When Phan went dark on YouTube, she also went away from her Los Angeles home — far, far away. She told Refinery29, "I decided to pack my life into a small suitcase, and I literally just left," she said. "I bought a one-way ticket to Switzerland. I even had contracts where my team still needed me. But I had to go."

After Switzerland, Phan also visited Egypt, China, and the Netherlands in an effort to clear her head.

"Finally, I could hear my own thoughts, and that was life-changing for me," she said. "We live in this world where we're so connected, we don't even give ourselves time to connect with ourselves. I just had my thoughts, nature, and the stars — no WiFi or anything— and that transformed me. It kind of rooted me again, anchored me back to reality. And in a weird way, time moved by slower. It was beautiful."

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