Welcome to the Chaos: Travel, Bad Decisions, and Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me.

So, apparently I have a blog now.

Was this part of some carefully crafted five year plan? Absolutely not.

But somewhere between working a regular job, becoming a travel advisor, planning other people’s vacations, planning my own vacations, taking approximately 700 pictures of the same sunset, and repeatedly saying, “You know what I should do…” I decided the internet needed one more person talking about travel.

You’re welcome.

In all seriousness, welcome. I’m Jessica, and this little corner of the internet is where my love of travel, planning, storytelling, and occasionally making things more complicated than they need to be have all come together.

I created this website partly for my travel business, but I didn’t want it to feel like one giant advertisement asking you to book a vacation with me every six seconds. I wanted a place where I could actually talk about travel; the good parts, the disappointing parts, what was worth the money, what absolutely was not, and all the tiny things you usually don’t find out until you’re already standing somewhere confused and Googling furiously.

So, What Are We Doing Here?

A little bit of everything, honestly.

You’ll find travel tips, trip recaps, cruise reviews, hotel reviews, packing advice, things I wish I had known before going somewhere, and probably a few stories about things that did not go according to plan.

Because that’s travel.

Sometimes you’re standing on a beach with a drink in your hand thinking, “This is the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Other times, you’re tired, hungry, your husband has wandered off (as mine likes to do), your phone is at 12%, and you’re trying to figure out why the shuttle you were absolutely certain existed apparently does not.

Both stories belong here.

I’ll also be sharing the things I learn from being a travel advisor. Not the boring fine print version, you know, the useful stuff. The little details that can save you money, save you time, or save you from realizing three days before your trip that you forgot something extremely important.

Since You’re Already Here, Let Me Give You Something Useful

Here are a few things I’ve learned from traveling and planning travel:

Take a picture of your important documents. Keep a secure digital copy of your passport, ID, travel insurance information, and important confirmation numbers somewhere you can access them if the originals are lost.

Do not assume “I’ll remember that.” You will not (trust me).Screenshot the confirmation number. Save the address. Write down where you parked. Your vacation brain cannot be trusted.

Build breathing room into your trip. You do not need to schedule every second of every day. Some of the best parts of traveling happen when you have enough time to wander, change your mind, or stop somewhere you didn’t plan.

Read the bad reviews, not just the good ones. A hundred people saying a hotel is “amazing!” tells me very little. Three people complaining about the exact same issue? Now I’m paying attention.

And please, for the love of all things holy, check your passport expiration date before you start planning an international trip. Not the week before. Not while packing. Now. Go look at it. I’ll wait.

What Comes Next?

This blog is going to grow as I do.

Some posts will be helpful. Some will be personal. Some will probably be a full breakdown of a trip with every detail I wish I had known beforehand. There will be cruises, destinations, reviews, planning tips, mistakes, food ( I’m very food driven), adventures, and whatever else happens along the way.

And because my husband is joining me for the vlogging side of this adventure, there is also a very real possibility that some of our travel chaos will exist on video.

I apologize in advance.

My goal is simple: I want this to be the kind of place I would actually want to find before a trip. Not perfectly polished. Not pretending every vacation is flawless. Just useful information, real experiences, and hopefully a few stories that make you laugh.

So welcome to the blog.

I have no idea exactly where this is going yet, but considering this is a travel website, that feels strangely appropriate.

See you on the next adventure!