About Me

Hey, you! I’m Nittany:)

I grew up hiking in the Sierra Nevadas of Northern California and traveling with my folks around the world. 

Needless to say, I’ve had the travel bug forever.

After graduating from UCLA, I took a two-month solo road trip across the United States. It was the most ludicrous, ballsy thing I’d ever done, and single-handedly reinstated the self-confidence and trust I lost during the COVID-19 shutdown. 

It also showed me that traveling isn’t as complicated as I had been led to believe. Travel does not need to be expensive, elaborate, or glamorous. It’s more accessible than we think.

I spent the next year studying in Paris, riding the Eurail through Europe, volunteering on a farm in Italy, hiking the 10-day Tour Du Mont Blanc, and moving to Romania; the year after that, living in a cottage in Texas with my best friend, after helping her build it.

I’ve taken many friends hiking, camping, and traveling; some for the first time. But I wanted them to be able to explore the outdoors—and the world—even if I wasn’t around. I realized that most people, like my friends, would love to travel. They just don’t know where to start, or think it’s too expensive. 

Enter: TheScrappyTraveler.

I began this blog to inspire others to start traveling, even if they didn’t feel prepared, as I had when I began solo traveling. I learned my most valuable travel lessons hands-on.

Now, I focus on providing simple, straightforward directions to complete beginners, empowering them to embark on adventures without fearing the mystery of figuring everything out on their own.

My blog and YouTube vlogs are meant to record my adventures while providing insights that demystify the reality of travel and inspire you to pursue it.

Scrappy Trails, xox