Perhaps not the most glamorous topic to kick off a travel blog with. Yet as I plan my first solo journey to the other side of the world, I oscillate between terror and pee-your-pants excitement.

Some Things People Are Afraid Of

My mom is afraid I will be kidnapped and never heard from again.Β I’m afraid I will have to eat dinner in a restaurant by myself. You know that scene in Forgetting Sarah Marshall where the main character asks for a table for one and the horrified host asks if he wants a magazine? Because he’s worried that the guy will be bored? That’s my biggest fear. On planet earth. Well, after sharks.

My dad is afraid I’ll lose my camera. I’m afraid I won’t be able to upload pictures once I’m away and this entire blog will be a fail.

My sister is afraid Thailand is a third world country where electricity is scarce and machetes are required to cut through the rainforest. (Cue eyeroll.) I’m afraid of never making it off the tourist trail and experiencing the real Thailand.

Tucker is afraid without me there to nag everyone about his weight he will become even more obese and unhealthy.

Oh wait. That’s me.

Tucker

Some Things I Will Miss

My baby sister’s graduation

My mom’s birthday

My computer

Burger King

This guy

TuckerI’d bring him along, but he’s not so fond of Thai food

Southeast Asia, here I come!

3-devide-lines
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20 Comments...
  • Elena
    August 4 2015

    oh so that’s how a very first post looks like…I want to start a travel blog myself and I came across yours and then fell in love with it :)) couple days later, here I am, digging in your archive… if I may ask, what tips would you give for starting a travel blog? thank in advance, keep doing what you’re doing, you’re an inspiration for me!

    • Alex
      August 5 2015

      Hey Elana! You certainly did some digging πŸ™‚ Have you checked out my obsessions page? I linked to all the resources I used to get started in blogging — might be helpful!

  • julie
    August 8 2015

    I’ve been reading for a few months now and I like your blog so much, I’ve decided to read from the beginning lol.

    • Alex
      August 10 2015

      Ha, I love to hear that Julie! Enjoy!

  • Janice Stringer
    August 13 2015

    I too decided to take a look. πŸ™‚

    • Alex
      August 14 2015

      Haha, maybe I need to go back and clean up old posts!

  • Thia
    November 30 2015

    I’ve been following your blog for a while now and I love how welcoming your posts are, they’re warm and funny and brave and I love reading each post – it’s like hearing from an dear friend and so I decided to start from the beginning

    • Alex
      December 1 2015

      So happy to hear that, Thia! I hope you enjoy working your way through the archives πŸ™‚ There are a lot of them!

  • Courtney
    January 17 2016

    I found your blog through a Facebook ad, I’m guessing because I follow Kristin’s Camels and Chocolate blog (I was on Semester at Sea with her sister Kari) and decided to come back and read from the beginning. It has quickly become one of my favorites for new destination ideas! Thanks for all the great posts!

    • Alex
      January 17 2016

      Hey Courtney! I LOVE Kristin (and Kari) and you’ll see Kristin pop up quite a bit around here! Thanks for your kind words and hope you keep reading!

  • Rob
    March 19 2016

    Hi Alex
    Wow I love this site,I first found your site in my research for Machu Picchu and and Then I couldn’t believe that you actually replied to my comment you must spend your day replying to strangest comments on your blogs
    I say blogs, but up to last week I didn’t really know what a blog was but I must say that I totally get it as I sit here drinking my scotch reading/writing this
    Any way I then read about your love of Thailand and I totally resonated with it about 8 out of 10 of them
    But what really sealed the deal for me was today when I read about your hatred of sea food ( me to ) so I am starting at this point and reading on,with may be he odd comment or not but one thing is for certain is that I’m going to enjoy the ride you have been on and your travels still yet to come

    Thank you for sharing them

    Sorry for the bad grammar/spelling

    • Alex
      March 21 2016

      Hey Rob! I do indeed spend a lot of time responding to comments πŸ™‚ So happy to hear you will be along for the ride! Thank you so much for joining me!

  • Cate
    April 18 2016

    Hi Alex! I am a loyal reader and have been since December 2015. When I first stubled across your blog, I was apprehensive. (Then again, I’m apprehensive about all travel blogs) But after a little casual exploring, I fell in love. And finally, after all these months of reading your old posts and jumping with excitement at every new one that pops up in my inbox, you have given me the courage to begin my own travel blog. I am only 13, and I do have bigger life changes right in front of me (A.K.A high school) and definitely cannot travel full time. My time has come though. I’m taking the leap like you did in this very firs tpost many years ago! Thank you alex!

    • Alex
      April 27 2016

      Aw, thanks for all your kind words Cate! I always love hearing from you in the comments! Enjoy the leap…

  • Steph
    September 18 2016

    I’ve read your blog in reverse order during my hours at work when I’m waiting for customers to leave the pool and actually come and see me. Thank you for providing me with such an enjoyable read to kill time and thank you for providing me with so much food for thought for future travelling. It’s amazing to see your travels from day one and also see how your blog writing has progressed. I love reading your blog!

    • Alex
      September 22 2016

      Hey Steph! This comment gave me a big smile… thank you so much for reading all the way through! I’m honored to have hung out with you at work πŸ™‚ And thanks for coming along on my travels. Hope you’ll continue to join me!

  • Sophie
    October 9 2017

    Hey Alex ,

    So I was googling Wonderfruit for dec 2017 and then there was you! I had major blog crush, I have always wanted to write a blog but I have never been sure how to start, and then there is all the over whelming things like computer codes and blah blah … But this was your beginning and I love it! Thank you for your stories, for your adventures and also for the encouragement that festivals in Thailand also wear glitter on their faces . I cant wait to be a human disco ball!

    • Alex
      October 9 2017

      Ah, I’m SOOOOO jealous you’re going to Wonderfruit! I’ve been playing with the idea of going back again but not sure it will fit in. I loved it so much! Please have the best time and wear ALL the glitter.

  • Nicole Jackson
    April 4 2019

    Ahhh I love this. I’m really glad that you kept your first post up, and have archives of every post since then! I’m starting a blog and am EXTREMELY stuck on what my first post should be. Like up to my chin in honey kind of stuck… but going back into your archives is giving me some hope. My first post doesn’t need to be perfect. I just need to start writing! You are such an engaging writer/storyteller, and out of all the travel blogs out there, I keep coming back to yours for inspiration and motivation to kick my ass into gear with this new blog. Of course there has to be SEO involved, but I really appreciate how you stay true to yourself and your style of blogging. There’s so much cookie cutter ‘influencer’ blogs out there, but they lack the substance that you bring. Thank youuuuu for keeping it real.

    • Alex
      April 9 2019

      Haha, I have laughed at this post many times over the years πŸ™‚ I would never delete an old one though — I love looking back and seeing how I’ve grown and how far I’ve come! Your kind words gave me SUCH a boost this morning, thank you for that! <3

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