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At Travel New Places we prioritize the things that make us feel most alive – travel and spending time in the outdoors.
After graduating from college, I knew what I didn’t want my life to look like.
I knew I did not want to work a nine to five in an office setting. I did not want to be living for the weekend. Overall, I didn’t want to give into societal expectations. So I went home, I worked for nine months saving up as much money as I could, all while figuring out what path I wanted to take in life. A few months into it all, I decided I wanted to be a Park Ranger.
BECOMING A PARK RANGER
I landed my first Park Ranger job in Zion National Park in 2021, eleven months after graduating college. After packing my life up into my Toyota Highlander, I made the long drive from Virginia to Utah to begin my summer season. Working for the national parks, means working seasonally so I have winters off. This also means every winter is a new adventure. My first off season was spent traveling around the United States, learning how to snowboard, and receiving my Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification.
IN 2022 I WORKED AT GLACIER NATIONAL PARK FOR FIVE MONTHS.
My summer in Glacier consisted of working during the week and going on backpacking trips on my weekends. One of the main duties of my job was writing backcountry camping permits. In order to understand the permits I was writing, I got out into the backcountry as much as I could. If I wasn’t backpacking, I’d be discovering a new day hike, planning my next trip, or summiting a peak. This was the summer that taught me everything there was to know about being successful in the wilderness. When my season in Glacier National Park came to an end, I was already forming big winter plans.
MY BOYFRIEND AND I DECIDED TO TAKE WORKING HOLIDAY VISAS IN NEW ZEALAND.
We left for New Zealand in December of 2022 and we traveled around the country for over three months. We lived in a van, house sat for locals, and worked on a vineyard. Our goal was to see as much of New Zealand as we possibly could, and in the process we fell in love with the country.
While traveling can look like a breeze on the outside, we can promise you it’s not as easy as it looks. On our travels in New Zealand, I began to think about all the things we didn’t know, that we wished we had. For starters, what’s the best cell phone coverage to have or how does one buy a van in a foreign country? If only there was a treasure trove of priceless information for travelers like ourselves. There were countless hours spent on our phones looking for the answers and so many mistakes made that could have been avoided – if only we had the knowledge that we now have!
THUS TRAVEL NEW PLACES WAS BORN
Travel New Places is a place for everyone to come together – first time camper and seasoned wandererd alike. This is where I share all of the things I wish I had known when it comes to living out of a van in New Zealand to backpacking for the very first time. If you’re like me, wanting to try new things, but not sure where to start, Travel New Places is the place for you. I’m here to give you the resources you need to plan your next adventure. Whether that trip takes place on a hiking trail, on a beauitful New Zealand beach, or both, we’ve got you covered.