About Me

Hey! I’m Ashley. I love to travel and believe in living a life worth writing about.

Here’s my story: I grew up in Michigan, then headed straight to Chicago for college.

And at the age of 21, three weeks after graduation, I called it quits on normal and moved to Paris.

In France, I spent a year working as an au pair, eating a criminal amount of cheese, and learning everything I could about French wine.

Since then, I’ve crammed as much travel as possible into my twenties. So far, I’ve lived abroad three times (Argentina, France, and Uganda) and have traveled to 45 countries, 15 of them solo.

How to use this site

This site is geared towards travelers who love adventure and culture travel, and who are willing to splurge on a chic Airbnb on occasion.

This site is for you if you:

• Have an independent streak – you’re not super into guides or tours
• Want to live like a local – you would never eat every meal at the hotel!
• Like to have fun – you’re into festivals, adventure travel, and generally having a good time
• You like food!

Here are some resources that will (hopefully) help you plan your travels:

• Check out my Destinations page to see all of the places I’ve traveled.
• Check out my Travel Resources page to see how I plan my trips.
• Check out my Travel Gear page to all my travel essentials.
• Check out my Living Abroad Series to read interviews with expat women who live all over the world.

My opinion? Even if you go somewhere “touristy” (um Paris, hi), you can still have a unique, like-a-local experience. I like to say I specialize in cultural travel, as I’m super passionate about history, food, and culture.

P.S. If there’s travel information you think I should add to the site, feel free to send me a blog post request!

My travel philosophy

To me, people are the most interesting part of travel. I like to think I travel a little bit like an anthropologist; I like to observe people and learn about how they eat, talk, and live their day-to-day lives.

I also love adventure travel. To date, I’ve learned how to scuba dive in Thailand, hiked the Himalayas, walked the Camino de Santiago, walked Hadrian’s Wall in England, and gone canyoning in Vietnam.

Though I’ve had more than my fair share of adventures, I’m really not that brave. I struggle with anxiety and I’m kind of a scaredy-cat. (I freak out if someone even mentions a rat.)

But despite that, I’ve been able to do some amazing things.

Some of my favorite adventures have been:

• Motorcycling 300 miles across Vietnam
• Learning how to scuba-dive in Thailand
• Backpacking Southeast Asia for 4 months
• Attending Carnevale in Venice
• Doing my Yoga Teacher Training in India
• Backpacking the Himalayas
• Road-tripping around Iceland
• Hiking solo in the Dolomites
• Attending Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany
• Walking 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago in Spain

Some of my least favorite travel experiences have been:

• Getting food poisoning many times while traveling (I see you, India!)
• Getting flashed in France
• Getting pickpocketed in Argentina
• Getting a third-degree burn from a motorcycle in Uganda
• Flying Frontier to Vegas on Labor Day Weekend

A little (more) about me…

The great loves of my life are food, languages, travel, and writing. Since childhood, I’ve been a massive reader, which I think is what led me to travel. (You can see my favorite books here!) I’m kind of obsessed with Korean skincare and I’m not a fan of margarine, billboards, or Ryanair customer service.

I was born on July 21, the same day as Hemingway. I’d like to think this isn’t a coincidence.

Despite my suburban upbringing, I’m definitely a city girl– so far I have lived in Chicago, Paris, Buenos Aires, Denver, Boulder, and Kampala, Uganda. Currently, I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I’m attending grad school at the University of Michigan.

I like going on really, really long walks. To date, I’ve walked the Camino de Santiago and Hadrian’s Wall, which is a 2,000-year-old Roman wall in Northern England.

I speak Spanish and French fluently due to studying abroad in both Spain and Argentina and living in France for a year. I used to know some Portuguese and when I’m really tired you can hear my Michigan accent.

Since starting my blog in 2012, it’s been featured Buzzfeed, Forbes, National Geographic, Expedia, USA Today, Glamour, and more. I’ve also made some of my closest friends. It’s been a crazy ride!

If you want to know more, check out my FAQ page.

Thanks for reading! :)