Meet Casey | Land of Marvels

I am beyond excited to introduce you to Casey today! One of the very first blogs I ever began reading, Casey is the brilliant writer behind Land of Marvels. From travel advice to stories about growing up in the Middle East, Casey's post are guaranteed to be truthful and informative. Her frequent hang outs include Paris, Hawaii, and America's west coast. How can you not develop wanderlust after scrolling through Land of Marvels? To get to know the voice behind the blog, I asked Casey a few questions about her travels around the world. 

1 | Tell us about Land of Marvels.

Land of Marvels is a travel blog based around the idea of sharing this incredible world we call home.  I envision the space to be everything you need to plan a trip somewhere: travel tips, travel guides, honest posts about what might happen while traveling, and information all about destinations all around the world.  Travel is my passion and Land of Marvels is all about sharing that passion.

2 | What is your hometown of Portland, Oregon like?

Portland is an amazing city!  It’s very European in nature and how people look at their lives here, it’s definitely more of the “work to live, rather than live to work” mentality.  It’s also very green as is most of Oregon and there is a really high priority on living a clean, sustainable life here, which I love.  It’s also an amazing city with a rich culture of accepting everyone for who they are… another trait I love about my hometown.  It’s a city that still is one of the best kept secrets in the US…. though is getting more and more popular for tourists!

3 | You grew up in the Middle East as a third culture kid. How has that influenced your decision to make travel a priority in your life?

My childhood in the Middle East completely shaped who I am and continues to shape my adult life each day.  It’s a part of my life that taught me so many lessons about the world and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  Travel for me is just normal, seeing the world seems like the common sense thing to do.  Maybe because I grew up that way, but I am finding more and more that it’s just the essence of who I am.  My curiosity and passion for the world may have started with my travels as a child, but it’s definitely morphed more into what my life really means and what it adds to my life as an adult.

4 | What is one of your favorite destinations that you believe deserves more credit?

I find that India often gets a bad wrap from travelers.  People are overwhelmed by the whole sense of India and it often seems daunting to even think about traveling there, but Udaipur, India is one of my all time favorite destinations and I wish more people would visit there!  It’s such a stunning country and Udaipur in particular is just breathtakingly beautiful.  It’s often the places that seem the most overwhelming to visit that change you most if you give it a chance!

5 | What is the biggest travel advice you’d give to first time travelers and expats alike?

I think the best travel advice to give anyone is: have an open mind.  If you travel thinking everything is going to stay in one little box, you’ll go crazy.  Acknowledge and accept that traveling in its very nature is about something different than what you know.  If you can embrace that and keep an open mind, travel will change your life in the best possible sense.

6 | If you could pick one holiday destination to do over again (good or bad), what would it be?

Rome makes the top of this list of “do-over” locations.  We had a bad experience on our trip to Rome a few years ago and it’s taken us a while to want to return.  Though I think we’re finally at that point and are going to try it again next Spring.  It’s one of those places that I would do really differently the second time around, so hopefully we’ll like it more the next time we visit! 

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