I’m Jill, and I’ll admit, I’ve started and abandoned a few websites in my long life. No guarantees this will stick, either. The most immediate goal for this launch is to share my upcoming trip to Poland with friends and family outside of my locked down Facebook account. 

I love to travel. I’d make it my full-time gig if I could. I took a 25 year-ish break between my first solo trip to Europe as a 19 year old and the last trip I took (to Paris, in 2024) because, life. I was broke, and there was school and work and adulting to do. 

I’m a history nerd and I love finding esoteric things to see that would be unlikely to inspire a profitable tour guide business. My absolute love for research has translated into a weirdly obsessed approach to preparing for a trip. I start putting together a travel agenda months in advance. I like to schedule myself down to the minute so I don’t risk missing anything, and I know this is strange. If you ever find yourself wondering, “Does anyone actually plan trips like this?”—the answer is yes. Yes, I do.

Here’s a real life example: When I visited Paris last year, I fell into a rabbit hole learning about Nazi art looting. The French have an amazing online resource where you can look up art in the MNR collection and find exactly where it is on display. I made a spreadsheet before I visited the Louvre. It has 100 entries of artworks on display, their gallery location, and the story of their provenance where I could find it. It took days and days and days. If you want a copy because that sounds like your jam, too, I’m happy to share. 

The thing is, if you obsess about your trip before you go, you basically get to travel the entire time you’re planning. I was in Paris for 6 months before I even hit the ground. I think my way is the right way. 

So, this blog is going to be random and probably a bit strange. It’s informed by my interests, which right now are learning how to use a camera and latching onto wherever my friend is going and grafting off her for travel opportunities. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag (because who doesn’t need a slightly obsessive bucket list?)