For the last few years comments and questions such as “how do you travel so much?”, “I want your life”, “I live vicariously through you” and “what you’re doing is amazing” are said to me regularly. That’s a lot of flattery. Especially for someone who feels they’re living the only way possible. I can’t know that there is a big, beautiful and glorious planet out there to be discovered and explored whilst sitting idly by NOT discovering and exploring it. To me that’s a tragedy. My soul cries if I’m not on a journey or in the midst of planning one. With this site I hope to share my stories and photography as well as teach and inspire others to travel and see the world! And to also shed light on alternative ways to travel that don’t require being a millionaire.

My story

I’m an avid traveler and photographer from Brooklyn, NY. I dreamed my whole life of traveling the world. Sad to say I thought it was just that, a dream. I would flip through my grandfather’s ancient collection of National Geographic magazines and dream of the jungles, tigers, pyramids and all the other wonderful exotic places pictured on those pages. I never imagined it was actually possible to see and experience them for myself; it was just a distant fantasy that would always remain out of grasp.

My parents are modest folks raised in the 50’s their mentality has always been a bit old school. House, family, city job, pension, social security, retirement. This is how my grandparents were and my parents followed suit. Travel was an excess luxury when you had children and a house to keep up with. I was lucky enough to always have had family trips and vacations. I appreciate their dedication to taking care of myself and my brother, we certainly had it good. But being encouraged to take big risks and follow your dreams just was’t in the vocabulary.

It wasn’t until my early 20’s that I took my first trip sans family to California to explore the grandeur of Yosemite National Park and drive down the Pacific Coast Highway from SF to LA. As a girl from Brooklyn I had never encountered so much nature. Sounds silly but it’s true. As many times as I had been camping in the woods upstate, it certainly did not prepare me for the shock and awe I felt as I entered Yosemite and encountered the massive rocks, waterfalls, and pines which towered higher than New York City skyscrapers. It actually brought tears to my eyes. Not only because it was so beautiful and filled my soul with joy, but because I realized that all this had existed my entire life and I had no clue! I’d seen the famous Ansel Adams images, sure, but being there in person was an incredibly tremendous feeling. I was bewildered as to how I spent my life without having felt the presence of this awesome place and felt a new determination not to waste time letting other majestic places go without my eyes and soul feasting on their glories.

And so the spark that lie dormant had finally been ignited. It burned slow at first. Small trips with friends, I was certainly fearful to go many places alone. But with each trip, exploration and victory I gained confidence. To the point where I enjoyed solo travel almost better than with an entourage. It felt liberating to take off for a new destination on my own to explore and make new friends. I was always researching new places to visit and constantly saving money for an upcoming excursion. All the while I had been learning photography throughout my high school years and was pursuing a degree in Fine Arts in college with a concentration in photo. My love of photography and my new found passion for traveling went hand in hand like reunited soul mates.

That brings me here, now. About 10 years after that first big trip I’m inspired to introduce a new element to my travel and photography. Writing. Sharing the personal experiences with whoever wants to hear the tales I have to tell! And believe me, I’ve got plenty! I hope to inspire others the way I was inspired to take risks and challenge yourself constantly to live outside of your comfort zone. I want to capture the attention of not just the aspiring novice but also the seasoned veterans! The more I learn the better I can succeed at making my dreams become the reality that I envision. And what reality is that? The dream currently is, to be able to do what I love and sustain myself doing it. Take pictures, travel, share my stories and to eventually share the stories of others. That’s not too much to ask is it? So here I am taking the plunge and that’s why I’ve created this memoir which I hope you’ll all enjoy and share your support.

If you’re still curious, check out my About Page

For information about my photography Click Here