How do I want to introduce myself? That’s such a tough question! And as someone who likes to ramble, I could probably go on for days. So the easiest answer? My name is Allison, and I’m a 30-something millennial based in Philadelphia. I’m obsessed with my cats, a good cup of coffee, reading, from-scratch baking, Philly sports, and of course travel!
A Little Backstory
I spent the first 23 years of my life living in south central Pennsylvania. After college, my husband and I moved to Oklahoma City for his first job. We didn’t even last a year! And so began over a decade of moves. First came Syracuse, where we got married after 10 years together. Then a stint in the New York City metro with a different apartment every year. And finally we thought it was a good idea to move to Philadelphia during the summer of 2020, the height of COVID.
Learning, researching, and writing have always been things I’ve excelled at. To the point where no one realized I was possibly AuDHD until I was an adult! I took those skills to Penn State, where I received a Broadcast Journalism degree. Unfortunately by my senior year I realized interviewing people and being comfortable on camera was not really my forte. And as it turns out, journalism just wasn’t for me. But apparently neither were the other things I tried over the years: retail, portrait photography, home and auto insurance, and corporate B2B marketing.
In 2021 I hit my breaking point. Overwhelmed, burnt out, and lacking direction, I quit my job and started what I thought would be a 6 month sabbatical. It’s since turned into a permanent exit from the corporate world and led me to where I am now – writing a travel blog!
Starting Something New
Now I’ll admit, trying something new as an anxious perfectionist with ADHD is impossibly hard. My office is full of various projects I’ve started and then subsequently abandoned when I didn’t immediately succeed. I have an entire storage shelf full of empty wine bottles, ceramic coasters, and Cricut supplies just ASKING to be used. Then there’s the added pressure of a super supportive husband bearing the entire financial load. Feeling like I need to succeed, both for myself and his faith in me, has been stressful to say the least.
When I had the idea to start this blog, I figured it’d be easy. Just have to jot some ideas down, add a bunch of photos, and viola! What I thought would be a quick turnaround turned into weeks of write then delete, loss of motivation, and analysis paralysis. But finally something just clicked in my brain: you can’t live your life catering to the fear of “what if”. “What if people hate it?” or “What if its too repetitive?” As cheesy as it sounds, you’ll never know until you try!
Do all of the things that scare you, because life is just too short to doubt yourself.
My Goals for this Blog
I won’t lie and say I don’t hope to make this a real ‘job’ that makes me money at some point. But even if that never comes to pass, at least I’ll get some great memories out of it! My main goals for this blog are:
1. To commit all of the amazing trips I’ve taken, meals I’ve eaten, and experiences I’ve had to memory. My brain unfortunately likes to hold onto the most random things (like lyrics to songs I haven’t heard in years, or random facts about otters), while letting important memories fade.
2. To help other people make the best of their future trips. I’ve been told I’m a chronic over-planner, but I don’t see it that way. All the pre-trip research I do really seems to make a difference in how much I (and others) enjoy trips!
Whether you are interested in full itineraries from trips abroad, or an in-depth review of a restaurant a bit closer to home, you’ve come to the right place!
Thanks for taking this journey with me.