My Travel Story

Below is a timeline of some of the key travel moments in my life that have helped lead me to where I am today. It's a very small glimpse of my story but I hope it's interesting to read!

Spring 2015 (18 years old)

Study Abroad + First Solo Trip

In the spring quarter of my first year of university, I studied abroad in Italy. This was my first time traveling outside of the U.S. and I loved it! I spent the first six weeks living and studying in Rome and sharing an apartment in Campo de' Fiori with five other girls from my school. The second half of my program was spent with an Italian host family in a small village in Calabria. At the end of the quarter, before returning home, I visited Istanbul on what became my first solo trip.

Summer 2015 - Summer 2018 (19-22 Years Old)

Budget Backpacking Adventures

For the next three years, while I finished my Bachelor's degree, I traveled on a backpacker's budget and escaped from school or summer internships whenever I could. During this period of my life, some of the places I visited included: Tanzania, Morocco, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Mexico, and Costa Rica - among others. I would sometimes take finals early in order to have more travel time and even skipped my college graduation because flights were cheaper the week before.

2018 - 2020 (22-24 Years Old)

Discovering the Digital Nomad Life

During my last year of university, I realized I didn't have a 'dream career' in mind like a lot of my peers. All I knew was that I wanted to continue traveling, so in order to do that, I started freelancing and working remotely for a variety of small businesses. I did everything from basic web design to social media management and marketing - whatever I could to make ends meet and maintain freedom of my schedule. I continued to travel this time, experimenting with traveling for longer periods of time than I was previously used to and sharing bits of travel content online.

2020 - 2021 (24-25 Years Old)

Becoming a Content Creator

For a couple of years before 2020, I had been interested in becoming a content creator, but had never put enough time or dedication in it to see results. When the pandemic happened and I had extra time at home, I bought a course about making YouTube videos and decided I was going to apply that knowledge to growing an account of TikTok, posting videos using past clips I'd gathered on my travels. With 0 followers, I set a goal to post every day until I hit 100K followers - no matter how long that took. 6 months later, I hit 100K and 6 months after that, 200K. I was officially a travel content creator.

Summer 2021 - Spring 2024 (25-28 Years Old)

Traveling Full-Time

In the summer of 2021, I ended a 7-year relationship and also decided it was time to try traveling full time (something I'd be thinking about for awhile). I also went full time with content creation and was invited on my first international press trips - aka I was paid to travel! I couldn't believe I was finally living my dream. In the background though, I was slowly burning out creatively and losing track of my 'why.'

Spring 2024 - Spring 2025 (27-28 Years Old)

Living in Paris

Craving a long-term base after years on the road, I decided to move to Paris. I secured a visa that allowed me to live in work in France, I started taking French lessons, and I began renting an apartment. It was a huge change from living out of a backpack and I thrived - at least, initially. I made friends, created a healthy routine for myself, explored every inch of the city, and thoroughly enjoyed my 'Allison in Paris' chapter.

Spring 2025 - Present (28+ Years Old)

The Present

Somewhere into my Paris chapter, I began to feel trapped and craved my old nomadic lifestyle. Living in Paris is expensive and I also became frustrated with French bureaucracy and adjusting to life there. I'm currently traveling full time again and taking this time to figure out what I want next. I know I want a base somewhere, likely in Europe, but I'm not quite sure where yet. It's during this time that I also started hosting women-only group trips! While I love solo traveling - there is something really special about making memories with others. I'm excited for this next chapter and I can't wait to see where we travel to together!