Inspiring travel one pin at a time.

Runaway Bride: Life After Calling Off My Wedding

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It’s been almost a year now and time has given me the gift of perspective as I reflect back on my decision to not walk down the aisle. Like the calm after a storm, the dust has settled and today this 27 year old runaway bride has chased her dreams of travel writing from Colombia to France.

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A Traveler’s Love Letter

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  Sometimes words fail me at a time like this when emotions are simply too blinding to be contained by mere syllables. You have lit up my life like a shooting star that dazzles the darkest of nights and holds all the promise and whimsy of the world. I have traveled throughout South America, kayaked with… [Read More]

The Friends we Have (and Lose) in our Twenties

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In your twenties you watch as a parade of friends cross the stage of your life in a brilliant display of meaningful friendships, short lived encounters and superficial acquaintances. It’s been said that our twenties are the most formative years we’ll experience for it is only in our twenties do we truly grow and learn who we are and what we want out of life. All of a sudden friendships become less about quantity over quality, and surrounding yourself with people who make your life better becomes paramount.

The Stigma of Being a Traveler

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Recently, the folks at College Humor released a new video of what it’s like to have one of those friends who seem to have a bottomless bank account and an unwavering sense of wanderlust. Admittedly, the video got me thinking about what it means to be a traveler (as well as hoping my friends never see me coming off as airy and flippant like the cartoon-ish girl in this clip).

2014: A Year in Review

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With the promise of a New Year ahead, let me take a moment to look back and count my blessings from 2014. From the places I’ve traveled, the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had it has been a year of growth. As I sit here reflecting on the past 12 months, let me think back to when I set out to start The Pin the Map Project.

The Wings of a Dream

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In this make believe world of our own making, this love we share is warm and innocent, wide-eyed and whimsical, impervious to the trials and tribulations life can so often toss in the way of new love. My need to protect this love is how I imagine a parent must feel when holding their newborn in their arms for the very first time. That same awe-inspiring adoration, that same unwavering and unyielding love and that same inherent desire to keep something so pure and so beautiful safe and protected.

Confessions of a Runaway Bride

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  When I imagined myself getting married, ironically, I pictured that ending scene in “Runaway Bride” when Julia Roberts walks through the grassy field towards Richard Gere. With her hair blowing effortlessly in the wind; the fall foliage vibrant against her ivory gown and her off-the-shoulder dress trailing behind her she finally strides up to… [Read More]

In the Pursuit of Happiness

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A wonderful man recently unveiled these mind-shattering concepts to me that have left me at both inspired and pondering the word “happiness.” As most travelers can attest to, we are quick to chalk up unhappiness to “post-vacation blues” and to attribute our happiness to the “high of wanderlust.”

When Roots Meet Wings

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  The house I grew up in had a brick ledge that marked the entrance to my parent’s flower garden. I could climb to the top of this ledge, high above the vibrant red roses and black and yellow bumblebees and watch as life unfolded in our quiet, suburban neighborhood outside Chicago. Most afternoons would find… [Read More]

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