Like many people, I lived by the saying “work, save, travel, and repeat”. I graduated college and moved to England to live with my husband right away just to find out that I couldn’t use my degree over here and would have to start completely over. That was out of the question! I started working right away. I would scrape together as much money as I could working 40 hours a week at a minimum wage job that I absolutely hated. Each paycheck would literally go towards the next trip! It worked for me, and I am incredibly grateful that I was able to travel to a new place once, sometimes twice a month, but I wanted something more than that. I also didn’t want to be unhappy at a job just for it to get my plane ticket and then have to go back and do it again. Thats when I started to look more into getting a career in the travel industry. I started to think and realized that no job that had nothing to do with my passion of travel would allow me the freedom to take as many trips as I would like. Finally, March 2020, I made the best decision of my life…I started my own travel business. I can now travel the world freely without working for someone else and only getting 28 travel days a year, if I’m lucky!

If this is something you’ve also been looking for in life, let me help you! Escape that 9-5 corporate world that you hate! You too can live the dream life that we all deserve!

Oh, the City of Love, as they call it. Of course, when people hear of Paris, they instantly picture the famous Eiffel Tower, but there is so much more to this beautiful city than one single monument. The culture, locals, picturesque architecture and the food make this city so much more!

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Paris was the first place I desired to go when I finally got the chance to travel Europe, and I finally made that happen. It was the first city I visited in Europe and it was everything I had hoped for and more. We went for 3-days and spent New Year’s there.  It was by far one of the best places to spend New Year’s Eve. I don’t regret the considerable number of macarons, croissants and other delicate desserts I had during my stay there.

I’m sure you’ve heard the myth that the people in Paris “hate” Americans, if you don’t speak French than you’re at a loss, and the city is dirty. What I wonder is how many of those people who have told you that have actually been to the city? What large city doesn’t have a part that may be considered “dirty” or a part where you don’t want to be alone at in the middle of the night? How many of those people actually tried to spark a conversation with a local? The locals in Paris speak French. It is France after all, so of course they are going to speak what is more than likely their first language, as we would in America. As a tourist, it is our job to understand and respect that. Every local we encountered was friendly and about 90% of them were able to speak/understand English. Those that couldn’t understand or speak it were pretty friendly and were able to guide us to someone that could, so this really isn’t an issue at least from our experience.

With this being our first foreign country visited together, we were a little hesitant at first on how to approach the locals. However, one thing we found that we still continue to do today when in a foreign country is to right away say “Hello” and they instantly know you speak English. Not only is it friendly, but it helps everyone and there is usually no confusion or that awkward “uhhhh, I don’t know what you’re saying” moment. (If you’ve travelled to a foreign country, you know what I’m talking about).

Where to stay

Now, one question we get from people is “where do you stay?” “how did you afford it?”. Like most cities, everything in the heart of the city tends to be way more expensive because of the convenience. We actually did not stay in the heart. We stayed in a Mercure hotel outside of the city on the southeastern side, but it was conveniently right next to the train station, which took you directly to the city center! This saved us a lot of money in the long run. I always suggest to people when going to Paris or any big city to look at hotels on the outside of the city. There are many different train stations in Paris that run 24/7, so you won’t have to worry about how you’re going to get to all the main attractions. Paris metro tickets are roughly 2 euro for a single ticket, making this one of the cheapest ways to get around.

Where to eat

As I stated above with the hotels, same thing applies to resteraunts. Anything that is near a main attraction, i.e. the Eiffel tower, is going to cost you a pretty penny. We learned that the hard way in Paris. With it being New Year’s Eve, we wanted to enjoy a nice meal and drink while being able to see the Eiffel Tower. We found one literally directly a crossed the street, and little did we know, the prices of drinks were doubled due to the fact that it was New Year’s Eve. We got one small appetizer, two main dishes and each got ONE drink each. A pretty normal order I would say. We were shocked to find out it came to 220 Euro. Luckily the food was good. It definitely put a damper on our mood that evening but we didn’t fret about it for too long.

