Hello! I’m Melissa and welcome to my blog. If you love to travel and explore new places, or just like hearing about my experiences, this blog is for you! I hope to inspire you to get out of the house and live your dreams. I’m by no means a blogging professional, but I’ve loved to travel and plan trips for years, and I love to share my expertise with others.

Ever since I started traveling, I’ve loved to journal about my trips and share pictures with friends and family. But then I started thinking “what if I could share my adventures with others and inspire them to get out and see the world?” I’ve used other blogs for years to help me plan my trips, and thought I could join in on the action.

I am not a professional traveler or blogger. I’m a full-time mechanical engineer at a consulting firm based in Atlanta, GA. But traveling is what keeps me excited! Planning a trip gives me something to look forward to and put my job and life into perspective.

I grew up going on family trips in the US and a few Caribbean cruises, so I always knew I loved to explore new places. However, I’d say my passion for travel really began when I studied abroad in New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji in the spring of 2013. Living in foreign countries for three months helped me realize that there are so many cultures that weren’t even a blip on my radar before. My passion grew when I got to experience these cultures first hand.

To me, experiencing a culture means trying an exotic food you may have never been exposed to before, standing where historical battles took place, immersing yourself in another language, or seeing religious traditions unfold before you.

So far, I’ve been to 29 countries and counting! I’m excited to visit even more new places this year. Join me in my adventures and let me help you to plan your next trip! I’d love to hear your thoughts and welcome questions and comments on any of my posts.

Check out how I plan my trips here.

Follow me on Instagram @youngwayfarer to see my travels real-time!

Learn more about me!