What is the Obsessive Researcher's Travel Guide?
Hello. My name is Amanda, and I am an obsessive researcher. I will research just about anything, but my favorite thing to research is places, and how I can get myself there. I love to visit new places.
I also love spreadsheets. Nothing fancy. Just a good old grid where I can put all my info into nice little boxes. Everything in its place.
The tabs that are always open on my computer are Google Maps and the National Parks Service. My family likes to make fun of me about how many tabs I have open.
They’re not wrong.
Where This All Started
My love of travel really started in high school when I had the opportunity to visit Spain for a month. I returned three more times by the age of 20. I learned to speak Spanish and realized I would never again be free of wanderlust.
I married my wonderful husband and quickly converted him. Together we traveled to Mexico, Italy, France, England, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, along with trips in the US.
Adding kids to the mix made travel different, more complicated, but also more meaningful.
There’s nothing like the rush you feel when you see the joy on your child’s face when they are experiencing something amazing for the first time.
The Turning Point
In a stroke of good fortune I chose to homeschool in December 2019. While the world fell apart we found ourselves.
My husband’s job became remote, and we took advantage.
Before everything closed down we decided to test out how travel, work, and school could all fit together.
The Experiment
We took a short 4 day trip about 5 hours from home.
My husband worked in the hotel.
The kids and I took school outside.
We were sold. But, we had to wait because things outside our cocoon got worse before they got better.
So I Did What I Do Best
I researched.
I created spreadsheets.
What Followed
When the world reopened I had a 3 week trip planned and booked to Kona, HI. Another smashing success, of course it’s hard for Hawaii to be anything other than amazing, especially in February- the longest shortest month of the year.
Further emboldened I began researching more and making more spreadsheets. What followed was:
Multiple 1-2 week road trips to visit national parks west of the Rockies
Exploring the Oregon coast
8 weeks exploring the Southwest
6 weeks through the Pacific Northwest and Canada
5 weeks in Baja Mexico
And much more.
The Result:
My children have over 50 national park badges.
They’ve learned:
Geology while scrambling over slick rock, exploring slot canyons, and wandering among hoodoos.
Paleontology while searching through piles of rocks for fossils.
Earth science from steam vents and hiking the slopes and flows of extinct volcanoes.
Marine biology while snorkeling and exploring tide pools.
History while walking through cliff dwellings.
The world is the best classroom.
So What is The Obsessive Researcher’s Travel Guide?
It’s me sharing my love of travel and my penchant for research and spreadsheets with others who want to travel, but do not share my love of research and spreadsheets.
I have talked to many people, especially of the neurospicy variety, who want to travel but are overwhelmed by all the research and planning that goes into it. They get caught in the overwhelm paralysis and are unable to do “the thing”.
This is Where I Come In.
I LOVE doing the research, call it a special interest if you will. I have already done the research, planned the trip, and in most cases taken it.
Maybe other people also want to take this trip.
So, I’m pulling out all my old spreadsheets, dusting them off, and making them as user friendly as possible for others.
What You Can Expect
My goal is simple:
When you purchase a trip package, you’ll have everything you need to move from idea to planned trip.
Less overwhelm.
Less second guessing.
More confidence.
I created this because I enjoy doing the research, but I also know how overwhelming it can be.
This is meant to:
Save you time
Reduce stress
Give you a solid starting point.
Final Thought
You don’t have to love planning to take amazing trips.
You just need a starting point.
Let me help you.
