Let’s discover the awe in the ordinary

Excited to swap travel stories, share ideas, and plan adventures to find the awe in the ordinary.

Here you’ll find that it’s not always about having the latest gear or raving influencer status, rather shared experiences that help you unlearn what you think ya know about travel.

Julie North in Yauco, Puerto Rico
 
 
 
 
 

Yep, I just circumnavigated the island of Puerto Rico on foot

Within the first couple days of March, I lost 12 months worth of planning, networking, confirming reservations, organizing locally flavored itineraries, and creating connections with potential clients and travel operators. The future had been canceled leaving me with the quietest time my life has ever been. I sobbed on the bathroom floor one night and grieved e-v-e-r-y-thing.

I know there is a rush to get back to “normal,” but in doing so, I think there are some things worth changing: the travel industry is one of them. Now more than ever, I know I have an obligation to make it better through storytelling and encouraging people to meet their own barriers and recognize other perspectives: this is my true North. 

So with that,  as a former sustainability consultant turned travel specialist, I’ve fused my personal interests of travel with responsible and ethical practices to provide my clients with immersive and authentic travel experiences. These might just be the micro adventures of exploring your own community, state, or country and that’s where we find ourselves currently.

In the quiet that followed that first week of March, I researched the roads and trails to walk my own neighborhood and was so inspired that I just keep going. Three hundred and fifty-one miles later, I learned more about myself and the human condition than I ever thought imaginable.

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Follow me on the Instagram @justnorthoftravel

“Travel is not a reward for working, it’s education for living.” -Anthony B. #twolanediaries #caminos #longdistancewalking #puertorico #walkwithlocals #optoutside #adventurewalk #makeyourownadventures #excitedforthefuture
Every. Damn. Day.
⁣ Everyone always talks about what they would tell their younger self. I’ve been reflecting on what I’d tell my 83 year old self.⁣ • It would probably start with a dozen cuss words and a handful of “you were sooooo damn lucky!&
“Don’t live the same year 85 times and call it life.”⁣⁣ -Robin Sharma⁣⁣ •⁣⁣ •⁣⁣ •⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ #twolanediaries⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ #buencamino #buencaminoperegrino #camino #caminos #keepwalkingpuertorico #puertorico #laisladelencanto #lo
Pep talk worked. Here’s hoping to encourage those of you who are maybe feeling a lil uncertain for what the future may hold too. • These words have never rang more true and I feel them in every mitochondria in my body: “It is not th
⁣ ⁣“A bird sitting in a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking because her trust is not on the branch but on her own wings.” -Unknown⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Whew. After the last couple of days it felt like all the branches were breaking and I started
⁣⁣ ⁣ Another great question from a friend and talented artist @duri_rp⁣ How are your feet holding up?⁣ ⁣ I got to FaceTime with Duri the other day and she immediately showed concern for my feet and rightfully so. ⁣ ⁣ Most people don’t walk any
Easy like Sunday morning. #twolanediaries #discoverpuertorico #isladelencanto #sundaymorningview #sundaythoughts #walkingmeditation #onfoot #oceanbreeze #puertoricogram #prlohacemejor
⁣ QUESTION DEL DÍA brought to you by my good friend and solo female traveler (this lady went all around Europe last year, was it? Sans her family) @jake_higdon_77 ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ So, where are you staying?⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ This is a great question because it has de
The travel industry is white, white washed, and white centered. ⁣ •⁣ These women have the gumption to say what I’ve been feeling, but were too afraid to speak up and step out of line as a newbie travel agent.⁣ •⁣ The silence from many
Nearly everyone has asked the following question and I’m pretty sure they’re not talking about a face mask and hand sani, although I brought those along too.⁣ ⁣ So, is it safe? (To walk around a 308 mile island by yourself)⁣ ⁣ Yep. I thin
QUESTION DEL DÍA from fellow traveler @thewanderword⁣ ⁣ 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞?⁣ ⁣ Yes.⁣ ⁣ The island is roughly the size of Connecticut and takes between 6-10 hours (depending on traffic, of course) to drive around the en
 
 

Wanna read my ramblings and have a laugh?

Check out the stories below for some [hopeful] inspiration mixed with some humor and a side of road warrior realness.

Stories
Long-distance walking as a solo female traveler?
Long-distance walking as a solo female traveler?

So, is it safe to walk around a 308-mile island by yourself?⁣, Yep. I think so.⁣
⁣Did I asset risk? Absolutely.⁣
I always keep a couple of things in mind when traveling or walking solo whether here or abroad or anywhere really.⁣

What to pack when you walk an island
What to pack when you walk an island

So, what do you pack when you are doing a long-distance walk? I am walking around the 308-mile island of Puerto Rico, and this is what I am packing in my small bag. Packing for a long-distance walking trip can be tricky, but this has been working for me so far.

I am walking around the island of Puerto Rico
I am walking around the island of Puerto Rico

That’s what I am doing: walking around the 308-mile island of Puerto Rico, on foot, with a small backpack, hoping to inspire people to #optoutside and explore our backyards this summer. In many ways, for many people (myself included), it’s my only feasible travel destination. ⁣

Flipping the Narrative
Flipping the Narrative

“The ultimate souvenir is a broader perspective.” — Rick Steves

Everyone is in the same boat (with this global pandemic), from America to Zambia and it will be us who see this thing through. Cooperation has provided opportunities for us to thrive as a civilization.

It is not about playing a role in society, but rather a defining integral position that provides for us all to keep living. Think about how many people have kept you living this week.

What normalcy will we build to come back to?

You don’t have to be a travel expert
You don’t have to be a travel expert

You don’t have to be a travel expert

I’m not a travel expert. I’m not really an expert in anything, which in all honesty keeps things interesting and rarely boring so I have that going for me. This is what my mode de vie is all about: to make this world a little smaller and to find those people who are willing to tell me their story.

Here are some tips that will make your travel better

Top 5 local restaurants in Denver (still standing)
Top 5 local restaurants in Denver (still standing)

These are the gems that have really stood the test of time and have persevered the city’s rapid development, not to mention the value, ambiance, and location are spot on.  

 
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