read too many pieces that year guiding me otherwise. But after starting to question the wars in the Middle East, and seeing that my older brother had recently made a small fortune in Real Estate, I wanted to join in on the business. I was ready to make my millions! Within 2 hours after finals and before graduation, I moved out of the house and dove straight into the workforce. I was extremely motivated, eager, and determined, to begin a successful life in the big city. I read everything I could get my hands on regarding real estate and economics. I studied the market every day, sent out thousands of post cards for leads, scoured the paper for every FSBO, drove through every neighborhood looking for vacant properties, learned how to analyze court & tax documents, and eventually found a niche market in helping homeowners find pools of buyers. I continued on this course for 2 years, before deciding to become a full-time real estate agent. Six years into my new career, I was consistently working 15-16 hour days, 6-7 days a week, and was always behind on my workload. I could not keep up, and had no idea what path I was going towards anymore. I had no capital, and I was starting to accumulate business debt. I felt like I was going crazy, and work had consumed my life.

Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina

The excitement of running my own business was fading. I was burned out. Even hiring some new help & decreasing 1-2 hours behind the computer screen could not keep me from feeling that something was not right about my life. So I decided to take some time out for myself. I planned a solo trip – 2 weeks in Sweden, to reevaluate my life & discover my roots. I started to wonder how I had gotten into the place I was, and I wanted to feel a connection to something more than the office. My family seemed like a good place to start. What started as a short trip to escape the office, would lay its seed deep inside me and take root in future endeavors. I was bitten by the travel bug. Along with the short-lived spell of relief upon my return from that trip, back in 2010, I realized that I had never actually run my own business. Instead, my business was always running me. I felt trapped. I wanted more out of life. The knowledge gained that as I left my office for two weeks and that nothing went wrong, was a huge motivating factor to turn things around. (Although I went running through the streets of Stockholm like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to connect to the closest internet café, I realized that the world did not end!) The next year, I read every book I could get my hands on regarding office efficiency. I researched every post I could find. I experimented with different programs and modules and technologies. I subscribed to all the business gurus. I wanted to live a completely different lifestyle than what I was living at the time. By 2012, I had completely changed and grown, not only professionally, but spiritually. The previous years of studying new strategies and methods were to be implemented in the New Year. Early that year, I let loose, sold off nearly all of my belongings, and took a 6 month trip through South America, Central America, and Europe, all while working and keeping in touch via my laptop. Since then, I have taken more trips to Central America, Europe, and the Caribbean, where I am now currently based. Much of my life has been forever changed from the rat-race I was running in the past. Travel has opened up a whole new world. I have been exposed and blessed with all new experiences, lifestyles, cultures, traditions, foods, patterns, ideas, religions, and concepts.

San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

It has not been an easy road. I have made many mistakes in both my personal and professional lives. I know, too, that I will continue to make more mistakes, ups & downs. The freedom that I have gained from this experience by taking the action necessary to achieve the mobile lifestyle has made the hard times worth it. And through the down times, I have gained many results.  I know that I can always look back and reevaluate when things don’t go the way I envision. I can, and will always, continue in my search to improve my overall being. A mobile lifestyle allows the freedom to engage in the never-ending quest to improve one’s self. Immersion into the World’s cultures opens insight into more than just the traditions & customs, people & places. It opens up a part of your mind which has infinite potential & opportunity. And with these new ideas and values has come the launch of Immersion Traveling. If you desire to become location independent, mobile, and live a lifestyle free from the ideas in which you have been bred into believing your entire life, or want to experience the world around you & outside your borders, or just want more time away from the office to start enjoying it with your family and friends, then NOW is the time to move in that direction! Life is a journey. Come along with us for the ride, and let’s explore this world together!

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