Kim Jones

My "wanderlust," or desire to travel, started after my first overseas trip to Europe as a teenager. It was interesting to observe firsthand how people from another country lived so completely different from me. During this trip, I encountered several new cultures, types of food, and languages. It gave me a deeper desire to see and experience more and more, just in new and unexplored places. I studied German in college and eventually got the opportunity to live and work in Germany for a couple years. One of my favorite memories from this time in my life was visiting Venice, Italy for the first time. I walked out of the train station directly onto the Grand Canal and saw countless boats carrying passengers from place to place, just like a busy city street filled with cars. I felt like I was on the set of one of my favorite movies, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and had to pinch myself a few times to recognize that I really was there in person. It was a magical-type feeling and all my senses were overloaded with new sights, smells and tastes. I strolled for hours and got “lost”in the maze of endless "calli" and ate and got “lost” in the maze of endless "calli" and ate and ate some of the best Italian food and gelato that I’ve ever tasted in my life!

These types of experiences have propelled me to travel to new areas of the world in search of more unexpected and memorable moments. I still continue to travel internationally at least once a year even while juggling my duties as a mom to three young and active boys. I’m always thinking about locations I want to travel to or what my next adventure will be and love every part of the travel planning process. There is nothing more satisfying forme than researching and putting together all the different puzzle pieces of a trip to form one amazing travel adventure!