Why I Travel

Would you be shocked to know that I am so grateful I was physically and mentally mangled in a head-on collision car crash when I was at the peak of my career as a medical sales representative? I had been joyously married for 7 years, and my only child was just a sweet, innocent, Power Ranger loving 5-year old?

I am not your typical 20 something traveler flying around the world as a nomad ~ I’m a 40 something, married mom often found flying around the world on solo adventures when I’m not home in Texas. I’ve had the career, raised our son, and am now spending my forties exploring the world! 

I am known to not sugar coat my experiences unless it’s that sweet! I hope to inspire you to travel, whether it’s just a few miles from home or a few thousand miles from home!

hi, i'm stephanie

after exploring all 7 continents I created stephanie's travels to inspire other women to build confidence while finding adventures around the globe..
from modern midlife travel to solo travel & more

It sounds strange to me as well, but in Oct of 2004, I like to say I REALLY learned to live! It was a typical busy autumn Monday; the sky was gray, the roads were wet, and I had a list of things to do that at the time I thought were of the utmost importance. It was the final quarter of the year, so I was in a race to reach sales goals; I was planning to co-host an 80’s party the coming weekend with college friends, and driving a hundred miles round trip in a day selling pharmaceuticals was just part of my routine.
The day that changed everything. 

the day that changed everything..

Enjoying a spring day in Paris with a local

I now have goals for my life much more significant than reaching the next level with a pharmaceutical company, and I feel so blessed to KNOW who I am!


When it all started after some years to get back on my feet (literally) and doing a lot of self-evaluation, I realized I have a HUGE passion for traveling the world to experience different cultures. I love making friends worldwide, becoming a storyteller, and hopefully inspiring others to LIVE THEIR DREAMS NOW! 

I feel I was given the opportunity to see life with rose-colored glasses after that October day and damn it; it is a beautiful world when you get out there! 

I write my blog to inspire others to LIVE life and not let opportunities and moments slip away.  

There was a 33 yr old mother lying deceased in her truck, an unrecognizable coworker sitting next to me, and I was barely clinging to life.
I could write an entire blog post about what the rest of the day was like with med flights, emergency surgeries, etc. I could write a book about what the next several years were like ~ a multitude of surgeries, countless hours of physical therapy to function independently; many tears shed mourning my life as I’d known it prior to that day in October and facing my fears of starting over in a sense. There were many long talks with family, friends, and me about defining WHO I was now.

It was mid-afternoon, while I was driving my work vehicle from home on an empty 4 lane highway in east Texas, going 65 mph/105km. A truck topped the hill doing more than 70mph/112km, hit a puddle of standing water in the road, was thrown into my car head-on, and at that moment, my entire life, all my goals and how I would define myself completely changed.