Behind the Blog
I’ve been writing about travel for ten years, which still feels a little unbelievable to type.
Addie Abroad started in 2016 when I left small-town Illinois to study social anthropology at university in Scotland, and realized that having a Ryanair flight map as your backyard changes things considerably. What began as a budget backpacker’s journal has grown into something I’m genuinely proud of: honest, practical travel writing with a clear point of view about what travel actually is and who it should be for.
I’m based in St. Louis now, where I live with my husband and spend my free time as a community organizer. I travel differently than I used to: I take a lot fewer trips—mostly weekend road trips and one or two bigger trips a year. I stay in locally owned guesthouses instead of hostel dorms. I’ve traded “how many countries can I see” for “do I actually understand this place.” I think it’s an upgrade.
The blog is still built on the same foundation: real stories, honest recommendations, and the kind of advice you’d get from a friend who’s been there and will tell you what wasn’t worth it.
What’s changed is that I write now with a clearer eye on what travel actually is—who it’s accessible to, what tourism does to a community, whose history a place carries, and whether the guidebook version bothers to say so.
I’m a socialist and an organizer, and those aren’t things I leave at home when I travel. They’re just how I see the world.
In practice, that means I’ll always tell you to stay somewhere locally owned if I can—and tell you why. It means the historical context I give a place goes beyond the highlight reel. It means I’m honest when something is overhyped, and when something no one’s talking about is actually worth your time.
If you want the longer, more explicitly political version of all of this (essays on travel, imperialism, and the world as it actually is) I also write a Substack called Postcards I Didn’t Send. It’s free.
What You’ll Find Here
Addie Abroad is primarily focused on Europe, especially train travel, solo travel, and trips that are worth taking slowly. Here’s what you can expect:
- Solo female travel advice from someone who’s been doing it for ten years.
- Europe itineraries built around realistic pacing and locally owned recommendations
- Guides to traveling Europe by train—the best way to see the continent, and I will die on that hill
- Budget-conscious tips that don’t sacrifice comfort or ethics
- Personal stories and destination guides from 20+ countries
- US road trips and domestic travel, including guides to St. Louis
From your first solo trip to a multi-week rail journey across Europe, I’ll give you what I’d want someone to have given me: the actual information, with the context that makes it make sense.
This is me, Addie.
Hi, I’m Addie. I grew up in small-town Illinois, moved to the UK at eighteen to study social anthropology, and started this blog as a way to document where all those Ryanair flights were taking me.
I’ve lived abroad for five years, traveled solo across three continents, and spent more hours than I can count on European trains watching the countryside go by and thinking about what it means to move through the world so freely when most of the people I’m visiting can’t.
That question—who gets to travel, and on what terms—is one I came to slowly, through years of studying how societies are organized and then watching what that looks like on the ground. I’m a socialist and a community organizer. Those convictions are woven into how I write about travel, which I think makes the blog more honest rather than less useful.
I’m also a personal travel advisor through Fora. If you’d rather have someone else handle the logistics, I offer custom travel planning services, especially for Europe trips. Hotel booking is free; custom itineraries start at $50. I’ll always tell you upfront how I’m being compensated.
Ready to Explore?
Whether you’re here to plan your next adventure yourself or want a little extra help along the way, I’m so glad you’re here.