Dream Come True: Swimming with Wild Dolphins in New Zealand

People often ask me where my favorite places are or what my best experience was while on my round-the-world trip. Let me be honest: I hate those kinds of questions. How can I narrow down 18 months of mind blowingly amazing and diverse experiences into a single sentence?! But the truth is there was one… Continue reading Dream Come True: Swimming with Wild Dolphins in New Zealand

The Real Reason I’m Traveling Africa Alone

Crammed into the plane with hardly an inch of personal space, tears streamed down my cheeks. Heading to a new continent, I knew I should be happy, excited, and eager for this new adventure. But the feelings were mixed and a bitterness rested on my tongue.   I never wanted to go to Africa alone.… Continue reading The Real Reason I’m Traveling Africa Alone

Conquering Fears & Flying to Milford Sound

Considering I’ve traveled to 31 countries and only some of them via boat, it might surprise you that for the past few years I’ve dealt with serious plane anxiety. I sit in the chair staring out the window at the tarmac with sweaty palms and a racing heart, and as the plane takes off I’m… Continue reading Conquering Fears & Flying to Milford Sound

When Travel and Real Life Collide: A Story of Love, Chaos, & Change

There is a commonly held belief that long-term travel is not “real life.” After embarking on a round the world trip 10 months ago, I can’t count the number of people who have asked me when I’m going to return to “real life” or what my plans are when I come back to “reality.” It… Continue reading When Travel and Real Life Collide: A Story of Love, Chaos, & Change

Monthly Recap: October (AKA Couchsurfing Through Australia)

While friends back home were reveling in all things pumpkin and planning out their six Halloween costumes, I was finding Nemo and trying not to get eaten by things in Australia. On October 3 I finally left Indonesia; after two months in the country I was more than ready to leave, but it was emotional… Continue reading Monthly Recap: October (AKA Couchsurfing Through Australia)

Mother of Dragons: A Journey To Komodo Island

I do a lot of pretty crazy things: unusual, unorthodox, exciting, fun things. But occasionally I do something and then look back on it and think, whoa, that was actually REALLY crazy. My 4-day boat trip to Komodo Island, Indonesia was like that. To summarize, I spent four days on an old, old wooden ship… Continue reading Mother of Dragons: A Journey To Komodo Island

What I’ve Learned in 6 Months of Solo Travel

  “The pumpkin spice flavors are coming out,” a friend back home told me over the phone. Caught off guard, I looked at the calendar asking, “Wait, what month is it?!” I’ve been living in perpetual summer since I started traveling and without a changing of seasons—or any kind of schedule, really—I’ve lost track of… Continue reading What I’ve Learned in 6 Months of Solo Travel

What It’s Like to Learn Muay Thai in Thailand

A few weeks ago I didn’t know much about Muay Thai other than it’s some kind of martial art similar to kickboxing. Today, after two weeks of training in Muay Thai, I could punch you in the face, kick you in the ribs, and tell you all about it. (Just please don’t hit me back,… Continue reading What It’s Like to Learn Muay Thai in Thailand

Monthly Recap: June 2015

The end of this month really snuck up on me! June was full of surprises and spontaneous decisions and most of it was pretty damn incredible. I wrote in last month’s post that Thailand was slowly stealing my heart and it’s true; after two months here, I’m head over heels for this country. But to… Continue reading Monthly Recap: June 2015