Hi, My name is Kelsie!

Travel, Adventure, & Lifestyle Blogger currently living in the PNW

Welcome to my blog! Writing has always been my calling and a creative outlet for me to express myself. I started this blog in the hopes that it will help me to develop as a writer and to help break up the monotony of my daily life. This blog is also a way for me to pursue my personal interests and aspirations in life, and I hope to inspire others to make time to pursue their passions and dreams as well. I’m your average daydreamer that works the daily 9-5 grind, as I’m sure many of you can relate to! I hope you’ll follow along as I document my travel, hiking, and fitness journey. Most of all, I hope my stories and tips can help you efficiently plan your future adventures around the world. So far I’ve visited 22 countries as of June 2024! My ultimate goal is to visit 40 countries or more by the time I’m 40, but of course I won’t stop there. I’ll probably travel until I physically can’t anymore!

Now a little more about me: I’m a Pacific Northwest girl and an Island girl all rolled into one! That’s really the best way to describe me and my lifestyle. Let me briefly explain. I was born in Washington but have moved around all over the U.S. and abroad since the age of 7. I moved back to Washington in 2009 and I have been living here ever since! I love Washington and the great outdoors of the PNW. Hiking the incredible trails here is one of my favorite things to do! It’s an awesome way to explore the state and I’m proud to call Washington home. However, I did live on an island for 3 years before moving to Washington (Okinawa, Japan) and it has still been my favorite living experience to date. My goal is to live on an island again one day. I’m fond of traveling to tropical places and absolutely love the island vibes and local people, so while my goal is to travel to practically every country, I do tend to take more trips to tropical/warm places near water. I feel most myself when I’m on an island near the beaches and completely in my element. I’ve never felt more accepted by the people as well than I do whenever I travel to any island whether it’s the Hawaiian Islands, the islands of Southeast Asia, the islands of the Mediterranean, and many more…there’s just something about the lifestyle that is totally me! So this is what I mean when I say I’m both lifestyles all wrapped up in one!

I’m a lover of culture, diversity, food, health & fitness, history, the great outdoors, and off the beaten path adventures and I try to incorporate these themes into my travels. I’m currently a part-time traveler and a full-time worker, and I want to show you how to get the best of both worlds. The comforts of home life while obtaining the thrill and adventure of travel and exploration, whether internationally, in your own country/continent, or locally! Not everyone can quit their jobs or be a digital nomad for many reasons, but we can still find ways to escape, to learn, and to enjoy life if only for a little bit. My travels are generally ranging from budget to moderately priced and I pride myself in doing the heavy research when it comes to every trip or adventure I go on. I am a very detail-oriented person and I love to seek out unique off-the-beaten path locations, lodging, and adventures away from the tourist crowds. I do my best to explore popular places as well though, and you can count on me to ALWAYS give my honest opinion and advice on this blog.

I’m passionate about diversity being a Cambodian American minority myself. I aim to be honest and authentic as I write about my personal experiences traveling as an Asian American woman. I am also a  former Army brat, and when I do travel I try my best to immerse myself with the locals and their lifestyles. We can learn a lot from our fellow human, and that is what traveling is all about to me, learning a new perspective, culture, and way of life. I think my experiences growing up as an Army brat have definitely contributed to my love of travel. I had to constantly adapt to new environments and different people and I was exposed to so many new experiences at a young age up until adulthood. I loved every second of it, even all the difficult parts, because they taught me my most valuable life lessons. I am very fortunate that I was able to learn and appreciate the diversity of our world growing up. It has shaped me into who I am today and has definitely ingrained a desire for travel and new experiences in me. 

Another thing I am very passionate about is health, fitness, and body positivity. I believe that every fitness journey is inspiring, thus you’ll see me keeping myself accountable on my blog and Instagram page sometimes. I know it can also be extremely difficult keeping up a healthy routine when traveling often, so I hope I can motivate you in any way possible! We all can make time to better ourselves whether it is physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. I’ve been on my fitness journey since 2012 and any advice I am able to share to help you on yours would make me more than happy! Additionally, being a mid-sized Southeast Asian woman, I do not have much representation of my body type online and in the media. I hope I can resonate with others online that are looking for that much needed representation in travel, the outdoors, and fitness. 

I promise to always do my best to post interesting, useful, inspiring, and relatable topics for my readers! I hope that my advice, explorations, and stories can help you out on your future travels, hikes, and adventures near and far! Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time,

Kelsie