Hey There, I’m Kristin!
Thanks for taking time out of your day to learn a little more about me — I know there are a lot of travel bloggers out there. And while I’m most definitely not the only female adventure travel blogger out there, I’m fairly certain that I’m the only one who happens to love surfing, running half marathons and marathons, orchestrating grand trips around the biggest tennis tournaments, and attending Formula 1 Grand Prix!
Now, I know what you might be thinking… I must have a bottomless pit of money. Unfortunately, my bank account can confirm this is not the case. π₯² Even so, I’m extremely passionate about traveling. And over the years, Iβve become an expert at keeping it as affordable and sustainable as possible.
As a result, I created this blog with the mission of inspiring and empowering travelers like you to chase after your next big travel escapade! Whether it be introducing you to a new culture, helping you get the biggest bang for your buck, or creating a custom itinerary for your dream adventure — I want this blog to be a valuable resource and to continuously feed your adventurous spirit!
My Story – A Gap Year Turned Forever
Up until graduation from UC San Diego, I have always done what my parents, peers, and teachers have expected of me. This meant getting perfect grades, juggling 3 part-time jobs, doing 3 sports, and having more extracurriculars than the people around me.
I was largely, and to some degree still am, fueled by my fear of failure. I think a lot of people are fueled by fear of failure, but it was often consuming for me.
My origin story is that I was abandoned at birth and later adopted by the most loving and giving family. Despite my wonderful support system, there is always a nagging voice in my head that reminds me, “You were abandoned by everyone once, so who is to say it won’t happen again?”
This led me to believe that I always had to prove my worth, and a lot of my identity was based on external validation.
Graduating With No Idea What Is Next
By the time the pandemic hit, I was in my third year of college and starting to consider what the next step was.
Like most people, lockdowns and remote learning forced me to slow down and assess my life choices. I realized that I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life because all my decisions had been largely based on what others expected me to do.
I didn’t even know what I was truly passionate about, aside from traveling and playing with dogs :’). All I knew was that I didn’t want and couldn’t keep living my life based on societal expectations. Well… that and I dreaded the idea of working a 9-to-5 job.
So I Took a Gap Year to Travel
When I graduated in June 2021, much to my parents’ dismay, I thought, “Why not travel around for a bit?” I studied abroad in Paris summer of 2019 and survived relatively unscathed — just a pickpocketing incident.
With 10k saved from part-time jobs, I did what any person going through their quarter-life crisis does… I moved back home, packed my bag, and began my travel adventure, visiting 13 countries and 20+ cities.
Some of the places I explored summer of 2021 include French Polynesia, Luxembourg, Zagreb, Slovenia, Zurich… It was everything I had dreamed of and more!
I Mentally Hit an All-Time Low
But, as soon as I got home, I realized everything that I had given up. By taking a gap year, I fell behind all my peers. I had no stable job, no consistent income, and no real plan for what was next. A lot of my friends were starting top Ph.D. programs, getting into the best medical and healthcare schools, or obtaining high-paying six-figure jobs. I couldn’t stop comparing myself to the success of people with different goals.
This led me to take a hard look at myself and finally ask what I wanted. Where did I want to be in a year, 5 years, and 10 years down the line? After half a year of questioning everything, I figured out that I want to help people travel to these incredible destinations, have flexibility in my schedule, and above all — work on something that I fully stood behind.
How I Am Getting There by Working for Myself
Once I knew what I wanted, I realized travel blogging could provide me with the life I wanted. So, I invested in myself by taking an extensive travel blogging course, learning graphic design, how to edit videos, and everything about SEO.
I won’t lie — at times, it feels like there’s too much to do. I doubt my decisions, if I am good enough, or why I think I can make it in this seemingly saturated field. But, it’s on days like this, when I feel defeated or overwhelmed, I ask myself two questions: “If not now, when?” and “What if it works out?”.Β
I can’t wait for the perfect moment to act. Otherwise, I am just wasting time, which is a limited resource that we can never get back. The second question prompts me to imagine how my life would change for the better if I attained my goals. Together, these questions remind me to embrace my journey. Because at the end of the day, I want to live a life that I can look back on and say, “Wow, that was one hell of a ride!”
So, to Anyone Reading, Thank You.
Making this dream of mine a reality is undoubtedly hard. Your support genuinely means the world to me and gives me hope that it will work out in the end. In return, I hope I have inspired you to chase after what makes you happy and that my blog can empower and assist you in planning your next global travel escapade!
