From Corporate Zombie to Nomad Queen: One Woman's Quest for Freedom Beyond the Iron Throne

A Khaleesi in Cubicles?

Hmph. Another tale of a life…unlived. I Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen First of Her Name Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons once knew a thing or two about being trapped. But my prison was not of spreadsheets and healthcare but of destiny and duty! This Ashley Kaye though she toiled in the corporate mines a 'zombie,' she calls it. Eighty to one hundred hours a week? Even the Unsullied get more rest than that! It seems she walked from her bedroom to her office to the kitchen and then repeated this over and over again. If I had dragons then I would have burnt the whole office down!

Honduras: Where Dragons Meet Scuba Divers

A scuba diving trip? In Honduras? How utterly…pedestrian. Still even I the Dragon Queen am not immune to the whispers of freedom. It was there amidst the coral and tropical fish that she encountered a mysterious stranger. This traveler dared to speak of escaping the soul crushing monotony of existence. The man wished he had done it sooner because it's so much easier and cheaper than you think. So it seems the seed of rebellion was sown. 'When I take what is mine I will do so. I will not waste years ??andering the desert' but she did waste years. The nerve!

From Wisconsin to Westeros...Wait No South Africa

South Africa you say? A land of lions and…overlanding trucks apparently. Just as she was beginning to enjoy a life unburdened by quarterly reports fate—that cruel mistress—intervened. News of a sick aunt summoned her back to the frozen tundra of Wisconsin. “That flight was probably the moment where not a single ounce of my being was like ‘Yay I’m going home.’ It was like ‘I don’t want to be here. This isn’t it for me.’” Such melodrama! I faced down the Dothraki survived the House of the Undying and she complains about a flight home? Still I can respect the sentiment. I often long for the days before destiny weighed so heavily on my shoulders before the Iron Throne became my obsession.

The Truck Queen is Born

A van? With a dog? Please. Even my dragons had more legroom on my voyages across the Narrow Sea! No this Ashley Kaye needed something…sturdier. A Toyota Tacoma truck no less! She calls it 'overlanding,' this self reliant travel to remote destinations. Well I call it…sensible. A queen must be prepared for any terrain. I do wish she had purchased a dragon to ride! She spent $42,934 on the truck but I'm sure it'll come in handy.

Baja California Dreaming (and Truck Renovations)

'The plan is there is no plan,' she declared. Brave words or utter madness? Time will tell. She then decided that the truck needed renovations so she found an American company to make the truck bed replacements that would provide external storage and make it easier for her to live and travel in the Toyota Tacoma. I wonder if they could install a dragon sized compartment? Her modifications costing over $50,000 are not particularly lavish in the grand scheme of things.

Denver to…Argentina? A Highway Fit for a Queen (Maybe)

The Pan American Highway! A journey from Alaska to Argentina. It seems this Ashley Kaye seeks adventure the sort that involves borders paperwork and…electric coolers. She states that 'it’s really an incredible way to travel because you get to set your own pace and if you find somewhere that’s beautiful and peaceful you can stay as long as you want.' Hmph. Well good for her. May her journey be filled with fewer betrayals and more breathtaking vistas than mine. And may she remember as I should have: sometimes the journey is more important than the throne.