I’m a full-time community development professional by day and wanderlust whenever I get the opportunity. I grew up in the New York City Metro area and currently live in the Bronx.
As a child I was one of those kids who hated sleepovers and avoided going too far from home. At 6 I took my first plane ride to Orlando, Florida to visit Disney World, an early birthday gift from my uncle and aunt. I was gone for a week, was homesick, and cried the entire time. To me, there’s nothing like falling asleep in your own bed. This sentiment continued right through the end of college.
Still, I managed to travel to Boston and Philadelphia, both of which are mere hours away. Winter Break of senior year in college I saw that everyone else was going somewhere warm and far away. Days later I found myself at LaGuardia Airport boarding a flight to Tampa, Florida, the first time I’d been on a plane in almost 16 years. Little did I know that in less than a year’s time I’d be back on a plane to see Los Angeles and Las Vegas as well.
Senior year of college I also applied for and received my first passport, a major milestone. It wasn’t until almost a year after college graduation that I embarked on my first international adventure. Most go to Canada for a long weekend, Cancun for Spring Break, Paris, London, or Prague for a study abroad semester. I was en route to Bogota, Colombia. This relative homebody was now spending two weeks not only out of the country, but one that had United States government travel advisories attached to. How’s that for first trip outside the US?
Since my earlier days riding long haul buses around Colombia, I’ve always loved to take pictures wherever I went and kept a small notebook with me to document funny, weird, and just interesting observations and experiences. I promised myself that I’d get to typing up all of these notes and sharing my travel stories. That was back in about April of 2007. I still have those little notebooks along with a bunch of beaten up Rough Guides books, ticket stubs, and other mementos that I’ve collected along the way and just never got around to.
Travel has become not only a hobby, but a way of life. But this can be said of many people; not too uncommon. However, the part that shocks, surprises, or amazes people I meet is that a) I am a woman, b) that I have explored all of these countries solo, c) I’ve not gone broke doing it, and d) I am not an independently wealthy person.
For many, travel is a luxury. To me it’s a necessity. I live a pretty simple life, but always make sure I have a little extra to fund my trips; This is my passion. Even if you’ve never been on a plane before or even left your home state, my goal is to share what I’ve learned and get you excited enough to take that plunge yourself.
I’ve since traveled to 27 countries solo and preparing to add country #28 to my list. Some people are Rentheads, others love good coffee, cheese, and wine. And me? All day I dream of travel…