Have you ever read an article written by someone who’s traveling the world with just a backpack and no itinerary?
So cool...
Ok, but when you read those articles, do you think to yourself:
BECAUSE I DO.
Hey, I’m Cindi - a California native, UCLA graduate, entrepreneur, writer, wife, mother, and grandmother. Definitely NOT someone you’d describe as a seasoned traveler, but I’ve had a travelers’ mindset for years.
Maybe like a lot of people, my goal is to see as much as I can - whenever and wherever I can see it. That includes day trips, weekend trips, local restaurants, art, and history museums, sprinkled into all the far-flung travel I can finagle.
Then I need to come back home - to my life, to my house, to my bed - to recharge for the next adventure
Here’s the thing...when I take a big trip, I don’t freak out about planning everything down to the tiniest detail. I just DO NOT obsess over travel planning because I like spontaneity (and, frankly, it likes me).
But...I will take my sweet time picking out where I’m going to stay, because, you know - good beds are essential. Quality Bathrooms. Blow dryer plugs.
I aim for a Five Star experience on a 3.5 Star budget for all my trips. (Yes, I’d like to spend a boatload of money when I travel -- and maybe that’ll happen someday… LOTTERY!)
The absolute KEY to my travel philosophy? I check my bag.
It makes me feel thinner once I’ve dumped it at the ticket counter and I hear “Off we go - into the wild blue yonder,” playing in my head.
(I’m not opposed to carry-on only per se, but those trips always end up with a bad bathroom stall story in them.)
So, if you like to check your bags, bring your blow dryer, pack a little more just-in-case, AND stress less about what’s supposed to be a good time - follow along! Join me as I talk about my travel adventures near and far - warts and all. Because sometimes it works - and sometimes I end up with a great story to tell.
My Traveling Past
Aside from a few dashes across the border into Baja California as a UCLA undergrad, my first trip outside the US was to Fiji in 1983. I was twenty-six at the time and another eight years would pass before another big travel opportunity came up.
Since then, I’ve made a few stops across Europe and hit many tropical islands, but my bucket list is still longer than the list of places I’ve visited. (I’ll keep working on it.)
In between all of that, I’ve traveled the United States, diving deep into the four corners, hopscotching the Midwest and the Southwest, and even cruising the inside passage of Alaska.
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area for years, I’ve taken countless visitors on insider tours from Silicon Valley to the hills of The City (aka San Francisco). Now I’m living in Sacramento, with quick access to Lake Tahoe and a few lesser-known wine regions that give the Napa and Sonoma Valleys a run for their money.
In case you didn’t realize it, you can do a lot of ‘traveling’ right in your own hometown. So get out there and find stuff - then tell me about it! I may be coming your way sometime soon and insider tips are the best!
Until then, safe travels!