There were a lot of great resteraunts we ate at while in Paris that did NOT come to this price. In fact, that was the only one we had an issue with. Everything else was amazing. My advice would be to simply look at the menu before going in! Most resteraunts have their menu right outside on the window. (this one did not, which should have been a red flag to us).

There is simply so much to see and do in Paris and we are definitely hoping to go back. There were some things I wanted to do that we just didn’t get to, due to how busy it was around this time. We are really hoping to see the Catacombs and actually go into the Louvre Museum. If you plan on doing this, definitely book your tickets online before you get there, and maybe even consider the fast-pass. Just showing up to the Louvre without a ticket could cost you 4 hours of your time standing in line. This we did not know!

I definitely recommend Paris to everyone! If you’ve been on the fence about going, do it. Like every city you go to, there’s going to be parts you don’t want to be in. Overall, you won’t be disappointed in this remarkable city.

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It’s been a while since I have written anything. I’ve had writers block like crazy. Every time I think I have something to write about, I can’t keep it going. Those that know me, know that I am super OCD so for me, if I can’t have a story that is organized or going anywhere, then I have to start completely over. The purpose of my blog is to not only inspire myself, but to inspire others and so for this one, I want to talk about what’s really been going on in my mind lately. I know that if its going on in my head, it may be going on in someone else head too.Ever since I’ve really started traveling (Europe, currently), I’m really starting to question my long-term career goals.

I went to school and graduated to become a dental hygienist. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love dental hygiene and I definitely don’t regret going to school for it. I met amazing people along the way, some of those people being my life-long friends, earned my degree in an amazing career field and learned so many incredible things along the way. However, the more I’ve traveled to new places, the less I see dental hygiene in my future. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “Do what you love, love what you do”, and I can honestly say that nothing has ever made me feel the way I do when I travel. Not dental hygiene, no material things, no wealth, nothing. And that is why I am stuck. I have this amazing degree, but can’t say it has ever made me feel the feeling I get when I arrive in a new country. It’s not the same thrill.

For me, its not about the money. Before, I might have thought that I needed to have a job, like dental hygiene, that is a very well paying job. However, as I become a more experienced traveler, its not about the money, its about the experience and the way it makes me feel. But what job will really allow me to travel? Is there a job that allows me to “Do what I love?”

With many jobs, it’s not that easy to just take time off every month or more to travel. Dental Hygiene especially, will not make my love for traveling easy. I think I may just be in a mid-life crisis, perhaps, but I am still young and there is plenty of time to figure it out. What I do know, is that I will not stop doing what I love for any sort of wealth. If it just so happens to work out that I can do both, then my problem may be solved.

I hope that I can inspire anyone who is stuck and unsure on what to do in their lives and have them ask themselves this question: “What is it that makes me truly happy?”. The first thing that pops into your head when you ask that question is really what you should consider getting your career in, and even better if you do it before you go to school for something else.

Why you really should travel while you’re “young and able”.

I’m sure you’ve almost certainly heard the saying “travel while you’re young and able” and how you shouldn’t worry about the money, as money can be made later and the experiences are far more valuable than money ever will be, right? While this is completely true, I want to dive a little deeper into this topic and why I believe it’s important that you travel young.

First, let me give you a little bit of background on a story about my grandma. Ever since I was a little girl, my grandma always talked about how she dreamed of going to one place-Ireland. Her ancestors were all from Ireland and her mother used to tell her all about how beautiful the place was, all about the history there, and how lovely the people were. It was the only place she ever wanted to go. I remember her talking about Ireland with so much passion. She could talk all day about if you let her. She didn’t care to go anywhere else, she just wanted to make it to Ireland and see all the places her mother had told her about.

