frequently asked questions:
What is deaniebabies.com?
I've always wanted to travel. Ever since I was a little kid I imagined myself exploring every avenue and crevice the world has to offer. Now that I have more of an ability to do that, I want to be able to share my experiences and, most of all, inform others on how I went about planning my trips and ultimately how much money I spend on my trips. This way you will have a better idea of how much you will need to budget for a trip that is similar to one that you've seen me go on.
Where did the name deanie_babies come from?
Honestly, I never expected this silly Instagram handle to turn into anything substantial (does this count as substantial?). When I first moved to Los Angeles in 2015, I decided my handle needed an upgrade because I no longer lived in the great state of Colorado. As a kid I collected beanie babies and I always loved when my mom, dad, aunt, or uncle would give me one to add to my collection. As an adult, the collecting has stopped but its memory lives on forever through @deanie_babies.
What do you do for work?
I love this question because I get asked it all the time and I never really have an answer. Whenever someone new asks, I tell them that I'm unemployed because I still haven’t registered this crazy new life. I graduated from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs with a Business Management degree and worked in tech recruiting for about 4 years but I left that role in 2017 while I figure out exactly what I was put here to do. So, for now, I host a podcast, I partner with brands through my social channels, and (hopefully sometime soon) I can travel full time and share my experiences as my 'work'.
How do you choose where you'll travel to next?
I want to see as much of the world as I possibly can which means no destination is off limits. I'm lucky to have a great group of friends that encourage me to travel with them occasionally and inspire me to explore unknown locations. Traveling solo is a new interest of mine and is something I highly recommend. Choosing a location to travel to by myself starts with thinking back to childhood and imagining where I’ve always wanted to go. If there's a mountain or river or world wonder I remember my brothers talking about, I'll find a way to get there.
How did you get started?
Well, I'm still just getting started (clearly) but you may have seen me on a few reality television shows that gave me a platform to share my stories and experiences that I’ll forever be grateful for.
Where to next?
Who the heck knows. But that's how I like it! I really want to visit Africa, the Great Wall of China, Everest base camp, Germany, Antarctica, Yosemite (basically right in my backyard). The list could go on and on. I like to tackle these one at a time by planning one trip, have the best time possible, returning home, then planning the next.
If you claim to ‘have no idea what you’re doing’ then why are you doing this?
Great question! Instagram is a wonderful platform but you’re only able to share such limited amounts of information through snapshots. I often have people reach out to me asking about the process I went through to plan a trip and I thought this would be the best way to share that process. I understand that it’ll be a struggle at times due to my creative limitations but if I’m able to encourage just one person to take one extra trip then I’ll consider it all worth it.
