My first international trip happened right after my senior year of high school and there was no looking back. I had the travel bug bad. I studied abroad in college and even married a Brit. My first job at a high tech company sent me to trade shows around the country, a memorable event in France and across Canada for several years. Travel has always been in my blood and part of what I do.

After having kids, my opportunities for travel changed. We moved across country, so all of a sudden visiting family took on a greater importance. The obligatory trips to Disney happened, of course, and the joy in watching my kids have those experiences for the first time made them all worth while. We still even had the international trips back to the UK, but those were filled with severe family constraints that made them much less adventurous – and sometimes less enjoyable – than they could have been.

In 2011, I took my first trip to Iceland for work and it was as if something woke up inside of me. I NEEDED this. The adventure of travel. Going to a new place for the first time. Feeling slightly uncomfortable in a situation where you might not speak the language or eat the local food. Discovering something wonderful where you are visiting – and I’ll be honest, for me, it usually has to do with food. All of those feelings tapped into my authentic self in a way that many other hobbies or interests never could.

Since that trip, travel has become a much higher priority in my life. As a family we have agreed that giving our kids the experience of travel is far more important than “stuff” we could give them. We have also taken a few of those trips that we always talked about doing “one day”. As great as they have been, they are expensive and it’s not something we can realistically do on a regular basis.

In the last year I have done a lot of soul searching, and while I’ve always known it, travel is one of the things that makes me feel the most alive. I relish those moments so intensely that I decided that I was going to try and capture them where ever I could. Traveling for work to a city I’ve been to many times? Meet a friend for dinner. Taking my son to a soccer tournament? Let’s find the best local restaurant for breakfast. Traveling to a new city for a conference? Stay an extra day to explore.

It’s been amazing to see the difference those changes have made in my life. The thrill and adventure of travel is coursing through my veins. I’ve been lucky to have some truly amazing experiences presented to me in the last six months, but I also firmly believe my openness to finding travel adventure wherever it may be has made a big difference.

I want this blog to convey that excitement, and maybe, give you some ideas on how you can find that sense of exploration in your own life. Thanks for joining me on this journey.