Hi! I’m Rachel.
About Me
Hi, I’m Rachel. I’m a traveler at heart (but also a homebody!), a geographer by training (PhD in Geography from UW Madison), and someone who sees and appreciates beauty even in unexpected places. I speak French, am learning Spanish, and when pressed, can call up some of the Italian and Vietnamese I learned in college. I learn the words for “hello” and “thank you” everywhere I go. I love good food and wine.
I feel at home in Europe and I love the moments of uncertainty and excitement that come when landing in a less visited part of the world. As a chatty extrovert, I get a lot of value in being able to talk with people in places I visit. Sometimes, though, I also enjoy the freedom that comes when I can’t understand anything being said around me. It opens me up to other senses and ways of experiencing the world.
I’m a former study abroad coordinator and a person who likes structure and organization. While I’ve happily learned to let go of some of my need for structure and clarity on my own travels, especially in less visited parts of the world, those things are front and center in my work with clients. I love working with people to help them create a wonderful trip, whether a short weekend getaway or the trip of a lifetime. I want the trips my clients and I design together to fit them. I listen to their priorities and hopes and how they describe their travel style, but I also go beyond their words to try to understand the essence of what they want their trip to be. Sometimes that means pushing back when I worry they’re trying to do too much or encouraging them to consider experiences beyond a location’s typical “must see” spots. The world is big and beautiful and complex and while I want my clients to marvel at the main sites, I also love for them to have time away from the crowds to wonder at the unexpected.
Travel Style
I love boutique hotels, restaurants and bars favored by locals, unique walking tours, food and drink experiences, and unexpected gems. When I travel, bigger isn’t usually better. While “must sees” are on lists for a reason, there’s always much more to a place than a Top 5 list. I enjoy a mix of the expected and the unusual – while also having down time to sit and savor a cup of coffee or a glass of wine in a café and watch the world go by.
I’ve been to many of the world’s most visited spots and some of its least visited. In the former, I usually want my creature comforts and I definitely look for a certain level of service. In the latter, I’m happy to let the local culture and circumstances guide my choices. Worthwhile travel requires adaptation and respect for local communities.
Photographing the World Around Me
Taking pictures makes me happy. I’m not a photographer. I don’t spend much time planning my shots. I mostly don’t use a “proper” camera. Just me and my iPhone. I take a lot of obvious photos. Why would I avoid that amazing elephant shot when on safari or that majestic waterfall coursing down the Bali basalt? But I also look for moments of beauty or interest in places other people might overlook. The color contrasts at a little stall selling ice cream along the Mekong River. The grand river herself at a boat dock at sunset. The communal maize grinding wheel in a small town in El Salvador.
In many of my photos, if you look closely, you definitely see the rough edges of life or little “imperfections.” But in the photos I capture, I try to show beauty because no matter how or where we live, or our wealth, or not, there’s dignity and people take pride in their spaces. And speaking of people, you’ll notice that there aren’t many of them in my photos. That’s intentional. I respect people’s privacy. Taking photos of people can be othering. And, frankly, nobody wants some stranger shooting a photo of them while they’re just going about their life. I certainly wouldn’t!
I hope you enjoy the photos on this website. They’re all from my own travels. I took the vast majority of them, though my husband and kind strangers deserve thanks for a few of them. The photos bring me joy and fond memories of the wonderful places I’ve visited.
