Growing up, I’d sprawl out on a blanket in my grandmother’s front yard, happily listening as she whisked me around the world with her words. As a European history professor at the University of Texas at Austin, she made places like the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Anne Frank’s house, and the Louvre feel as close as the next street over.

Somewhere between those stories and the grass stains, wanderlust took root. That’s when my lifelong motto was born: I don’t need to have it all—I just want to see it all.

At the tender (and slightly reckless) age of 16, I graduated high school early and promptly headed off to Europe—solo. My dad was a machinist at Eastman Kodak, which meant I had access to free test rolls of film, so naturally I became the family travel photographer.

Somewhere between starting my own agency at 21, growing it to over 200 employees, and raising four children (no small feat), I accidentally discovered a love for copywriting. The business carried me well into my late forties, but writing became my creative escape. I started turning my travels into blogs and journal entries—pairing words with photos—and sharing them with friends who seemed happy to come along for the ride, at least from their couches.

Europe was my first love, but wanderlust matures. Scuba diving later in life turned my gaze toward Asia and the quiet poetry beneath the sea… with marine life moving like you’re watching a ballet. South America revealed itself in rare cultures with vast Andean horizons and Patagonian landscapes. And now Africa—wild, soulful Africa—has claimed my heart. It seems my adventures, like my travels, are always rising to the next level of adventure.