Hello, and welcome to my blog!

Who am I?

My name is Mia, and as you could have guessed, I love traveling and hiking.

But, in addition to that, I am a full-time student from Vancouver studying behavioral neuroscience. I only have one year left in my degree; after graduating, I intend to travel full-time.

My Past Travels

While I haven’t traveled as much as I want to (like most of us, I reckon), I have traveled a bit.

I had a very fortunate childhood, in that while my parents aren’t rich, they did have enough disposable income to take us on occasional family trips. Specifically, since my mother is Japanese, we would visit Japan every year or two. Some of my greatest childhood memories stemmed from those trips.

Additionally, being from Vancouver, many of my friends and classmates were second-generation Canadians, with family in China, India, Serbia, etc. Hearing about their trips and travels ignited an early wanderlust inside of me; one that only grew with time.

I was therefore ecstatic when I got to go to a few additional destinations with my family: Hawaii, Mexico, and Las Vegas. Some highlights from those trips include hiking up a volcano in Maui, visiting Chichén Itzá in Mexico, and exploring Zion National Park.

Moreover, at the age of 11, I became obsessed with the non-profit organization “Free the Children” (now known as “We”). I spent years saving my newspaper delivery and babysitting money to take one of their volunteer trips. And, at the age of 15, I finally embarked on one of their excursions to Ecuador.

I absolutely adored visiting Ecuador. I got exposed to a contrasting culture and lifestyle, whilst building a school with the locals of a remote area. I also met some amazing people from various nationalities.

Throughout my adolescence, I’ve consistently prioritized traveling over most other things. I had various part-time jobs, and rather than spending my money on clothes or other things, I saved up for trips I hadn’t even planned yet.

Flash forward to 2017; I took my first solo trip. What was initially a short 2-week trip to France and Spain (and my small trial run of solo travel) quickly turned to 5 weeks… et je ne regrette rien. It was my first encounter with Europe, with stops in France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, and Switzerland. And, obviously, it was incredible.

However, the following year, I took classes throughout the entire summer. It was unbearable. Not only because I had no mental break from class, but I felt stifled and confined. I knew I had to travel again the following year.

Thus emerged my 2-month solo backpacking trip around Asia in May and June of 2019. The destinations included Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Japan, and Hawaii. With my wanderlust temporarily sated, I was prepared to complete my final year of university.

My Choice to Start a Travel Blog

It may seem bizarre for a neuroscience major to pursue travel blogging. And, I agree.

While I love studying neuroscience, one important thing I learned during my degree was that I do not want to become a scientist. And, with a science degree, your options are typically grad school or med school. So, the big question remained: what was I going to do after university?

I remember posing myself the same question when deciding what major to pursue. I wrote down a list of all my life goals, to see what major correlated best with them. What I got was a long list of travel goals, with no idea of how a science major can achieve said goals. So, instead, I decided to pursue the subject I found most interesting: behavioral neuroscience.

However, when I spent an entire anxiety-filled summer in class rather than traveling, I found my escape through travel blogs and travel vlogs. As I binged on Youtube videos and travel blogs, a question arose from me.

What if I became a travel blogger?

What if I had just found a career path that actually coincided with my life goals? Something that I could see myself doing everyday?

Thus arose my decision to pursue travel blogging.

Fun Facts About Me

• I love music, and play the piano, guitar, and trombone.
• I’m a huge film fanatic, and I especially love the films by Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese.
• I am extremely shy, and have been called “anti-social” by several teachers. I’m in a constant dilemma about it; I wish to push myself out of my comfort zone and meet new people, but I also want to accept myself, taciturn disposition and all.
• Antarctica became a bucket-list destination after I watched AVP (Aliens vs. Predator) as a child.
• When I was 6, I wanted to be a pirate (because of Pirates of the Caribbean).
• I don’t watch much TV. However, some of my favorite shows are Sherlock, How I Met Your Mother, and Friends.
• I absolutely adore animals. I have 2 pets: a dog (Floyd) and a cat (Momo). I’m not lying when I say the hardest part of traveling is not getting to cuddle with them every day.

What Next?

Well, first, I have to survive my final year of university.

Next, I wish to disappear; avoid the 9-5, and all its irksome obligations. There are few places in this world I don’t want to travel to. I wish to backpack down the west coast of South America, go to the countries less traveled by in Africa, trek the Himalayas, explore northern Canada, and much much more.

So, I’m excited to get to know you, and I hope you’ll walk a while with me 🙂