A self-proclaimed jet setter from an early age, it’s still baffling to me why traveling makes me so anxious. Yet, I’ve come to accept the fact that I’m just a nervous person…right down to my core. I worry. With an unwelcome, overactive imagination, it’s not uncommon for me to ruminate on every possible scenario that might unfold along my travels. If it could happen, I’ll think of it. So, I try to plan for it.

I’ve had many amazing adventures throughout my lifetime, and the actual list of disasters is relatively short. Given this imbalance that thankfully leans toward the positive, I make a determined effort to keep my irrational thoughts in check. My daughter, the career flight attendant, is quite a lovely reminder that there’s likely an adventurer gene in my DNA that I’ve passed along to her, giving me slightly more confidence each time I embark on a journey to a new place.

Before I was even a year old, I flew aboard my first transatlantic flight from Detroit, MI to Athens, Greece, and now at 45 I’m starting my first travel blog. With 11 countries already checked off my list (including Greece, Spain, Morocco, and the Dominican Republic), I’m about to add 4 more in the next 8 months. It seems like a good time to begin logging my adventures.

Spending my early childhood summers in rural villages on the island of Evia, Greece, I’ve become the kind of traveler that hunts for the local treasures of a community. If I can experience the genuine character of a place, that essence will stay with me forever. An example: Competing with the local restaurateurs for the best pineapple and lychee fruit at a Kapa’a farmers’ market on the island of Kaua’i so my daughters could make the most exquisite breakfast smoothie. Another example: Daniel Loyo, a local of San Jose del Cabo, who picked us up at our resort in his own car, showed us the hidden gems of the city he grew up in, and helped us celebrate my husband’s birthday with a Mariachi serenade and a cake he ordered in advance at the authentic Mexican restaurant he took us to for dinner. These are the aspects of traveling that I cherish, and ultimately outweigh all the scary things.

A lover of both international and domestic travel, as well as an experienced US road tripper, my hope is to give you an honest glimpse into how someone as uptight, cautious, and nervous as I am can get so much joy out of traveling. Come along with me…