Welcome – Why I started a travel blog

I have only ever given the idea of having my own travel blog a fleeting thought. Who would care to hear what I have to say? What do I really have to offer? There seems to be a million blogs nowadays, why would anyone read mine?

But here I am.

I went to Chile recently. It was an incredible experience that I wished everyone could have. As I was posting photos after the trip, my thought was that if these pictures could convince even one person to go have this epic trip, I’d be thrilled.

I’ve had a few people message me since then to ask for advice on their upcoming Chile trips. Maybe it’s just a coincidence. Or maybe I had an effect.

I don’t think I am a “likely” traveler. I grew up in Ohio. My family didn’t travel much growing up, only to visit family in Michigan and Florida. My dad has actually said “why would I leave the United States?” And my sister has yet to even be on a plane. I also don’t have much money. I got myself through college and am pretty positive I’ll be cursing at and paying off those loans until I die. No one has ever given me a penny to travel. Finally, I lack in a lot of the skills that travel seems to require. I have a horrible sense of direction. The worst. I don’t understand bus routes. I’ve tried. I’m terrible at learning new languages. I’m clumsy. I kind of have bad luck sometimes. I’m not great at geography either.

But I travel. As often as I can.

It must have been an actual travel bug that bit me because my younger life did not seem to lead me to it. I had the opportunity to visit a neighbor in London in 2008 and I experienced a different country for the first time. I was hooked. For life. I worked through college to pay for my travels. Now I work as an RN, pay my loans, and use my extra money to pay for my next trip. I have learned to travel on a cheap budget. And I try to overcome my lack of travel skills. I know I’m not the best at it, but I do it anyways. When things go bad, as they often do while traveling, I always come away with a memorable and funny story.

I want this travel blog to be real. I want to write about the travel mishaps I’ve had all too frequently and how you can learn from them. I want to write about why I think travel has made me a better human. I want to write about how you do not have to be rich (or have rich parents) to travel the world. I want to give advice on where to go, what to eat, and where to sleep. I want to write about how you should do all of this with a kind heart.

And I want to inspire.