How it started
My journey into travel began during a rugged off the beaten path family vacation to Costa Rica in my youth. That trip sparked an interest in uncovering stories beyond my immediate surroundings. Even as a child, I'd spin a globe in our living room, and wherever my finger landed, that's where my research would take me next.
A multicultural upbringing shaped that too. Even though we lived in a small suburb of Chicago, our home was full of visitors from around the world. From Nepalese weavers, thanks to my mom's Himalayan textile business, to foreign exchange students, our household was filled with culture. My parents had an affinity for world art, music, cooking and language, and wove all of it into our daily lives.
These days my travels usually involve my Canadian partner in adventure. Whether you're a fellow globetrotter, a curious explorer, or someone looking to slow their travel down, I'm glad to have you along.
Beyond these walls
There is so much to learn, live and understand beyond the walls of our homes. I believe the insight we gain from other people, and from experiences outside our comfort zone, is what helps us grow and see our own lives more clearly.
A balance of adventure paired with self-exploration is what I enjoy making things about. In all of us is a curious, childlike person who wants to learn about the world around them, and about the world inside them.
It probably won't surprise you that I'm also drawn to slow living and the slow food movement. After living in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles I was burnt out on city life and needed somewhere smaller, so I moved to Seattle. It's a major city too, and it has grown since, but it was there that I started gardening, going to farmers markets, and getting to know my neighbours.
Eating gluten free, and travelling anyway
Around 2015 I discovered I needed to cut gluten out entirely. What followed was a long path to feeling confident about it, especially while travelling.
Where You Go, You Are is not a gluten free travel blog. But I think it matters to show people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity that they can still travel and eat well. If that's you, some of what I write is meant for you, and there's a practical guide here.
Some countries are simply easier, where rice and corn are staples. But you might be surprised where celiac is taken seriously. Italy is the clearest example I've found. Restaurants there have separate kitchens and celiac certifications, and I never once felt like I was missing out. I have never had gluten free pizza and pasta like that anywhere else. It's a different experience from the USA, where gluten free is often treated as a diet choice rather than a medical need, and I still have to ask about cross contamination even when something is labelled safe.
Learning to ask for what I need took years. I had to get comfortable speaking up in a restaurant, and comfortable leaving if I didn't feel safe.
The unexpected part is how much it has improved our travel. My partner eats gluten and we now have a favourite vending machine ramen place in Tokyo station, which we only found through a gluten free Japan group. Looking for somewhere safe to eat regularly lands us in less touristy neighbourhoods, or at farm to table places sourcing everything fresh.
I used to get option paralysis choosing restaurants on a trip, and it would take over the holiday. Now the choice is narrower and the whole thing is easier. There's still the occasional meal I sit out, or a rural stretch with nothing workable, which is why there's always a protein snack in my bag. But from pastel de nata in Portugal to poutine in Canada to handmade soba in Japan, we have not missed out.
Thanks for joining me while I work out what it means to be alive on this small slice of Earth, and to keep venturing beyond it.
