Greenville travel influencers provide inspiration to start exploring beyond your backyard
There’s always an excuse not to hit the road. Finances, family, or time may inhibit the journey. Perhaps jobs or pets come into play. But as travel content creator Tracee Wade suggests, “Stop, just stop! Waiting until you think you can afford it, or ‘the time is right,’ or until you retire is dangerous. You never know what’s going to happen. You need to just do it. Do the things right now. Make the memories.”
For years, the Furman grad and longtime Greenville resident let her kids’ sports schedules dictate road trips. When her nest emptied, finances became the reason to stick close to home. And then, her map spontaneously unfolded far beyond the Palmetto State. “I realized I could get alerts and cheap flights, and it changed everything,” she reveals. “I’ve pivoted. I’ve learned where to go according to alerts and not pick a destination first.”
Costa Rica. Quebec. Iceland. Germany. Her passport is quickly filling with stamps. The adventures only intensified when she started posting and blogging. On Instagram, @takethedangtrip has more than 10,000 followers and is making money—enough that Wade was able to leave her front office job at Mauldin High. “The timing was right for me,” the 52-year-old says of her newfound travel career and success. “I think people like that I’m older. I’m not a 20-year-old doing their thing. What you see is what you get. I love our travel community. It makes my day when people ask questions and engage in the things I post.”
Alexis Thompson is equally committed to sharing positive journeys and inspiring others to break out of their bubble, to explore the world. “It’s life changing,” she shares. “There’s scientific proof travel will broaden your ability to think and your overall health. You’re taken out of your reality and shown other options. Your entire perspective of life changes.”
The onetime journalist lived in three countries and seven states before settling in Greenville five years ago. She has more than 16,000 followers on Instagram @classandsunshine, providing intriguing spots to visit, both locally and around the globe. “There’s so much negativity in the world, and I’m here to remind people of the beauty,” she reflects. “I think the coolest places are the ones with the most diversity, the most culture. If folks are intimidated, do it anyway, travel scared. It’s easier and more rewarding than you can imagine.”
On-Ramp to Adventure
- Get a valid passport.
- Sign up for flight alerts. Plan the trip around the alert, not the destination, to save money.
- Use credit cards to accrue points, secure free flights, free TSA and Global Entry, and access airport lounges. Capital One, Venture X, and Sapphire are cards to explore.
- Don’t book flights through third parties. Book directly with the airline.
- Sign up for blogs and newsletters, like Going and Daily Drop, that list current trip and point deals.
- Piggyback off holidays to extend days off from work.
- Save social media posts, reels, and videos of adventures you like, to reference when you get alerts for those destinations.
- All of the above takes time. Don’t have it? Use a travel consultant or travel agent to set your sights on the right adventure.
