Hi! I’m Katie, a 39 year-old daughter, sister, friend and corporate professional who had an overwhelming urge to seize the moment and see the world.  And now, I’m revelling in gratitude!

I’ve had a passion for travel ever since I was a child, when my grandparents would take my sister and I on cross-country mobile home road trips.  My grandfather was a patriot and always said that we should know our home first and foremost before we travel on to other countries… so that’s what we did. I grew up in the Northeast, and have traveled up the East Coast and into Canada to see Niagara Falls, across the US to visit the family we had in the mid-West and down to Florida, where I witnessed the most amazing display of fireworks that I have ever seen on the 4th of July at Disney World. By the time I reached college, I studied abroad and lived in Athens in an international house with 23 other students from dozens of other countries for one life-changing year and my world hasn’t been the same ever since.  After college, I took another road trip to California, which has become my home for the past 13 years.  Now, after nearly 15 years of long hours sitting behind a computer, and typically only 2 weeks of vacation time per year, I decided that I needed to re-prioritize my life and listen to my heart.  I have put my work on hold, given up my apartment, downsized my belongings to fit into a 5’ x 10’ storage unit, and hit the road.

This blog will serve as a record of my revelling and my gratitude… celebrating my state of thankfulness for the opportunity, courage, strength and determination to travel around the world solo… contagiously spreading gratitude to all those I encounter, along with optimism, and an open heart and mind.  It will be a testament of sorts to my musings and new discoveries, as well as a portal to beautiful sites, and heartfelt moments that I want to share with my family and friends, and the fellow travelers who I meet on my journey.  It is an attempt to stay connected with all those who have supported, encouraged, and loved me. I will also try to provide resources that have helped me determine how to fund, plan, and start my course.

My grandfather nurtured the passion for travel, exploration, and adventure in me.  Fond recollections of moments shared on our trips still bring me great joy and the echo of his voice in my mind, telling stories, teaching me lessons, and asking me to heed his advice, is the comfort of home that I will carry with me as I venture through foreign lands.  My anticipated journey will last a year, although I reserve the right to make it shorter or longer based on my heart’s desires.  I hope it inspires you to do whatever it is that your heart desires!

If you’d like to hear more about how I decided to travel, and what the plan was, start here.

If you’d like to find out how my original plan changed, and how I’ve managed to stay on the  road for more than 22 months now, check out When the road takes a turn, hug the curve.