The Next Decade of Adventures

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Hello strangers! If you’re a friend, family member, or former subscriber, thanks for checking back in on my travels. If you are new to my page, that makes two of us ha ha! As you can see, it’s been three years since my last blog entry, an awfully long time to go without writing. Those years were not without adventures, though some of them a bit more internal than international, if you follow my rhetoric. Personal ups and downs aside, let me catch you up to speed since my last entry.

I returned to the U.S. early summer 2016 after working as a divemaster in Thailand. I spent some time at home with family before departing on a road trip with my partner at the time. We began in Boston and zig-zagged our way down the coast from New York to New Orleans and cruised onward through Austin to San Diego. In California, life threw me a curveball, and from there I meandered solo up to Portland, Oregon. I stopped in Spokane to visit friends before beginning my cathartic cruise through Idaho, Montana and South Dakota. I said hello to Chicago and buzzed through the Midwest and the deceivingly long state on Pennsylvania to return home to MA. The year continued with celebrations as my sister, Taylor, got married, so I spent the fall near her in VT.

My travels in 2017 stayed a little closer to home, with frequent trips around New England to hike, bike, and canoe. There was also a second excursion to New Orleans, a city that deserved more than the one night I had previously spent there to explore. My friend Michelle and I couchsurfed with locals, savored bags of steamed crawfish, danced to the blues on bourbon street, and accidentally crashed a music video production. I fell in love with this grungy but soulful city and it remains my favorite in the US. The fall brought even bigger celebrations with birth of my niece, Aurora. I moved up to VT semi-permanently to be closer to my sister and her little angel!

2018 was a tough one. I loved the quality time spent with my family and the proximity to trees and mountains, being landlocked got the best of me and I threw myself hard into work (supervising a brew pub and restaurant in Stowe). I did squeeze in a jaunt to Quebec and Montreal, as well as a getaway to Atlanta. My friend Meghan lives and works in the city and seized the opportunity to explore museums, antique shops, and local street art with me. Renewed by the experience, I started making big plans for 2019, and, boy, what a year it has been!

In May I moved to California, making the 3000 miles journey in my reliable Subaru Outback. I visited family in PA, new and old friends in Indiana and Missouri and then was joined by my boyfriend, Will, in Denver. We rolled downhill from the ice-capped Rocky Mountains to the sunny beaches of San Diego. So far it’s been an exciting new chapter! I spent the summer working as a divemaster in La Jolla, navigating through kelp forests and blowing bubbles with sea lions. I also managed to squeeze in trips to Joshua Tree, Albuquerque, and Ensenada, Mexico along the way.

The most significant change this year, however, was celebrating my 30th birthday in September. Reflecting on three decades worth of life, I am humbled and amazed by how much of this planet I’ve been fortunate enough to roam. I’ve been to (or at least through) all 48 of the contiguous United States, visited 21 countries and territories outside of the U.S., and set foot on 4 of the 7 continents (and as of 3 days ago, I reached my 5th! Details to follow). This coming-of-age has focused my perspective, and I’m looking at life more intentionally, hyper-aware of the dwindling timeline of my journey on Earth.

New decade means new motivation and new goals! I visited 20 countries in my 20’s, think I can do 30 in my 30’s? I have my work cut out for me, and that’s why I’m finishing out the year with my first trip overseas since my last blog post. Get ready for the upcoming saga: Egypt 2019.

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more SOON

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Comments

[Home and Away]

We have missed you!!!
Thanks for the update, and welcome back. We await your blog(s) about Egypt!

[Kristins Adventures in Wanderland]

I’ve missed you too!
So glad to hear from you, thanks for the love. Amazing Egypt stories coming soon :)

[Home and Away]

Thanks for the update...
I love your goal of 30 countries in your 30s. I can't wait to read your blogs!