My First Post

“Don’t adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story.”

The Lord of the Rings

Well, I did it.

I started a travel blog.

Again.

Years ago, when I studied abroad in Copenhagen, I had a travel blog for a writing class. It was a way for me to share my European adventures with my friends and family back in the states…but it was also a way for me to earn some college credits. Once I finished my “required” posts, I lost the urge to keep writing. Looking back, I wish I had kept it going (mom, you were right).

I also lost the travel bug for a few years. I had dreams of traveling the world, but fooled myself into thinking I had to travel with someone, that I couldn’t afford a trip abroad, and that it would be too far out of my comfort zone.

Flash forward to last year, when I went to Japan. I was alone and completely out of my comfort zone…and I had a BLAST. I realized traveling internationally by myself wasn’t something to be afraid of, and that I could do (almost) anything I set my mind to. The travel bug bit me again, and now I can’t be stopped.

And so, inspired by other travel bloggers I follow online, I thought about starting a travel blog for my own travels. But while I felt like I did some cool things, I wondered: would anyone really care?

But then, my friend texted me after my last trip to Norway and said, totally unprompted, “you should start a travel blog.” She then kept asking when the blog would happen. I kept putting it off – until today. So Justine, this first post is dedicated to you.

And now, this travel blog, Journeys with Jill, is a thing! Maybe you’re all super interested in hearing about my adventures around the globe, and maybe you’re not, but it’s a thing!

I can’t promise this blog will be inspiring, or filled with valuable insights, or entertaining. I can’t promise that I’ll hold my commitment of posting at least once a week. I can’t promise that I’ll always be writing about some place super incredible or exotic (I mean, I do have to work…). And even though I’m a grammar fiend, I can’t promise it’ll always be grammatically correct.

But I do hope that this blog is enjoyable. I hope you enjoy hearing about my journeys, near and far. And I hope I inspire you to go out on your own journeys, whether it be to a nearby park or another continent.