Hey there!
Thanks so much for stopping by!!
I’m Joannda, the travel obsessed girl behind this blog! (Woman? I mean, when do you actually transition from girl to woman? I might be 37 but I still struggle to think of myself as an adult!)
Up until June 2019, I worked a regular corporate job, and was lucky enough to really like what I did. But, throughout my working career I always worked hard to live life to the fullest and to explore the world whenever I could.
In June 2019 my husband and I made the scary, exciting and HUGE step to quit our jobs in order to go travelling full-time!!!
A number of things led to this decision, not least of all some difficult times for our families with my father in law passing and my own dad being very ill as well.
We realised that life is too short to sit behind a desk your whole life! So we packed all our stuff into a container, rented out our house and headed off to South East Asia for what was *meant* to be an indefinite period of time…
Unfortunately, a certain virus had other ideas and in the end we decided to come home to Ireland to ride out the storm. But, we’re hoping to head off again as soon as we possibly can to continue this adventure.
A Bit More About Me…
I had a pretty amazing childhood, where travel was simply part of life. Our family of five moved from the Netherlands to Norway to New Zealand, spent summers driving around Europe with our Chevy van, caravan and canoe, camping and creating adventures.
No wonder the travel bug is pretty established!
I spent my last year of high school studying abroad in Japan and went back there after University to teach English there for a year.
Now, I’ve finally found a place to truly call home – Ireland!
Our travel style is pretty relaxed once we get going. I usually like to get most things planned out before we go (yes, I’m obsessed with organisation and a bit of a perfectionist in general). We’re definitely the lie on the beach/by the pool with a G&T type of people, with a few fun outings thrown in here and there.
Why this blog?
People often tell me I’m lucky to get to travel so much… And to a point, I agree. But, I firmly believe that you make your own luck.
I’m not from a wealthy family, I didn’t win the lotto, no one is paying for me to travel (yet!)
I work hard in order to do what I love.
Sure, I get it – sometimes life gets in the way, and there are other priorities. Not everyone can do what we do and hop on a plane numerous times a year. But, with a little planning, you’d be amazed what you can manage!
I want to share our stories, and maybe inspire you to see a little more of the world than you have so far. Whether you’re planning a long weekend away or are about to head off on a year of backpacking around the world, I hope to help you with detailed and useful information, tips, suggestions, and recommendations.
Some Fun Facts about me
- I am a sucker for a good power ballad – they make my heart sing! (I also have a tiny secret love for country music)
- I have a black belt in karate (that’s a while ago now though!)
- I am extremely competitive, to the point where I don’t really like board-games because I just get too intense!
- The sun makes me happy (ok, this is probably true for most…)
- I got married twice. In two weeks. To the same person 😉
- I am a chocoholic
- I used to want to become a pilot. It still amazes me that those massive, insanely heavy metal things can fly! The mind boggles! (I had a flying lesson once – it was AMAZING)
- I am a middle child
- I’ve always wanted to write a novel. For now, I’m super excited to blog, but who knows what the future holds 😉
Let’s Talk!
I’d love to hear from you – please feel free to reach out and say hello!
If you’d like to know even more about me, head over to this page where I get a bit more up close and personal!