Hi!

I’m Stephanie, and I’m happy to see you’ve stumbled across my corner of the web :)

I’m a travel writer, photographer, and content creator based in Paris, France since 2021. I have always been extremely detail-oriented and creative – passionate about telling stories whichever way I can, whether through writing, photography, music, or video editing.

Before moving abroad, I lived in New York City, Washington, D.C., the San Francisco Bay Area, and Tampa. Growing up constantly moving around the country every few years taught me how to navigate unfamiliar cities, adapt to new cultures, and find the unique details that make a destination memorable from a young age – a skill that has served me well in adulthood and for this travel blog.

Looking back, I’m very aware that all of that moving around became a central component of who I am and what I wanted out of life. Growing up, I never really had a place that felt like "home." I was always the new kid, always adapting to a new environment, and always curious about what made each place different from the last.

I am the sole founder of Destination Dreamer Diaries, having started the blog in 2019 as a way to keep notes, or "diaries" if you will, of my travels around the world. Seeing the world used to be nothing more than a dream, until an odd, serendipitous series of circumstances came to light.

My Dreams of Travel Becoming a Reality

After I graduated from high school, I ended up taking my first semester of college off to be a part-time preschool teacher at a summer camp I had volunteered for during several summers. When I left that job to go to university, without a clue what I wanted to study, all of the parents of the kids I left behind suddenly needed a babysitter.

Without even trying, I found myself with a self-sufficient business in my own hands.

My whole life, I had pushed hard for things to go my way, but this opportunity simply fell into my lap.

It was here that I was finally able to start traveling the world the way I had always dreamed of as a little girl watching Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen movies on VHS.

When I turned 18, I finally found the means to make some of those travel fantasies a reality. By May 2017, I was able to take myself to Europe for the very first time.

From then on, it was evident that I had been bitten by the travel bug… badly.

Over the past decade, I’ve been solo traveling around the world, visiting more than 70 cities and nearly 30 countries across Europe, North America, Africa, Oceania, and beyond.

It's through traveling that I have found my home... and it's whenever I'm not at home.

As someone who has always battled impatience as her greatest enemy, I constantly remind myself that life is not about the destination: it's about the journey.

That’s the real heart and beating pulse behind Destination Dreamer Diaries.

I wanted to create a place that documents how hope can become reality, and how it isn't unreasonable to think big – sharing with other dreamers that even the adventures that seem the most impossible can eventually become your new reality.

What began as a personal passion project documenting my youthful discoveries of new places has grown into a travel platform focused on practical advice, personal experiences, and authentic local recommendations.

Over the years, I’ve published more than 200 travel guides, itineraries, and destination resources designed to help everyone from solo female travelers to couples and families plan more meaningful trips.

Sharing Real Travel Experiences to Create Authentic Memories

My travel style focuses on independent exploration, local neighborhoods, cultural experiences, food, photography, and realistic travel planning. I believe the best trips happen when travelers combine iconic sights with vetted local experiences.

In an age increasingly dominated by AI-generated content, I deeply value sharing the honest highs and lows of travel, especially as a solo female traveler.

Every destination guide, itinerary, and recommendation on this website is based on firsthand experience. I personally visit, photograph, and research the places I write about, allowing me to provide practical insights that go beyond information commonly found in guidebooks.

My original photography and video content taken throughout my own travels and are intended to give readers a reliable sense of what each destination is truly like.

Professionally, I work in content creation with extensive experience in writing, photography, and video production. These skills allow me to create travel resources that are both informative and visually inspiring.

I’m passionate about creating original content that genuinely helps readers – whether that's through sharing my own images, documenting real experiences, or providing practical travel advice that I wish I had when planning my own trips.

Through this blog, my goal is to help aspiring travelers make informed decisions, discover unique experiences, and feel more confident exploring the world for themselves — whether that means a first solo adventure, a European city break, or a long-haul international journey.

Because at the end of the day, Destination Dreamer Diaries exists for one simple reason: to show that any and all dreams are worth pursuing.

Sometimes the places, experiences, and adventures that seem the most out of reach end up becoming the stories we treasure most… after all, dreams really do come true.

I appreciate you joining the journey, and I hope my experiences help inspire your next out-of-this-world trip.