Meet Emily

The Basics:

Emily has a love for travel and a knack for navigating sticky situations.

Whether she’s hopelessly lost in Houston (her hometown, #awkward), blindly following her GPS through a Venetian construction site well past midnight, or straight-up lying to a British bus driver about how many tickets she’s holding — she still manages to steer her way to a happy ending with the beauty and grace of Miss United States.

She’s adventurous. She’s hilarious. She’s a Trip.

She’s all about making travel less scary and more accessible for young women. Emily is proudly an expert on working holidays, long-term travel, adult gap years, being an American in Australia, navigating study abroad, and more.

Join in the fun here.

The Backstory:

I’m originally from Katy, Texas, a suburb of Houston. It’s a major metropolitan area, as I spend most of my travels explaining. That’s why I don’t really have a Southern accent (most Texans don’t, anyway!). And I didn’t grow up on a farm or ride horses to school, I promise.

I loved reading growing up. I loved the Roman Empire. I used to dream of time-traveling to ancient Egypt, strolling the streets of London, or seeing Machu Pichu with my very own eyes.

I would even stay up late to watch East Enders every Sunday night on PBS because I was so desperate to hear British accents and see what life was like in the UK (because we all know long-running soap operas are super realistic). But in my world at that time, things like that were not possible. They were too expensive and too far away. They were only dreams.

I also wanted to go to Yale University since I was eight (not because of Rory Gilmore, but because I was a very pretentious third grader who was already reading Jane Austen and understanding none of it), but after spending my high school years working my tail off to get there, I didn’t get in.

It was a great lesson in rejection and redirection. I did, however, land myself at Mount Holyoke College. Or the “Western Massachusetts Marxist Lesbian Indoctrination Camp,” as Tucker Carlson likes to call it. As an undergrad, some work I did was mentioned by Bill Mahr and Rush Limbaugh. They weren’t fans of me, nor I of them, but my dad who watches both was still proud his daughter was kicking up dust.

It’s a 30-hour drive or 4ish-hour plane ride up to school. I’ve always had a “let’s go” mindset, so even at 18 going so far away wasn’t scary. I was thrilled. I went to Boston every chance I could get and took a trip to New York City every semester. I even signed up for a Catholic retreat (I grew up Pentecostal!! lol) so I could tick Vermont off the list.

I majored in English Literature and Ancient Studies (like classics, but more focused on history, art, and politics rather than ancient languages) at school. I really liked Project: Theatre and poking around the art museum.

I had been to Mexican border towns a few times growing up and the summer after my freshman year at Mount Holyoke, had the wild opportunity to help a family I was babysitting for at the time move to Norway. The dad’s oil company paid for everything. That was the turning point for me. Suddenly those far-off lands of my childhood dreams were within reach. I was hooked on travel.

Emily in Italy:

To scratch the travel itch, I did the quintessential thing that all girlies studying at New England liberal arts colleges do: the Junior Year Abroad Program.

I was accepted for a semester at the John Felice Rome Center, an offshoot of Loyola University Chicago. The only thing was I couldn’t afford it. Luckily, Moho gave me a Laurel Fellowship to study abroad  in the spring of my junior year. This scholarship changed the course of my life. After that semester, I knew that as much as I love Texas, it wasn’t where I belonged (at least for now … but I realized this in 2014 and still feel the same way!).

The fellowship gave me enough extra money to travel extensively on the weekends that semester. Morocco! Greece! Türkiye! France! I did it all.

I loved my time at Mount Holyoke and feel like my education and the environment I received it in made me brave enough to live how I live: in the moment, at my own pace, and chasing adventure after adventure.

After graduation, I moved home. I was 22 and found myself stuck in tedious office jobs working 50-60 hours a week while paying off my student debt. I thought, “This can’t be it. I’m too young to be this bored already.” I’m thankful for that season of my life because I became debt-free and have been ever since.

But I promised myself that from then on, I would focus on building a life for myself and not a career. That I would work to make money to do what I want to do, but that my occupation would never be why I wake up in the morning or where I found my worth.

Emily in Australia

So I started applying for jobs abroad. I applied to work at my old study abroad campus, as an international au pair, and even a missionary’s assistant. I kept getting knocked back. It wasn’t my favorite time because I felt really lonely, lost in my life, and stuck.

More rejection and redirection.

But then I had a breakthrough in the working holiday program. At 24, I bought a one-way ticket to Sydney and decided to wing it.

And oh, did it work out!

While there, I had two uniquely Australian jobs to qualify for visa extension privileges. The first was working at a scuba diving company in Cairns and spending my days off diving the Great Barrier Reef, exploring the Daintree Rainforest, and eating lychee on the beach. The second was working at the head office in Sydney for WIRES (a New South Wales wildlife rescue organization) on bushfire relief projects for the billions of critters impacted during the horrendous fires of 2019 and 2020.

I lived in Australia for three years and continue to visit every chance I can get. I’m always so shocked that Americans can participate in the working holiday program at all because we don’t really have something that Aussies can do here.

BUT, it’s my life’s mission to get as many Americans on a plane down under as possible. Whether it’s just for a holiday, or for a gap year of their own.

If you’re feeling a little stuck, or are in the middle of a life transition and don’t know what to do — a working holiday is a great placeholder. You can earn some money, see the world, and make some new friends … all at the same time.

When you disguise growing up as a vacation, it doesn’t seem so bad.

Emily in New Zealand:

After a brief stint at home in Texas, I went down to Aotearoa for 365 days (almost!). The working holiday program ends at 30, so I snuck in right under the wire. I crissed and crossed the north and south islands, saw all the Lord of the Rings filming locations, and even left behind some of my best friend’s ashes in one of the most significant things I’ll ever do.

I had to leave New Zealand a little early because of burnout, but that’s OK. It’s a beautiful place and I can’t wait to be back. I’m just proud of myself for listening to my body (well, mostly my brain in this instance) and giving myself the break it needed.

Emily all over:

These days, I continue to be all over the place. Most of my trips are meeting up with friends I’ve made from my time abroad. Since I’m in my 30s, it’s been a LOT of weddings. Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, India, England, and the list continues to grow. I’m a great guest if you ever need a plus one (and love wedding cake, tbh).

When I’m not on the go, I’m a blogger, freelance writer (about law, real estate, and home design of all things lol), and social media specialist. As in, my screentime on TikTok is like ten hours a day.

I’m happy you’re here 🙂 If you need anything, please let me know.

xoxoxoxo

Faves:

Food: Mexican.

Country: Italy.

Boys: Norwegian (especially those three she saw on a bus in Stavanger in 2012. If you’re reading this Thor 1, 2, and 3…she loves you.)

Type of Joke: Knock Knock.