Hi y’all! I’m Gracie and I’m a New Orleans-based gal with a bad case of wanderlust! My love for traveling The cure? Globetrotting across the country (and around the world), duh!
A Little Bit About Me
I was born on October 22, 1998, in Metairie, Louisiana, although I lived in St. Charles Parish for most of my life. I know St. Charles Parish isn’t really in New Orleans, but it’s still pretty close (if you don’t believe me: go for a drive over the Hale Boggs Bridge and you’ll get a distant view of the skyline. Besides, St. Charles Parish is technically part of the Greater New Orleans area (it’s one of the River Parishes), so that counts, right?
Growing up, I had one foot in St. Charles Parish’s close-knit community and the other in New Orleans’s fun, bustling atmosphere. I’ve had the privilege of getting a taste of New Orleans at an early age while experiencing the joys of small-town living from trips to City Park to attending Alligator Festival in Luling. Each visit to New Orleans was an exciting surprise for a small child. Attending high school and university there helped me to appreciate its culture, history, and vibes even more, as well as experience things that I’ve never done before. Each visit to the city is an opportunity for me to learn something new.
My Writing Experience
Being a mass communications major at Loyola University, I contributed as a staff writer for the student newspaper The Maroon, hot on the presses every Thursday. I mainly wrote articles concerning campus life and opinion pieces since I didn’t enjoy writing (or reading) about politics too much. For my senior capstone, our class got hands-on experience with the news anchor desk, professional-grade cameras, teleprompters, and various broadcasting equipment.
After graduating, I interned for WHERE Y’AT Magazine in 2021. Besides writing tons of articles about New Orleans culture, I (along with other interns) worked on write-ups for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2022, which was considered one of the magazine’s important projects. I even attended the 2022 French Quarter Festival where I took a few pictures and shared them with WHERE Y’AT!
A year after I started my internship, I worked as a part-time public information (i.e., public relations) specialist for St. Charles Parish Government where I assisted the public information team with creating newsletters, press releases, social media posts (particularly Facebook and Instagram), speeches, and other government-related information. I also wrote a few blurbs promoting government-sponsored activities and programs for our local newspaper the St. Charles Herald Guide. Currently, I’m a part-time maintenance clerk at the St. Charles Parish Department of Public Works where I’m responsible for filing and organizing data.
Now, you’re probably wondering, “Gracie, what the heck does that have to do with travel writing?”
Why I Started This Blog
For a few years, I’ve been questioning my trajectory in life. I mean, sure, I loved telling and writing stories, and interviewing people on live TV seemed exciting in my imagination, but doing it in real-time proved overwhelming and mentally taxing (the interviewing part, that is). I studied journalism at university, but I was starting to wonder if that was the right career for me. Perhaps not.
Then, I thought, “What if I started a blog where I write about all my adventures?” I dreamed of traveling across the U.S. and visiting different countries as a kid, and recently, that dream is slowly but surely starting to come true. I visited NYC, Maine, Savannah, and even Scotland and Ireland in just three years, and I hope to visit more parts of the globe. Thus, Globetrotting with Gracie was born!
If you happen to come across Globetrotting with Gracie on your search engine, I hope my adventures inspire you to plan your own. Whether you’re staying at a luxurious resort or traveling on a budget, Globetrotting with Gracie has just what you need to make your vacation memorable.
Happy globetrotting!