The inspiration for this blog came from a friend after discussing my most recent trip to the South of France. In the midst of explaining what we did on our trip, how I organized it, and the planning that went into the trip, she said “You should start a blog!” This sounded like an awesome idea to me for several reasons: (1) I am passionate about traveling and have spent a lot of time figuring out ways to make each trip the very best; (2) I love to write; and (3) it just sounds like a lot of fun – to connect with other people that share my passions, help them make their travel experiences even more amazing, and provide me with a creative outlet. It’s a win-win!
You may be wondering about the name- Navigation Maven. I mentioned it to a few people before I pulled the trigger on buying the domain to see what others thought about it. A few people didn’t know what maven means – so, here’s what webster’s says:
A maven (also mavin) is a trusted expert in a particular field, who seeks to pass knowledge on to others.
Maven perfectly describes what I’m trying to accomplish with this blog – to pass on my knowledge (and the knowledge of others by receipt of your comments and guest blog posts) to make your navigation around cities, regions, and continents an experience you remember for the rest of your life.
So, a little about myself. I’m an attorney living in and from Dallas, Texas, (not many of us native Dallasites around – most people are from somewhere else). I have an amazing husband (no, really, he’s the best – my partner, my champion, and the smartest guy I know). We have a house full of furry kids (my other passion is animals – our newest addition is sitting in my lap as I type . . . ). Living in the Lakewood area of East Dallas, we get to have the experience of living in a super-cool community while having all of the benefits of living in a big city – Whole Foods is within walking distance, Swiss Avenue historical district is a frequent running path for us, the entire Dallas Arts District (Meyerson Symphony, Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, Winspear Opera House, Klyde Warren Park, Wyly Theater, etc.) is less than 15 minutes away, and we can ride our bikes to White Rock Lake, the Dallas Arboretum and a myriad of other places on some great trails around our area.
All of this contemplation on how great our area is led me to decide to first blog about my hometown of Big D! There’s nowhere in the world that I know better than my own backyard. I’m also going to present weekly blog posts on general travel tips and ideas to help you create your trip of a lifetime. Throughout it all, I’ll post regarding past trips that we have taken and provide you with the information we all wish we had before going on a trip to some pretty amazing places: London, Scotland, Japan, and the South of France. We’re also about to ramp up planning for our trip to Ireland next year as well as a week-long getaway to Crested Butte, Colorado. (If you live in Texas during the summer, you know this is the BEST time to get out of town and hit the mountains of Colorado – it’s cooler and provides some amazing scenery.) You’ll get to hear all about the planning for Ireland from beginning to end as well as read regular posts while we’re on our trip. So, let’s get started . . .