Hi, I’m Shauna.

I’m an American who’s been living in the Middle East for the last 15 years (and counting). I work as a copywriter and communications consultant, and when I’m not hard at work at my full-time job, I travel at every opportunity—whether it’s a weekend getaway or a multi-week excursion. I find that the Middle East, in addition to being wondrous and delightful in its own right, is a great jumping-off point for exploring much of the world.

I started traveling solo at the age of 20. After overcoming the initial awkwardness and discomfort, I quickly grew to love my own company, and my preferred travel partner is none other than myself. Traveling alone has played a huge part in how I learned to be comfortable in my own skin; it’s given me confidence in every aspect of my life.

My travel interests are diverse: I love getting lost in wilderness. I love exploring caves, climbing mountains, kayaking remote rivers. But I also love the bustling streets of major metropoles. (Just keep me away from the tour groups—for the love of god.) I love street food and foraging just as much as I love a good Michelin-starred meal.

I don’t do ‘organized travel’ (and if you ever catch me on a cruise, know that I am 0.5 seconds away from throwing myself overboard), but I’m not above the occasional excursion to a popular tourist destination (more often than not, they’re popular for a reason).

That said, I tend to prefer destinations that aren’t particularly well-worn (of course, in this day and age, they’re few and far between), and I fully recognize the irony of writing a travel blog that tries to focus on ‘hidden gems.’ In the modern world, in the era of infinite information, what truly remains hidden? This is sort of the sad, double-edged sword of travel writing: the minute a place becomes too popular, falls over the tipping point, it loses the very thing that made it worth writing about in the first place.

So let me make this abundantly clear: this is not a travel guide. This is not a how-to or a where-to-go-and-what-to-do: it’s simply a bunch of anecdotes that may or may not inspire you to forge your own path.

What I’m saying is: don’t follow me. Do your own damn thing.

More than anything, I just want to tell stories. Stories about people, places, meals, experiences, and everything in between.

I guess, if I’m being honest, this is just an ego-driven passion project: I have all these beautiful, wonderful experiences around the world—more than often on my own—and I want to share them with whoever is willing to listen (and read).

For inquiries, you can contact me at shauna@dontfollowmetravel.com.