June of 2019, I helped make her dream a reality. We took the trip to Ireland! I’d never seen her so happy when we finally bought the tickets! At age 72, she was finally getting to see the one place she had dreamt of going all her life. (Look how happy she is)

The one thing I observed, aside from how happy she was to finally SEE Ireland, was how exhausted she got. This trip required a ton of walking. She’s 72 years old, so this was pretty difficult for her to do. She is also pretty healthy, so that wasn’t the issue. There were points in the day where she didn’t really even want to do anything else because of how tired she was and I could see how sad this made her but there was really nothing she could do about it. Seeing this really hits you in the feels. I know if she had made it here 50 years ago, she could have enjoyed herself a lot more. At the conclusion of the trip, she had said how grateful she was that she was finally able to step foot in Ireland, but she doesn’t think she could travel internationally ever again.

So, that’s brings me to this-why exactly are you waiting to travel? What are you waiting for? I know a lot of people think they need to wait until retirement, but you have no idea what state of health you’re going to be in. How much energy are you going to have after retirement? You have absolutely NO IDEA what the future holds. You can’t predict who is going to be there 50 years down the road to share that experience with. That is why I think it is so important to get out there now, while you’re young and “able” as they say. I never quite understood what that “able” part meant, but seeing it personally really opened my eyes.

If you have dreamt about taking a trip somewhere, I am urging you to do it NOW. Make that dream a reality while you can. It’s either now or maybe later. You can make your money back, but you absolutely cannot go back in time. The experience you are dreaming of will be so much easier to make NOW.

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself “Why am I not traveling?”. What is stopping you from taking a vacation? Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things that go on in life that may be getting in the way, maybe thats work, school, you have kids in school, etc. But so much that you can’t go on at least one trip a year? If work or school is the reason, what about around the holidays? I have talked to so many people about this and asked what is stopping them from booking a nice vacation and getting away from the stresses of life for a little while and one of the most popular answers I’ve heard was “We don’t have the money” or “It’s too expensive”.

One day, I really stopped and thought “Why am I not traveling?”. I started to compare myself to everyone else around me that was always going on these nice vacations, and it was really starting to mess with my head. “Ill never be able to afford that type of vacation”. But then I really starting looking into it. And soon after that, my life did a 360.

During college, I didn’t go on a vacation during every holiday break like some people in my class. I was one of those people who thought I “couldn’t afford” a vacation. Asking my parents for money was out of the picture, so I would just sit home during the very few breaks I had, and see how much fun everyone else was having on vacation.

Recently though, I really started to do my research, as I have always had a longing to travel. And guess what people, IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BREAK THE BANK!!! Many people have this mindset that if you go on vacation, you’re going to need to set aside a few thousand dollars for a week vacation and that is not the case at all. If you look at the right time and in the right places, you can have an amazing week vacation for under $1000 if you do it the right way.

Most people don’t know this, but plane ticket prices fluctuate daily. Obviously, week days are always cheaper than weekends, so we always try to do a Tuesday-Tuesday if were doing a week vacation. That alone can usually save you $200 a person on the plane tickets-give or take. Fridays and Sundays are usually the most expensive, so if you can help it, try to avoid flying somewhere on those days. Also, you don’t need to fly with the most expensive airline every single time! Especially for short flights! We actually have a 4-day trip to Italy coming and our tickets were about 40 GBP a piece round-trip through RyanAir. This is another great way to not break the bank.

Secondly, one of the things that become the most expensive for people when going on vacation is the hotel! Why? Are you going to be spending your vacation in the hotel room? Not us! So why in the world is this something that is costing you so much? Sorry to break it to you, but you don’t need the penthouse suite for every vacation! Once in a while, yeah, that might be nice. If available, skip the hotel room altogether and check into Airbnb! You get an entire house or apartment for usually half the price of a hotel room. Thats right, an entire kitchen, living room, bathroom and sometimes even a yard! Always make sure you check reviews before booking anything, but Airbnb or Bed and Breakfasts are the way to go if you’re looking to save money and have more for your actual vacation.

