Jennifer's Path

From hiking the Inca Trail to cage diving with Great White sharks off the coast of South Africa, swimming in the Devil’s Pool in Zimbabwe to swilling beer at Oktoberfest in Munich, I have had some amazing travel experiences! But I have only scratched the surface! This year, we have already visited Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina and have a cruise from Italy to Croatia and Greece in August. I am a normal girl with a normal life, but I make time and save money so that I can do this. I want to help you do the same. 

I am a gastrointestinal pathologist and an avid traveler. I was raised in a small town in South Carolina by hard working parents who, while they did not travel, instilled in me a love for people and a thirst for knowledge. My father taught me to love nature, and our safari together in Tanzania was one of the defining trips of my lifetime. My mother has a sunny disposition and a love for life that colored all her actions. She always had a sense of adventure and wonder at the world, which she planted in me. 

I left home at age 17 for college, then medical school. I did not fly until age 25! That flight was from Charlotte, NC to Seattle, WA. I was in the back row and thoroughly enjoyed my chicken and rice with the in flight movie. Little did I know what a significant role that city would play in my life. After my pathology residency in Colorado, I joined the US Navy and was stationed in Bremerton, WA outside of Seattle. It was there that I met my soulmate and partner in crime. He was in the Army, deployed several times during our relationship, then retired after 20 years of service. He came with a bonus- two amazing young boys who are now amazing young men. We have taken many trips with them, and I hope we have ignited in them a desire to travel as well.

After dealing with infertility for years, travel became our consolation prize. In the 10 years since our decision to stop trying to have children and live a life of travel, it has become my passion. I truly feel like I am living my best life and being my authentic self. Embracing my wanderlust is empowering, and it continues to grow with every trip I take. 

After eight trips to Europe, four trips to Africa, five trips to Asia, and one trip to South America, encompassing 41 countries, I have had many experiences and acquired some street smarts. I have traveled on a budget, traveled on points, and enjoyed a bit of luxury. There is a difference between “vacation” and “traveling,” and I have done both. We have diamond status on Royal Caribbean cruise lines, having cruised the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and to Alaska and Asia. I have lounged on beaches and done adventure travel. I have done small group tours, larger group tours, private tours, and planned our own itineraries. I want to share with you planning tips and strategies, stories of adventures we have had, people we have met along the way, and providers we have used. 

Travel of any kind can change the way you think about the world and expand your worldview. I hope to inspire you to take that first step, or that next trip, wherever you are in your travel career. 

I am calling this Jennifer’s Path to play on the words “pathologist” and “path” as in the path we travel. My blog will be called “The Path Report,” and I will find numerous cheesy ways to draw parallels between my two passions in life. I hope you like it!