About us

Our Story

We are four students who are trying to make a difference in travelling. Each of us have had our own experiences and can acknowledge how stressful travel planning can be. As we are four young women in college, we know how scary it can be to travel to a foreign place. In order to help our readers prepare for a big trip with as little problems as possible, we have created this website to make travel easy.  

Our Mission

Our mission is to empower people to accomplish their dreams and desires of exploring the world. While travelling can be luxurious and beautiful, it can also be difficult, especially if you are new to travelling. We want our readers to feel comfortable in their travel planning after reading each of our experiences including how we personally prepared and the mistakes we made and learned from.

We also want to acknowledge how scary it can be travelling as a young woman. It’s important to have fun but always be aware of your surroundings, especially if you are travelling alone. Though, we don’t want this fear to keep our readers from seeing the world.

We hope that after you read through our site that you will feel comfortable and empowered to travel to all of your desired destinations.

A large church sits atop a hill. In the background you can see rolling mountains. The church itself is very detailed and is a light gray. People stand out front but are so tiny they appear to be single pixles amidst the entire image.

Meet the Writers

Oriana Lukas

Hi! I’m Oriana Lukas. I’m a senior at James Madison University. I’m a media arts and design major with a minor in writing rhetoric and technical communications. I have travelled to three countries out of the U.S. and am happy to share my experiences and travel tips. Travelling can be very stressful, so we wanted share our experiences to make travelling as simple as possible!

 

Carolyn Berry

Hey! My name is Carolyn and I’m a senior university student who loves to travel! I’ve been to tons of places, both within the US and outside! My favorite place so far has been Sorrento, Italy. I plan to go to Japan soon. I love traveling with my friends and/or family. Traveling on a budget is important to me as a college student as I have to know how to make my money stretch between tuition and travel. I hope you find this blog useful to you and your travels, and motivates you to go out and explore! 

  

A girl stands in a black dress and looks at the camera. Her hair is brown and loose, flowing down her shoulders. She smiles. In the background the city stretches on showing numerous buildings and even mountains in the very back.

Kaity Walker

Hey Explorers! My name is Kaity and I’m a student in my last year of college. I have always been obsessed with the idea of traveling. The summer after my sophomore year I was able to study abroad. It changed my life, and yes I am one of those cheesy people who was “changed” by their study abroad. I can’t wait to tell you more about my adventures! To hear stories from my trip and tips for going abroad, take a look at some of my articles. I hope you love what we have to offer Explorers! Browse the entirety of our blog for tips, tricks, travel hacks, and lots of stories abroad!

Abigail Elia

Hi there! I’m Abigail, I’m a senior at JMU, with a major in writing, rhetoric, and technical communication, with a minor in Italian. I have a passion for understanding the world and those within it. This directly connects to my passion for travel and writing. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to write with these amazing women who share the same passion I do! I hope you enjoy our blog and get something our of our experiences. 

Frequently asked questions

How do I get started with travel planning?

The beginning of travel planning is probably the most overwhelming part of the journey. Research should be the first step of any trip you make. Research the climate, the environment, the clothing policies, accomodations, pricing, and safety. We will take you through what we have each learned from our own experiences. 

What if I can't afford to travel?

While travelling does have potential to be expensive, you can make accommodations to minimize costs. Most of what makes travelling expensive is choosing pricey hotels and air b&bs, fancy restaurants, and excursions. Hostels are a great alternative as they are either cheaper or free depending on the area. 

How do I know what to bring?

Packing can always be difficult, especially when trying to pack light. Do your research on the season it will be at your destination and what the weather will be that following week. It’s alway a good idea to bring some variety though as weather does change. It’s also almost always smart to bring a pair of comfortable shoes. 

How did you guys start this blog?

Each of us are passionate about helping others travel on a budget. Nowadays it seems that everyone is always abroad and we wanted to give some tips and some of our experiences. Traveling doesn’t always have to be expensive or intimidating. We wanted to share our tips and tricks as four young women. 

What is your credibility?

Each of us have traveled at least three times and wrote about our individual experiences. While every experience can vary, there are some common points that we all have. Due to our different journeys, we can also hopefully help a large scope of people and different audiences. 

Picture of canal with boats and vines growing down the building
A wall is covered with a painted mural. Across the top it says "Liures, feministes, y rebels". The mural is of several quotes and several portraits. Each new image sits over a different colored background.

Read through our experiences 

View Destinations

Empowering explorers,

one explorer at a time

 

James Madison University

Contact

hello@empoweringexplorers.com
(255) 352-6258