About Me
Hi! I’m Kimberly
I’m an American travel writer living in Italy, a certified travel advisor with Fora, and a group trip host who believes travel should feel exciting, doable, and deeply meaningful.
For the past eight years, my life abroad has taken me through Poland, South Korea, and now Italy, and along the way, I’ve explored more than 40 countries through solo travel, hiking, and slow, place-based experiences.
Somewhere between navigating train systems, planning hiking routes, and helping friends ask “wait… how did you plan that?” I realized I genuinely love helping people travel with confidence. That passion evolved into professional travel advising, group trips, and the space you’re in now.
Here, you’ll find practical travel guides, thoughtful itineraries, and planning support designed for travelers who want more than a rushed checklist. If you care about depth, intention, and feeling supported every step of the way, you’re in the right place.
How Travel Found Me
Travel has always been part of my story, even before I had words for it.
I grew up in Germany while my dad was stationed there in the 1980s, and some of my earliest memories are road trips across Western Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. It was normal to cross borders, hear different languages, and realize early on that the world was bigger than one place.
After several years abroad, we landed in San Antonio, Texas. My family spent summers camping and hiking in California and visiting the Grand Canyon—simple trips filled with long drives, national parks, and time outside. That chapter ended abruptly after my parents divorced, and I moved back to California with my mom. Travel stopped. Budgets tightened. Life shifted.
But the curiosity never left.
Armed with high school German classes and a TV with bunny ears that worked just well enough, I found escape through PBS—watching Rick Steves and Samantha Brown show the world in a way that felt accessible, human, and hopeful. It wasn’t about luxury. It was about possibility.
As an adult, I spent years in corporate hospitality roles, and even Non-Profit- always knowing I didn’t quite belong there. At the same time, I was deeply involved in the fitness world, teaching Les Mills programs and building community through movement. That season taught me something I still believe to my core: movement heals, community matters, and both can carry you through hard seasons.
Later, through trauma and grief, travel took on a deeper meaning. It became a way to process, to breathe, and to reconnect with myself. I learned that travel, like movement, can be transformative. Not because it fixes everything, but because it gives you space to keep going
Today, I’m a certified travel advisor, a member of the Travel Coach Network, and a group trip host who believes travel should feel supportive, empowering, and real. I know travel is a privilege, and I also know what it feels like to want more while working with limited means. That perspective shapes everything I create here.
Travel is where I’ve always felt most like myself. And it’s where I plan to stay.
Turning Experience Into Words
I’ll be honest,I didn’t start this blog as early as I should have.
I remember sitting in front of my computer in Poland in 2018, brainstorming blog names and convincing myself that no one would read it anyway. So I talked myself out of starting.
What finally changed things was writing.
A friend of mine, Caitlin, who I credit with helping my writing truly blossom, asked me to write an article for a lifestyle magazine in South Korea. It was a three-day itinerary for Taiwan, and the moment I finished it, something clicked. The ideas started flowing. I was already sharing my hiking and travel adventures locally, and suddenly I realized I had more to say than I’d allowed myself to believe.
Not long after, we received assignment orders to Italy. I remember sitting in our hotel room in Korea, going back and forth in my head. Starting this would mean walking away from a full-time job in the nonprofit world. But I also knew I was sitting on years of lived experience, notes, and hard-earned travel knowledge, and I needed to do something with it.
So I started. It wasn’t perfect. It was messy. And I learned as I went.
That’s really the point. You don’t need everything figured out to begin. You just need to start.
Where You’ve Seen Me
I’ve been featured in Stars and Stripes Europe, Military Families Magazine, and United on the ROK, and I’m a proud member of the Travel Coach Network.
Ready to Plan Your Next Trip?
If you’re ready to plan your next adventure, I’m here to help. I’m a certified travel advisor with Fora, offering personalized trip planning, itineraries, and travel support—especially for solo travel and Europe-based trips.
For travel inspiration and behind-the-scenes life abroad, follow along on Instagram. You can also explore my latest blog posts for practical travel guides, itineraries, and planning tips.
Let’s make your next trip feel easy, intentional, and well planned.