An overview of my travel history and favorite trips:
I’ve been keeping track of my travels in a Notes app for the past few years. Inspired by Taylor Swift’s the Eras Tour, I’m writing them out here — because honestly, I’d want to know my own credentials too.
Childhood Era
Growing up, most of my family trips were visits to relatives, the beach, or nearby cities and states. In my house, we had a love of history, so I have been to many famous battlefields, monuments, and historical exhibitions over the years.
The Liberty Bell? Check.
The Washington Monument? Check.
The Statue of Liberty? Check.
As I grew older, my family took road trips to Canada or flew to visit Florida or California. By the time I entered college, I had visited: Canada, the Bahamas, Scotland, and England. All credit goes to my family, as I did not plan or pay for these trips. Even as a kid, though, I did volunteer to help plan itineraries. Something about the word fascinated me. It all felt very “adult,” and I wanted to peak behind the curtain and turn my ideas into an experience that my family and I could share.
Favorite place: New York, New York & London, England (I’ve now lived in both cities)
College Era
In college, I was fortunate to study abroad in London. My goal was simple: see as much of Europe as possible, because when was I ever going to live there again?
This time, I paid for my own travel, so budgeting was always top of mind. My friends and I relied on budget airlines, buses, and trains to get from the UK to continental Europe. Trips were short and scrappy — hostels, cheap hotels, and Airbnb’s — but we loved it.
I traveled to the cities that I had always dreamed of, starting with Paris and ending with Amsterdam. I also tried solo travel for the first time, taking the Eurostar to Paris on my own. This era is where my love of travel truly took shape.
I realized that I enjoyed wandering museums and palaces just as much alone as I did with friends. We all had different schedules and priorities, and I didn’t want to miss the Parthenon, the Eiffel Tower, or the Vatican just because someone else couldn’t join. So, I decided I would go anyway.
In this era, I visited:
England (London, Bath, the Cotswold’s), France (Paris), Luxembourg (Luxembourg City), Italy (Rome, Pompeii, Amalfi), Vatican City, Spain (Madrid, Barcelona), Greece (Athens), the Netherlands (Amsterdam, The Hague)
Favorite place: Rome, Italy
Backpacking Era
Once I graduated, I entered my backpacking era. I bought a 40L Osprey Backpack, travel insurance through World Packers, and booked two different trips: a 17-day group trip to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, and a six-week solo backpacking trip around Central Europe.
I look back on this time with so much nostalgia — and pride. Vietnam had long held the top spot on my travel bucket list. In college, I explained that I wanted to take a trip to Vietnam. An ex-boyfriend didn’t believe I could travel there alone, didn’t believe that I could do it without him. He smiled and spoke down to me, “don’t worry, I will make this trip happen for us, I loved visiting Vietnam.”
Let me tell you, if you are scared to travel around the world by yourself, do it out of spite.
After I came back from Southeast Asia, I still was not ready to stop traveling. A month later I was back on a plane heading to Poland for six weeks. I traveled south towards Croatia, spending my days visiting museums, seeing the famed architecture of Vienna and Budapest, and making friends at my hostels. Six weeks felt like such a long time when I was booking the trip. After living in London, I was surprised to find that longer solo travel in Europe felt familiar and just as empowering as ever.
In this era, I visited:
Vietnam (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Huế, Hội An, Ho Chi Minh City), Cambodia (Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Angkor Wat), Thailand (Bangkok), South Korea (Seoul – 20-hour layover), Poland (Wrocław, Kraków), Czechia (Prague), Hungary (Budapest), Austria (Vienna, Salzburg), Slovakia (Bratislava), Croatia (Split, Dubrovnik), Portugal (Lisbon, Porto)
Favorite places: Hội An, Vietnam & Lisbon, Portugal
PTO Era
When I started working full-time, travel shifted from something easily accessible to something that required intention and planning. Now, each year is a balance between visiting family and friends and exploring new places.
During this era, I have turned travel into a yearly ritual. At the start of each year, I love creating a travel plan — mapping itineraries, budgets, and researching destinations online and on social media.
I’ve traveled to Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Iceland. Seeing the Northern Lights had been a dream of mine since school. In 2025, I finally took a trip to Reykjavík. Watching the green and blue light appear before me in the sky was unforgettable. It is moments like that, where you get to live out the moments from your bucket list, that keep my love of traveling alive.
I’ve also lived in two cities during this time: New York City and Seattle. When I’m not taking these longer trips, I spend my weekends exploring the places I call home.
In this era, I visited:
Puerto Rico (San Juan), Mexico (Mexico City), Iceland (Reykjavík), Washington (Seattle), Oregon (Portland), California (Long Beach, San Francisco)
Favorite place: Reykjavík, Iceland
I am still in the PTO era, but I think of travel as a passion for myself. I get so much joy from sharing my experiences with others. I hope to inspire everyone to travel and especially hope to inspire women who are curious about solo traveling.
Leave a comment