Hello! My name is Christine Amorose Merrill, and this is my slice of the internet to talk travel, lifestyle and twenty- and thirty-something struggles.

After graduating with a degree in journalism in 2009, I backpacked solo through Western Europe for five weeks and then got a job in high-tech PR in Silicon Valley. I had never studied abroad in college, and realized that it was only going to get harder to travel as I got older and more entrenched in my life: so I quit my job to study French in Nice, France. And that’s when I decided to start a blog!

Since then, I’ve backpacked solo through Europe and Southeast Asia, worked in Australia, road tripped across the USA, and spent five years exploring New York City. I’ve always worked full-time in addition to blogging and traveling, and I try to balance adventuring in my own backyard with international travel.

I currently live in San Diego with my husband, daughter and two pugs, and work in sales. Occasionally, I contribute words, photos and Instagram Stories to publications like Afar, Conde Nast Traveler and Passion Passport.

One of my twenty-something goals was to spend every birthday in a different country. I celebrated 21 in Las Vegas, 22 in France, 23 in Australia, 24 in Croatia, 25 in Iceland, 26 in Turkey, 27 in Curacao, 28 in Aruba, 29 in Denmark, 30 in Slovenia and 31 in Belize.

Thanks so much for reading. I’m so glad you’re here!