About Me

I’ve escaped New York — though it does call me back occasionally. After a lovely childhood in Albany and four years studying and working in Brooklyn, I called quits on conventional and bought a one way ticket out of the country. I’ve since celebrated my one-year, two-year, and three-year travelversaries and with no end date in sight, I still feel like I’m on the ride of my life. There’s no end date, no itinerary, and no real backup plan. Just adventure, adrenaline, and a lifetime of globe-trotting daydreams to fulfill.

Along the way I indulge my passions for photography, design, scuba diving, and squealing over small animals.

WHY WANDERLAND?

I’ve spent most of my life fighting an incurable case of wanderlust. Now that I’ve found a way, at least for now, to make my life centered around travel, I feel like I am Alex in Wanderland. Not to mention, I was a pretty big fan of a certain book and movie character who had a penchant for chasing crazy characters down rabbit holes…

From 13

…to 23!

SOME BACKGROUND…

I started blogging to document my two month trip to Southeast Asia the summer of 2009. I cried the night before I left; terrified of eating dinner alone, getting lost in the airport, and having my camera stolen. That summer I fell head-over-flip-flops in love with the adrenaline of travel, realized there were people out there truly living this nomadic lifestyle that I thought only existed in my head, and discovered that the aimless yearning and restlessness I had been feeling for years was suddenly quieted and peaceful. I had loved every one of my previous trips abroad, but this one was different. I returned to New York determined to build a life of travel.

The next two years were a blur of art supplies, plane tickets, and juggling jobs as I finished up my fine arts degree. In 2011 I left New York to travel full time and have not had a permanent address since. In my early travel days I worked as a bartender and a babysitter, handed out flyers for three dollars an hour and returned cans for five cent deposits. Whatever it took to stay on the road! (By the way, here are some inspiring stories of how other travelers have found work abroad.) Want to see more of my work? Check out my portfolio page. Want to know where I’ve been? Check out my destinations page. Want to know something else? Check out my FAQ page!