Who am I?

Hey there, fellow adventurers!

I’m Jennifer—born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, but let’s just say I was never one to stay put. From the moment I could crawl, I was on the move—crawling through closets, exploring every wooded patch I could find, climbing trees like a monkey on a mission, and perfecting my rope-swinging game (pro tip: don’t wear striped shorts unless you want your crotch to become a target in family photo history… yep, thanks Grandpa 😳).

My love for the open road started with my dad, a traveling musician who played gigs all over the U.S. We’d cruise around with the windows down, music up, chasing the horizon like it owed us money. When he settled in Chicago, I found myself bouncing between there and Omaha, radio blasting, singing like nobody was listening (and hopefully, they weren’t). Honestly, the worst part of those drives was when they ended—who wants to stop for traffic lights when you’re mid-chorus of a 90s banger?

Then came Japan. Thanks to the JET Program, what started as a one-year stint in Shizuoka turned into six years of sushi, sake, temples, and travel all over Asia. I even squeezed in time to explore Australia and hop through bits of Europe. I got to live in Oaxaca, Mexico one summer for a fellowship—and let me tell you, the molé alone was worth the plane ride. I’m not into surface-level tourism. I like to dig in, stay awhile, get my hands on local recipes, and soak up the stories only locals can tell.

Eventually, I landed in New York City (as one does) to get my master’s in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and ended up teaching incredible, newly-arrived high school students in the Bronx. After that, I moved to Minneapolis, where I spent several years training teachers and narrowing my window into the vast cultures and curiosities of the world. These days, I’m living in Central Illinois and back in the classroom, teaching high-school ELA—and yep, still chasing stories, adventure, and the next great road trip.

That brings me to something that’s been lingering in the back of my mind for years: Olson’s Ultimate Road Trip map. It’s like the Holy Grail for road trip junkies—13,699 glorious miles of highways, byways, small-town diners, epic landscapes, and cultural gems just waiting to be explored. And of course, I’ve got Route 66 calling my name too—the iconic Mother Road packed with history, quirky stops, and pure Americana. Lately, a new light has started to flicker for the Pan American Highway—the legendary road trip stretching from Alaska all the way down to the southern tip of South America. These epic journeys haven’t happened yet, but they’re still calling to me, loud and clear. The dream is alive and well, tucked in the glovebox of my heart, just waiting for the right moment to turn the key and go.

They’ve been dreams sitting on the edge of my mind for years, and I think it’s finally time to chase them down.

Let’s hit the road. You in?