Hey everybody, my name is Ashley and I have a little confession. I traveled for the first time when I was sixteen and hated it. Back then though, I was a snotty teenager who didn’t know much about anything. But that all changed when I went abroad after my high school graduation. I traveled to Italy and was captivated by the idea of traveling, exploring new cultures and new food and of course new history (I am afterall nothing but a giant nerd) and since then it hasn’t stopped. I studied abroad the soonest chance I had, spending my first summer of college in Greece and then a semester in Rome. After I finished my completely “useful and applicable” major of Classical Archaeology I decided to move to Rome.
I spent two and half years in Rome working as a tour guide (actually using my degree, which I thought would never happen!) and generally traveling as much as possible. In these past seven years, travel and travel photography have become my all consuming passions. Every move I do now is in someway dictated by travel, whether its getting a job to earn money to travel or moving back home to San Francisco. My goal now is not only to travel as much as possible but to also get people to travel, inspire them to see the world, just get out there beyond their comfort zone and that’s really what Alex and I are trying to do with this blog. We want to share our knowledge, our experiences, all the crazy things that can happen when you leave the familiar behind and head out to explore.
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When Alex and I sat down to start In Pursuit of Adventure, we didn't want another place that simply lists the ten best things to do in a city. There are plenty of those already, and honestly, I've read most of them. What we wanted was something closer to a conversation with a friend who has already made the mistakes so you don't have to. That means the stories include the missed trains, the wrong turns, the meals that looked questionable and turned out to be the best of the trip.
Because of my background, you'll notice a certain bias toward history. I can't walk past a crumbling wall without wondering who built it and why. Years of leading tours in Rome taught me that the best way to make a place come alive is to tell the story behind it, so you'll find plenty of that here, hopefully without the lecture-hall feeling. Think of it as the nerdy friend who points at a pile of rocks and makes you care about it.
What You'll Find Here
The blog has grown into a handful of main themes, and we try to keep each post useful as well as entertaining. Here is the general mix:
- Destination guides covering what to see, where to eat, and how to get around, based on places we have actually been.
- Travel photography with tips on capturing a place the way it felt, not just the way it looked.
- Practical advice on planning, packing, budgeting, and staying flexible when plans fall apart.
- Personal stories about the awkward, funny, and occasionally humbling moments that come with travel.
- Historical context for ancient sites, museums, and old neighborhoods, especially in Italy and Greece, where it all started for me.
If you want to see everything in one place, the Author Archive is the easiest way to browse what we have written so far.
How Travel Photography Fits In
Photography began as a way of remembering. In Rome, I carried a camera everywhere, and over time it turned into a second way of seeing. It forces me to slow down, notice the light in a narrow alley at seven in the morning, and wait a few extra minutes for the crowd to thin out. Some of my favorite travel memories are tied to a single frame, and I think that's true for many people.
I'm not a gear snob, and I don't believe you need the most expensive camera to take pictures you'll love. Most of what makes a photograph good is patience, curiosity, and being willing to get up early. We'll share what we've learned about composition, timing, and finding quiet corners in famous places, along with the occasional mistake we're still embarrassed about.
Why We Push You Beyond Your Comfort Zone
I remember how I felt at sixteen, and I try to keep that version of myself in mind when I write. Travel can feel intimidating. Unfamiliar languages, unfamiliar money, and unfamiliar rules can make staying home seem like the smarter option. But almost every meaningful change in my life came from doing something that scared me a little, whether that was moving to a foreign city after graduation or taking a job in a field I'd been told was impractical.
The goal isn't to travel perfectly. It's to travel at all, and to let the surprises change you.
You don't need to quit your job or move abroad to do this. A long weekend in a nearby town you've never visited counts. So does trying a dish you can't pronounce. We want to show that adventure comes in many sizes, and that the first step is usually the hardest one.
A Little About Working Together
Alex and I split the work, the planning, and the arguments about which direction to walk. We write from our own experiences, which means opinions here are honest and sometimes stubborn. We would rather tell you a place wasn't for us than pretend everything was perfect, because that's the only way our recommendations are worth anything.
If you're a fellow traveler, a local with a hidden gem, or a brand or tourism board interested in collaborating, we'd love to hear from you. You can reach us through the Contact Us page, and if you have a specific proposal, the Action Request page is a good place to start.
Come Along With Us
Whether you're planning your first big trip or your fiftieth, we hope you find something here that nudges you toward the airport, the train station, or just the next unfamiliar street. Read, ask questions, disagree with us, and share your own stories. The best part of this whole adventure has been hearing from people who finally took the leap, and we hope you'll be one of them.
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