This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tricia Redulla, cofounder of Sky and Sol. It has been edited for length and clarity.
In 2023, my boyfriend Max hiked Mount Kilimanjaro. We had both been focused on improving our health, and the hike was a major accomplishment for him. On it, however, Max couldn’t find a sunscreen that protected him without irritating his skin.
When he came back to our Austin apartment, we started brainstorming ideas for a tallow-based sunscreen. At the same time, we were considering traveling when our lease ended. Somewhat surprisingly, the two ideas went hand in hand: we could build our business remotely while traveling the world.
We established our working-travel routine in Hawaii
We had always wanted to see Hawaii, so that was our first stop. We were there for a month, staying in a few different Airbnbs. That’s when we decided to maintain a typical work schedule, even though we were in a vacation location.
We would wake up, sightsee a bit, then work for an extended time. Although we were on our computers, it was interesting to be in new cafés and spaces. We lived on our savings, but we also started selling our products quickly.
We also began selling sunscreen to the US market before we left, and Sky and Sol immediately started generating sales — about $7 million during 2024 while we were traveling. A third-party logistics company shipped products for customers, and when needed, we had product samples shipped to our family homes. We couldn’t see those samples, but we could ask our family about them and get pictures.
We booked a transatlantic cruise because it was cheap
After coming home for the holidays, we booked a transatlantic cruise from Miami to England. At the time, cruise prices were really low. The cruise taught us to be flexible: we were working together in a tiny room, though we often went to the on-ship Starbucks for a change of scenery.
At the time, I was focused on building our affiliate programs, which meant contacting influencers, onboarding them, and handling affiliate pay. Max was working on our paid advertising strategy and working with business mentors to help us scale quickly.
The cruise wasn’t the best experience, especially since I didn’t feel well for most of it. By the time we landed in England in January, we were glad that part of the trip was over.
We were able to compare sunscreens in different markets
After exploring England, we flew to Tokyo, where we stayed for about two weeks.
Traveling in Europe and Asia gave us the opportunity to test sunscreens that we didn’t have access to in the US. We often bought all the sunscreens we could in a store, studying their aesthetics and feel. Many Japanese and Korean sunscreens aren’t sold in the US, so having access to them helped us develop a better product.
We found an entrepreneurship community in Singapore
In Japan, we decided to extend our travels since they were going so well. We booked a three-month stay in Singapore. Instead of staying in an Airbnb, we chose a co-living space to connect with the city’s entrepreneurship community. We were able to discuss strategy and growth with expats from all over the world and learned a lot about the e-commerce space. Our personal and work lives often blend together.
In Singapore, we had some visa challenges. As Americans, we think we can go anywhere, but this was a good reminder that we still have to follow the law. At that point, we’d been traveling for six months, and I was feeling a bit homesick. I went home to visit family, while Max visited Malaysia. We lost money because we weren’t able to stay in the Singapore co-living space for the whole duration that we’d booked.
I wouldn’t want to travel for a full year again
Next, we met in France and traveled throughout Europe, including to Iceland, Switzerland, and Portugal. This was another chance to learn about skin products in different countries: for example, in Iceland, people wrap their soap in wool to get extra exfoliation. We also learned about work-life balance and what we wanted that to look like.
We ended our travels with a year in Puerto Rico, where we stayed for all of 2025. We chose the island because of its tax advantages.
Now, we’re back in the US. It’s nice to have a home base and a place to recharge. I wouldn’t travel for an entire year again, because it was very tiring. Still, I’m glad we had the experience and can now focus on our long-term plans.
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