Some people like to just have super nice rooms when they go on vacation and thats fine. Its your vacation and you get to choose how you want to spend your money , but personally, we’re big foodies and activity people so we like to have more money to spend on this type of stuff. We hardly spend any time in our hotel room!

Some other things that can cut your cost so you can go on more vacations is looking and booking well in advance. Obviously planes fill up, and the more they do, the higher the price is going to get. Same applies for hotels/airbnbs. If you are going to need parking or transportation (such as to hotel or city from airport), try to get those online as well. They tend to be cheaper than getting them in person. If you plan on doing any activities/excursions, always try to get those tickets online as well!

The list of how you can save money to go on vacations is endless. There is always ways to save money. You don’t need the most expensive room, most expensive airline, and don’t need to eat at 5-star restaurants every day on your vacation! Moral of the story, it doesn’t need to break the bank! You CAN afford a vacation, trust me (:

Stepping foot into a new country. Experiencing a different culture. Feeling the sand of a new beach between your toes. Sipping on a coffee waiting for your next flight. Its a mood. Its a feeling. Its a way of living.

6 year old me would of never thought that I’d be traveling to a new place every month, but here I am, and if I would have known how easy it could be, I would’ve been doing it much sooner.

I can’t explain the feeling that you get when you are packing for a place that you’ve never been to before in a clear enough way that will be easy to understand, but what I can say is that it is the best high anyone can ever imagine. The feeling of knowing your headed somewhere that nobody you know has ever been to, knowing your making memories and experiencing things that you’ll have wonderful stories to tell later down the road makes it that much better. It’s kinda like going somewhere and not knowing what to expect, because you are doing it first, but that is what makes it so thrilling.

Planning the trip is the stressful part. You have absolutely NO IDEA what you’re doing and there are many many questions running through your head. What airport should I go to? Is it a good area? How expensive will it be? Do they have public transportation into the city or will I need to take a cab? Should we stay near the airport or stay in the city? Honestly, when you’re doing this by yourself, all you can rely on is the reviews and your gut. And believe me, it can be stressful.

But what is an adventure without a couple bumps in the road, right? There have been times when we have landed and looked at each other like “what have we done?”, but thats what makes it fun.

Some people don’t agree with this way of living. Some people think you need to wait till retirement to start traveling, but that just isn’t us. I will have to share my thoughts on that mindset in another blog as I have quite a lot to say about that.

22 year old me still has a lot to learn, but I wouldn’t change this “way of living” for anything else in the world.

Hello,

My name is Jen and my husband is Kaleb.

We have been together for almost 8 years now. We are real-life high school sweethearts. We both grew up in the same small town of Greenville, Michigan. We are 22 years old, have traveled all over the US together, visited 11 countries and have many more trips planned.

I just graduated from the University of Michigan (GO BLUE) and Kaleb is in the United States Air Force. After high school, we had to experience what some people could never handle and that is a long-distance relationship. It was definitely a long one-4 years to be exact. From being almost 2000 miles a crossed the country from each other to nearly 7,000 miles on the other side of the globe, we are finally reunited.

Being separated from each other for so long and missing out on the “marriage” part of our relationship has inspired us to travel the world together. I have always had a yearning desire to travel since I was little, as I didn’t have the opportunities or money to before, and so we decided the life we made together would include seeing the world together.

We have decided to make this blog to share our travel experiences and how we do it, as well as to help you and inspire you to get out and see the world too. Some ask how we do it, what are our secrets, and even accuse us of using credit cards for all of our vacations. People have this mindset that if you’re young, just graduated, from a small town and not making six-figures, then it’s impossible to see the world and travel, but we are living proof. All it takes is patience, trust, smart money habits, and not giving into all the newest trends. You don’t need loans, credit cards, or any of that to travel and see the world. We want to help people understand that you can travel to all the places you dream about while your young and able.

Please follow our journey to learn more.