A Long Story Short
Hi, my name is Abby! In 2021 I was working at a big 4 public accounting firm and felt like life was passing me by as I was sitting behind a desk. I began spending all of my weekends to go on any outdoors experience I could get my hands on. I was following people on social media doing van life and I was so jealous, until early in 2022 when I thought
Why not me?
I had saved up money by moving back in with my parents during covid so I took a leap of faith and bought a van. My mom and I spent the next 7 months building that van into a tiny house that I loved. In October of 2022 I quit my job and drove across the country. I had no idea this one decision would completely change the trajectory of my life.
I was now on the road ALONE. Although I loved my new life, there was an indescribable loneliness that came from experiencing things by myself. No one to look at and say ‘can you believe that!’, I was constantly chasing new new new to try to escape that feeling. Through this I realized I found a lot of comfort and community in sharing my experiences on the internet.
While technically I was alone, I was now able to bring these experiences to hundreds of thousands of people that may never be able to see it in person, and it made me feel a sense of purpose.
While this didn’t start out as a job for me, I quickly realized that I could make it one if I put the time into it.
My hobby became my job
About a year after sharing my everyday life online I decided that I wanted to find ways to connect with the people following along in person. The best way I could see to do this at the time was by hosting group trips to bucket list destinations. I hosted 2 amazing trips to Alaska where the groups bonded and we were even planning future trips together.
Although I loved the group travel experience I did not like going through an external company and not having very much control over the itineraries, guides, and experiences. For example, although I was hosting women’s trips, on my first trip we had a male guide.
beyond Social media
Juni was born.
While planning my destinations for future group trips, I was becoming more and more disheartened looking at the itineraries. Most travel companies were just outsourcing the guiding to local companies, meaning all of the itineraries were similar, and in my opinion, missing the best destinations.
I started wondering if it was possible to plan my own trips and hire guides that I knew and trusted? The joy I would get from sending people on my favorite trips. The peace of mind I would have knowing the quality of the guides and accommodations was vetted by me. And that brings us here.
In 2026 I am sending you guys on 16 trips to 6 of my favorite destinations in the country. I know the itineraries are good because I have done them. I know the hikes are worth it because I struggled through them. I know the guides are good because they have guided me. So this is about as personal as it could be for me, and that’s what makes it different.