Welcome! First Things First…
Hey friends,
Welcome! I’m Christina, the self-proclaimed Travel Gypsy. Thus far I’ve traveled to 30 countries, 38 states, and 2 US territories. I’m still actively adding to the list and can’t wait to post when I’ve made it country #40!
I can’t believe the time is finally here - my first blog! This has been 2 years in the making so forgive me as I’m pretty giddy right now. I’m currently enjoying the sound of ocean waves crashing on the rocks in Puerto Rico and I have a silly feeling that’s been the secret recipe all along - inspiration and motivation via the sounds of the ocean.
First things first, a little about me -
I’m a native Houstonian, born and raised. I’ve lived in 5 states but Houston is home until I work up the courage to pack up my things and move to another country.
My travel journey technically began when I was 8 or 9. We used to go on annual family vacations to the Caribbean and England but our vacations were halted around the time I began high school and started running track and cross country year round.
Our travel may have gone on a hiatus, but I had already been bitten by the travel bug and was left with an itch I couldn’t scratch.
Actually, that’s not true. I kept scratching at it with small road trips here and there, but just like a welt, the urge to travel grew larger and larger. It wasn’t until 2016 that I found my calamine lotion, in the form of a remote, 100% travel position with a SaaS company. (Kudos to you if you followed my analogy!)
In October 2016, I completely rearranged my entire life in the 15 days following accepting the job offer. I placed my townhome in Atlanta back on the market, though I had just purchased it 13 months prior. Moved most of my belongings into a nearby storage unit with no idea as to when I would be back to pick them up. Rented a car and drove to Florida to drop my dog off with a friend. Flew back to Atlanta on a Friday. Drove to Houston Saturday morning to drop off my car and a few clothing-filled totes, then flew to Salt Lake City Sunday night to begin 9 weeks of training for my new job. I went from staring out the window of my lifeless office, to catching aerial views of various cities every week for the next four years.
In May 2017 I flew to Spain and Morocco on a $450 2-in-1 flight deal with a group of over 60 young professionals. It was this trip that made me realize my life would never be the same. I couldn’t go back to a life without international travel. Later that year I visited France, Mexico and Cuba. I’ve since upped my travel average to roughly 5-8 countries a year, with some of my favorite trips being the Galápagos Islands, Peru, Egypt, Cuba and Honduras.
I consider myself to be an “affordable traveler” - a nice midpoint between budget and luxury. I seldomly pay more than $400 for a flight to one country, though I definitely make exceptions! I sprint in the opposite direction when I hear “all-inclusive”, as I’m more of an airbnb/vrbo/boutique hotel gal.
I’m also an intentional cultural traveler. I don’t believe in spending money and time to fly to another country just to hang out at the hotel. Most of my trips involve cultural experiences - such as the one time I visited an indigenous village in the middle of the rainforest in Panama or spent a half day in Soweto with a local, learning of the history of the township or visited a shantytown in Lima, volunteering at the local soup kitchen.
As I’ve shared my travels privately and publicly over the past few years, I’ve come to understand the various misconceptions surrounding international travel - one of which is that international travel is expensive. In finding myself frequently proving to people that the vast majority of my international trips have been significantly cheaper than my domestic vacations, I found the need to add a candid conversation component, in the form of a blog, to Travel Gypsy.
My hope is that this platform will provide you with information that you may/may not know such as how to book a flight deal, the best (and cheapest) time to fly, how to maximize your time off, tips for traveling solo, how to create a dope itinerary, tips for traveling with a carry on only and so much more!
If you’ve made it this far, thank you! I hope you continue to embark on this journey with me for however long it may take us!
Talk soon!