In which I write a bit (a lot) about myself.
I am a traveler. I am a writer. I am a social butterfly. Thank goodness for the internet, where those things go together like Nutella and bananas.
I believe awesome people should be connected with other awesome people, which, in practical terms, means I am an excellent cocktail party host as well as eager community builder.
I see absolutely no difference between a virtual community and an in-the-same-room community, not when the lines separating us from our compatriots on the other side of the computer screen are so very blurry (if they exist at all anymore). The tools are different, sure, and everything comes at us lightning fast now, but the goal is still the same—we want to find our people.
It’s easy to think of community as social media these days, but good copy is just as much about building community as it is about disseminating information. When you read something that resonates, you go back for more. I can help you deliver to your community the kind of content that builds loyalty.
Get in touch! Send me a note and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
I believe travel is one of the best things any of us can do with our time and money, because being a traveler means having a curious and open mind. And that’s something everyone could use.
I’m fond of saying that the greatest lesson travel has taught me is that there’s no such thing as lost. You can always get where you want to go from where you are—it just might take a little longer than you’d originally planned. This has very practical implications when, say, I’m unsure of my precise location in the historic center of Naples. And it also translates into less literal uses. For instance? I don’t know all the answers. But I know how to find them.
Contact Information
The best way to reach me if you want to chat about a project for which you think I’m suited is to send me an email: jessica [at] jessicatravels [dot] com—or to fill out the contact form above. My LinkedIn page has more info about my work.
Possibly Irrelevant (but Perhaps Interesting)
- I was born on a horse farm in Newtown, Connecticut. (Yes, that Newtown.) I was that little girl who had her own pony at the age of six, not to mention a matching chaps-vest-and-hat set made of black-and-white cowhide. I therefore maintain that I am the original Cowgirl Jessie.
- My family either moved across town or across the country when I was a kid – from Connecticut to Oregon to New Hampshire and back to Oregon—although I’ve spent most of my life in Oregon, and very much consider it home. Having grown up at least in part in New England does help, however, when I have to do things like spell “Connecticut” or “Massachusetts.” The trouble with all the coast-to-coast moves is that I remain a bit confused whether to call it “soda” or “pop.”
- We took only one big vacation during my childhood, but it was an amazing one—a two-week trip through the U.S. Southwest with a 27-foot Airstream trailer when I was 12. I will never, ever forget the stars visible in Monument Valley as long as I live.
- My first passport stamps didn’t come until college, when I went to Australia and New Zealand on a month-long choir tour, and then spent a semester studying in Nottingham, England (during which I also got to visit Paris, Switzerland, and Prague).
- I got obsessed with knitting in 2017. I am also very much a night person, so the wee hours are when I get much of my knitting done. Ergo, Insomnia Knitting.
- My finest non-marketable skill is that I write kick-ass virtual introduction emails, followed closely by my prowess at cat herding.
- I. Love. Tattoos. And yes, when people tell you’re they’re addictive, they’re telling the truth.
- I am almost the opposite of an athlete, but I love watching soccer (AKA proper football).
- Back in the day, when I saw the Bon Jovi concert video for “You Give Love a Bad Name,” I decided I wanted to be a rock singer. I sang in a band in high school, and then another after college. For the former, I wore an acid-washed denim jacket with white leather fringe. For the latter, I wore vinyl pants. These days, I sing in my car, at my desk, and while doing dishes. It’s not quite the same.