ABOUT

I’ve been keeping a diary of my adventures abroad ever since my first trip 15 years ago. As a lady who likes to travel and who is not of unlimited means, I’ve filled a library of notebooks with pages of research on how to travel safely and how to travel well on a budget. These notebooks also contain my diaries: personal reflections on the places I’ve been, the people I’ve met and the lessons I’ve learned, sprinkled with inspirational quotes, recipes, and contact information for new friends I’ve met along the way.

It wasn’t until I was looking at my notes before a recent trip to Guatemala that I realized how much valuable information I’ve collected over the years. Then I started to wonder if others might find the information valuable, too.

So here it is! Travel-Wise Pixie. My own little corner of the internet. It’s a work in progress that will never be finished, one that will grow with me on each new adventure out in the open where I can share my research and lessons with others.

If this sounds like your kind of adventure, follow me on Pinterest to stay in the loop on new blog posts and travel diaries.

I’m looking forward to sharing my adventures with you!

Renee | June 2024

Follow me on Pinterest

about renee

I’m a writer. I love to document my experiences and then give them life through story-telling. I’ve kept a travel diary of (almost!) every trip I’ve ever taken. I love exploring my thoughts and feelings about the people I’m visiting and their monuments to history, culture and religion. When I’m not writing I’m taking notes, making lists and snapping photos.

I’m a traveller. I love getting on a plane and then watching as the world below changes over long hours of travel (accompanied, of course, by in-flight movies and adult beverages!). I live for hitting the open road and watching the scenery roll by for long hours, stopping to visit little shops full of local foods and wares, wondering about the people who live there and whether they still find magic at home the way their visitors do. When I’m not travelling I’m planning, scheming and manifesting my next trip.

Most of all, I’m curious. I’ll spend weeks (sometimes months!) researching culture, recent events, history, points of interest, beaches, and activities for my next trip. I’ll take history books with me to read where the history was made. I make a point of meeting the locals and fellow travellers to learn about their cultures and interests.

I’m also a silver-linings kind of person. I have a gift for seeing the good in (almost) any bad situation. It’s a perspective that I’ve come to learn is rare, and that has come in handy on many occasions while travelling!

Finally, I’m an amateur gardener, quilter, baker, artist, and entrepreneur who loves to learn. And what I’ve learned about myself on my journey to creating this travel blog is that I love doing web design! I’m taking it as a cheeky reminder from the Universe that I can still learn something new and potentially life-changing about myself right here at home during the in-between moments when I’m not travelling.

about travel-wise pixie

Around a decade ago I started sharing snippets from my travel diaries on my private Facebook page. They got a lot of great engagement from friends online and at in-person social gatherings. It made me curious about whether I could someday become a travel blogger.

Fast forward to a few years later when the pandemic hit. Many of us were sent home to work, and I quickly realised that I much prefer working from the quiet of my home. I’m more productive, I have less anxiety, and I can lay in the sun in my bikini at lunch. What’s not to love? And, as I’m sure many others did: I became curious about how I might continue to work from home after the pandemic was over. From there it wasn’t much of a stretch to start dreaming about being a digital nomad.

So I put my curiosity to work and learned all I could about how to become a travel blogger. With the help of many (many!) online tutorials, webinars, podcasts, blogs, newsletters and YouTube videos I figured out how to build my own website, how to create content, where to find my audience online, and how to make money from a travel blog. I’ve posted links to my co-inspirators (as I call them) in the blog resources section on my resources page.

how i plan to stay on the road

There’s this little thing called affiliate marketing that’s quietly helping people like me to pursue their dreams without being all sales-y about it.

Sprinkled throughout my blog you’ll find links for travel insurance, booking sites for accommodation and travel, and some of my top recommended packing essentials. None of this is sponsored. Instead, anytime you buy something using my link, I get a small commission at no cost to you. If you choose to support the site in this way:

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you!

Your support will make it possible for me to take more trips and (eventually) become a true digital nomad.

I’m looking forward to sharing this journey with you!

Renee | June 2024