From mathematical economics major to full-time travel blogger and photographer

I went to college for Mathematical Economics.

Truthfully, I started as an Engineering Major at Virginia Tech but then transferred before my junior year to Wake Forest and graduated with a Mathematical Economics degree.

My family and I at my college graduation.

I changed majors three different times before I settled on that one so it should have been clear that I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

The one thing I DID know is that I wanted to travel. About a month after I graduated college, I left for a five-week trip to Europe through what was then EF College Break. Now they are EF Ultimate Break and that was their Ultimate Europe trip.

I debated starting a travel blog at that time as a way to keep up with my memories. I had come across blogging when I was searching for “ways to make money online” being the frugal college student that I was.

I decided against it though because I knew that blogging was hard work and I figured it would be just as good to keep my memories the old-fashioned way – in a handwritten journal.

Post-Graduation

I returned from Europe a changed woman (cliché anyone?) and knew I wanted travel to be a big part of my life. However, two days after returning home I started working at the electrical engineering firm where I interned at and worked part-time through college.

I only got two weeks of vacation so I became the queen of the weekend getaway. At this point, I was dating Tyler (who is now my husband) and we traveled all over North Carolina and the East Coast as much as possible.

Man and woman rafting the Nantahala River.
One of my favorite photos of us going down the Nantahala River.

Two years after I got back from Europe, Tyler and I had gotten married and I was getting bored at my engineering job. I thought about blogging again. I had the extra time outside of work and it seemed like something interesting to do.

I told myself if I could stick with it as a hobby for a year, then I would try and turn it into a business to make some side income.

That was in the summer of 2019.

Fast-forward a year and we all know what was happening in the spring of 2020.

But with the hope that travel would return eventually, I decided to use the downtime to really focus on building my blog and finding ways to monetize.

Various things happened at work and I won’t bore you with the details, but I decided that it was time for me to move on. I tried to hand in my notice in the Fall of 2020 but they talked me into staying on for 30 hours a week for six months.

Then in March of 2021, I went part-time at the engineering firm and was working 20 hours a week there and the rest of the time I spent blogging.

I was so nervous about completely leaving my safety net that I stayed part-time until February of 2022. That’s when I made the leap to focus on blogging full-time.

God has truly blessed me beyond belief and I thank him every day. Starting my own business has grown my faith more than anything else I’ve experienced.

Stuck On The Go Now

So that’s how I ended up here.

These days I write about (mostly) small towns in the southern US and beyond, outdoor adventures, and food & drink. It’s really come full circle in my life because I grew up in North Carolina traveling the southern states with my family.

When I was a kid we did a lot of camping and my dad loved theme parks so we made lots of trips to Dollywood and Busch Gardens.

I try to pack my guides full of practical tips on things you should “know before you go” to a destination. When writing my itineraries, I try to keep people with a typical 9 – 5 in mind so many of them are three days long. Perfect for weekends!

You’ll also find lots of foodies guides to the best restaurants, cafés, and wineries or breweries. If you like to eat then we can be friends.

In addition to destination guides and itineraries, I also write about my outdoor adventures so hiking, camping, whitewater rafting, kayaking, and snowboarding.

I also write about theme parks because it’s my site and I can do what I want. 🤷‍♀️ If I was a good blogger, I would niche down but alas, I’m a rebel.

If these are topics you love and after reading this, you think we would get along then head over to Instagram or Facebook and follow me there. I also have Twitter and TikTok if that’s more your jam.

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