Rookie Vagabonders

Hello readers,

So I suppose this is the space where I tell you a little bit about myself. Well, my name is Robyn Mitchell, sometimes people call me Mitch (original, I know). Considering I haven’t lived very long, 21 years to be exact, I have led a fairly interesting life up to this point. The Olsen twins and I share the same birthday, although I was born a little farther north of the border in the scintillating city of Toronto. Despite forever remaining Canadian at heart, I moved to a small suburb of Boston at the age of eight and have lived in the U.S. ever since.

I think the most defining moments of my life have taken part in the past few years since leaving the cozy confines of high school. I like to think of my college career in terms of the fairytale, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” although instead of bears, I have universities.

Yes, that’s right folks, it took me three tries (and two different countries) before I found my niche at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

However, despite the months of difficult decisions, arguments, applications and essays, I am relatively content with the choices I have made thus far. And a lot of this has to do with the fact that I took last year off from school and moved to Edinburgh, Scotland to live with my brother, work and most importantly, TRAVEL!

Beyond the beautiful pictures, cheesy t-shirts and other cheap touristy things I brought home in my suitcase, I also left Europe with a newfound passion: one which drains my life savings and motivates me to spend countless nights in bedbug infested bunk beds; one which forces me to whittle away the hours in dirty train stations and get continually accosted by equally sleazy vendors. In essence, I fell in love with traveling…hence the reason for this blog.

Though I am still a rookie vagabonder myself, I picked up a few tips and tricks of the trade during my travels, which I wanted to share with fellow twentysomethings looking to see the world. Though I will do my best to provide you, the reader, with everything I can find on easy and affordable ways to venture beyond your borders, think of this space as a continually evolving conversation. Please feel free to share your own experiences, insider tips and crazy travel stories, because the best way to learn is from the wisdoms of others. So as my first piece of advice from one vagabonder to another: let those dusty backpacks air out and learn to like Ramen, because it’s time to start planning the adventure of a lifetime!