HI! I’M GRACIE.
Traveling has always been my passion! On this very first post you will find out more about me and why I decided to start a travel blog.
A DREAM
I still remember the days in my teenage years when I used to flip through pages of travel magazines or stare at wall calendars with pictures of stunning places. I was always wondering if one day I would be able to travel the world and see these different lands. I really wanted to see these places, not just imagine them…
Time went by and during my college years money was very short. But being born and raised in Brazil I had a chance to visit many beautiful parts of my country from magnificent beaches to beautiful lands. I did as much as I could back then, yet the wish for new adventures stayed, strengthening my desire to see the beauty of the world. I desperately wanted to travel to cities I had never seen, cross rivers I had never visited, look down mountains I had never scaled, and witness cultures I had never experienced.
A LONG BREAK
Whether for accommodation or other priorities in my journey, life persistently took me in a different path. I finished college, got a cubicle job, and sadly, my dream was “forgotten” for several years.
BIG CHANGES
One day, invited by a friend to visit the United States to take some classes, I landed in 2001 in “my” beautiful California. Oh California, I fell in love with you at first sight. School, friends, beaches and traveling again…yes, from New York to Hawaii, I felt a reawakening of my travel dreams. I realized one day I couldn’t be stuck in one corner of the world and every trip I took around this country magnified my emotions and made me feel good about myself.
Fast forward a couple years, still in California, I met my dear husband. Marriage, starting a successful small business, a beautiful daughter, and, luckily, some trips on the side. Yay! Lucky me, I married someone who loves to travel as well. We decided to explore the world a little bit at a time, and now, a decade later our passion for travel has intensified. At the beginning, because of my daughter’s age, we took easy trips, even though we started flying to Brazil with her when she was barely a year old.
Whether it’s been Asia or South America, Europe or Africa, Caribbean or just around the U.S., we have found extraordinary joy in the ordinary and experiences with new cultures.
BYE BYE CALIFORNIA!
Because of a job opportunity for my hubby, soon we will be moving away from our beautiful San Diego. Another big change right? My business was sold and off we will go for a new adventure. However, for someone who used to work five days a week for as long as I can remember, I found myself wondering what to do next.
NEXT STEP: THE PASSION!
Traveling! Yes, it is my passion!
Over these past years I have planned all the vacations for my family. It has always been a pleasure to talk to friends (or strangers) or research online the next place we decide to visit. My daughter, who is nine years old, has learned more geography, history and different cultures than she could at school. We have visited different continents and several countries. Traveling for us means seeing a place that we had heard and read about, then finding out that there is so much more to learn about it.
Friends have started asking for advice about places where we have been, and based on my experiences I have helped them to plan their own vacation. I have heard that when people start asking you for advice on things that you know, it is time to step up.
B I N G O!!! Here I am, starting my travel blog!
PASSOS E PASSION
Through Passos & Passion (meaning Steps and Passion) I want to share the joy of traveling with my family and, through our adventures, inspire other families to do the same. Don’t be discouraged to find out that trips have incidents, but between the success and a little bit of frustration, traveling can be an amazing, bonding opportunity. For our family, when things don’t go according to plan, we make the best of it, and we remind ourselves how fortunate we are to be able to see the world.
I want you to believe that you don’t need to give up your job, your home, your goods, and your family to be able to travel. My goal here is to show you that you can have a reasonable balance between a conventional life and some adventure.
We have been in many places, but there is always a new city, national park, a beach or a country on our list! We are always thinking about the next adventure.
I’m very excited about this new blogging adventure and I can’t wait see where it will take me… and you!