The 2025 Update.
I started this blog back in mid-2022, intending to do it full-time for a few years. Fast forward those few years, and I’ve decided it’s time to step back from the world of blogging and start the next chapter of my life. You may be thinking, “Why the sudden change of heart, Kristin?!”
Well, truthfully, AI made blogging unsustainable as a career and proved how unstable content creation can be. By now, I’m sure you’ve noticed that AI results show up first in the search results. This small action decimated the majority of traffic to blogs (mine included); seeing that happen practically overnight was terrifying.
Secondly, I didn’t love turning travel (something that I absolutely love) into a job. Don’t get me wrong, traveling as a career is a pretty sweet gig, but constantly thinking about the next post felt like it was defeating the purpose of going on a *vacation*.
Not only that, but I’ve realized I want to have a more tangible impact on society. For the last year, I’ve spent most of my time volunteering at my local food bank, animal shelter, and hospital. These experiences have reminded me how much I miss connecting with other humans and enjoy giving back to my community. So, for these reasons and more, I’ve decided to pursue medical school.
Don’t worry! The blog will live on, but it will just be more of a passion project than a full-time gig. I’ll still write about my travels, as they happen, but posts will likely be a lot more infrequent… And as always, this blog will remain AI FREE! Everything I write about will be based fully on my authentic travel experiences (pics in the post as proof π).
Want to Support Me?
Once again, thank you for your time and interest in learning a bit about me (my favorite subject π ). And if you’re curious about how you can support my med school journey, the best thing you can do is use my blog to help plan your upcoming travels! Every time you book through the links on my blog, I get a very tiny amount of kickback at no extra cost to you. This money will go to the impending mountain of expenses (approximately $500,000 of debt) I’m going to have while attending medical school, haha! (I laugh or else I’ll cry).
Travel Inspiration & Where I’ve Been
Currently, I’m on a mission to travel to 50 countries by 30. Here’s where I’ve been so far. The goal is to write about them all one day, but alas — there never seems to be enough time…π«
π Andorra — Andorra la Vella
π Australia — Cairns, Sydney
π Austria — Vienna
π Belgium — Brussels
π Canada — Banff, Calgary, Montreal
π China — Beijing, Guangzhou, Guilin, Nanning, Yangshou, Xi’an
π Croatia — Dubrovnik, Zagreb
π Czeck Republic — Prague
π Denmark — Copenhagen
π Estonia — Tallinn
π Finland — Helsinki
π France — Biarritz, Bordeaux, Carcassonne, Γze, Giverny, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice, Paris, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Villefranche-sur-Mer
π French Polynesia — Moorea, Tahiti
π Germany — TΓΌbingen, Munich
π Hungary — Budapest
π Italy — Milan, Rome
π Japan — Fujiyoshida, Kawaguchiko, Kyoto, Nagoya, Nara, Osaka, Suzuka, Tokyo, Uji
π Ireland — Dublin
π Liechtenstein — Vaduz
π Luxembourg — Luxembourg City, Vianden
π Monaco — Monte Carlo
π Montenegro — Kotor
π Netherlands — Amsterdam
π New Zealand — Christchurch, Queenstown
π Norway — Oslo
π Panama — Panama City, Playa Venao, Santa Catalina
π Poland — Krakow, OΕwiΔcim, Zakopane
π Portugal — Amarante, BelΓ©m, Cascais, Douro Valley, FΓ‘tima, Lisbon, NazarΓ©, Γbidos, PinhΔo, Porto, Sintra
π Slovakia — Bratislava
π Slovenia — Bled, Ljubljana
π South Korea — Busan, Seoul
π Spain — Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, San SebastiΓ‘n
π Sweden — Stockholm
π Switzerland –– Basel, Geneva, Grindelwald, Interlaken, Mels, Schwyz, Zurich
π United Kingdom — London
π United States — Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming
Travel Resources
If you’re wondering how to travel efficiently and what I like to use to plan my trips, be sure to check out my favorite travel resources here!
And if you have any questions about my lifestyle, traveling, or just want to say hello, please reach out to me!
π₯ Or you can check out my travel-focused YouTube channel and connect with me there! Regardless, I promise I don’t bite! π
Anyway, I hope this has given you a bit of insight into who I am, and I look forward to connecting in the future! Until then, I wish you Happy Travels!
Cheers,
Kristin