Travel, my first love. A love that has never let me down. Love bombing me with butterflies every time I set foot on a plane. Feeding my anxious attachment and creating a wild, yet cultured, monster. I’ve been on quite a journey with my first love. It’s been 17 years since my first trip out of the country, and in looking back, I can see the immeasurable growth and influence travel has had on my life.
In 2006, my high school French class did a trip to France for 9 days with a bunch of girls. We hit Paris and the Loire Valley and I got the travel bug. In college, I did a semester in England and traveled all over the UK, to Ireland, Greece, and France for the second time. I felt passion, heartbreak, and all the feels.
After college, I moved to LA and started hustling. At my first opportunity, I saved about 10K for a 40 day overland trip through East and South Africa. I hit Turkey and Dubai on the way in and out. I spent quality time with elephants and lions, hippos, and wildebeest in Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa. After that trip, I made more frequent visits to other places on earth for as cheaply as I could. Weekend trips to Colombia, a week in Australia, two weeks in Thailand, 36 hours in Ireland, and many in between. From 2015-2019, I was taking something like 6 international trips a year (all while working part time jobs, living in Los Angeles, and making less than 30K per year). Incredible right?
In 2018, I made it to my last continent, Antarctica. In 2021, I hit 50 countries.
What Travel has Taught Me
I feel immensely lucky. Travel has taught me so much about myself and the world. I love learning about other cultures and problem solving my way through new places. I love trying new foods and activities. Travel lights me up like nothing else on earth. I’ve traveled with friends, alone, with partners, with family, and I love it all. Each has their perks. I’ve traveled with a tight shoestring budget and I’ve traveled with 10K. I’ve learned the ins and outs of credit card points and miles. I’ve learned the pros and cons of most airlines. I have stayed in 5 star hotels. I’ve stayed in the WORST hostels you can imagine. And nearly everything in between. I’ve camped. I’ve done group tours. I’ve created my own 10 day road trips. I’ve rented cars and driven on the “wrong” side of the road and the “wrong” side of the car with a clutch! I’ve eaten at Michelin starred restaurants. I’ve eaten at dingy places that gave me food poisoning. (And everything in between)
Why I’m the Perfect Travel Designer
What I’m saying is that I have years of experience with so many kinds of travel. Which is why it is impossible for me to narrow down a niche as a travel advisor, but it makes me GREAT because I can help anyone with any type of desires and budget.
One of the beautiful things is that if I don’t know how to find an answer to a question about travel, I know someone somewhere who can. I have continued connections on every continent that allow me to get some ground level perspective if I haven’t been in a while or at all to a destination.
Designing my own travel experiences consistently helps me learn and grow for my clients. I’m invested in getting you exactly what you want out of a trip, whether that’s purposeful relaxation on a beach in Fiji, or an adventure filled week in Costa Rica.
So, what are you waiting for? Let an expert help you with your next trip!
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