Meet the Nomads – Darcie Connell of Trekity

If you’re looking for a travel website that is written by women for women then you should definitely check out Trekity. Trekity is own by our feature traveler today, Darcie Connell. Darcie is a writer and had shared her travel wisdom in various sites such as Forbes, Huffington Post, GoAbroad and other online publications.

Darcie together with her husband Adam travels the world and explore various off the beaten paths. They also have written a book called Business In A Backpack which aims to help people create profitable business while traveling the world.

Be inspired and travel more, check out Trekity.com.

Before you leave this page, check out my interview with Trekity’s founder and owner, Darcie Connell.

How did you discover your passion for travelling?

“I fell in love with traveling after a six week trip around Europe with my best friend. We did a three week bus tour and then spent three weeks with her family in Budapest, Hungary. It was a great and easy introduction to traveling. We hit all the major tourist destinations and I got to experience Budapest from a local’s perspective.”

What’s the most horrible experience that you’ve had on the road?

“I’ve been pretty lucky and have never been robbed or been in any dangerous situations, but I do have my fair share of bad experiences… The worst was discovering my backpack has been peed on at the Chennai Airport just before picking it up at baggage claim. It was over a hundred degrees, my bag was soaked and smelled horrid. It was not a good introduction to India.”

What’s the best travel experience that you’ve ever had?

“I have many, but the one that stands out among the rest was hiking the Annapurna Circuit – a horseshoe shaped trek that goes around the Annapurna mountain range in the Himalaya. The entire trek took 18 days and challenged me physically and mentally. It’s been one of my greatest accomplishments to date.”

What’s the biggest realization that you’ve got out of travelling?

“That people are essentially the same around the world. While they might look a little different on the outside, people have the same core values and ethics around the world. They work, they eat, they try to make a good life for themselves and their families.”

What keeps you going? What keeps you motivated?

“Travel is knowledge. I get to learn about a destination’s history, culture, politics, religion, environment, food, art, etc. from real people with real stories. The knowledge I gain from travel is my motivation.”

This is a silly and hypothetical one. If you would be given a chance to travel with a popular person or a celebrity, who would it be and why?

“I’d say the Travel Channel’s host Samantha Brown. I got to interview her and she seems like a really fun and down to earth woman.”

Where’s your favorite place in this planet and why?

“My favorite place is being with my husband. Which is great because it feels like home wherever we travel. But if I had to pick one destination, I’d say my home state of California. There’s great national parks like Yosemite and Redwood, the rugged coastline, and some pretty fun cities.”

What’s your best tip for newbie traveler?

“Don’t travel with an itinerary. The first time I traveled internationally, the first three weeks were completely planned. Looking back, I wish I had more time to meet the locals and get off the tourist trail. Now I hardly plan anything when I travel. It gives me the freedom to do what I want, when I want.”

What’s the funniest and silliest thing you’ve ever done while travelling?

“Not realizing that Europe’s power supply is completely different than the U.S. and starting a fire in my hotel room when my curling iron caught on fire.”

How do you fund your travels?

“I run Trekity.com and work remotely for a non-profit based in the SF Bay Area. I also get paid as a freelance writer.”

How do you keep yourself safe on your travels?

“I don’t have medical or travel insurance (shhh, don’t tell my mother) and just try to use common sense. I don’t go out at night much, watch my back when in questionable areas, and trust my gut. I also keep my fingernails short and blow my nose everyday to avoid getting sick. Sounds weird, but it really works.”

What do you think about yourself?

“Five words… intelligent, responsible, punctual, curious, and sleepy.”

“Trekity.com is a website and newsletter inspiring women to travel and experience the world. I feature travel stories and interviews from real women travelers. You can follow Trekity on Facebook, Twitter and Google.”

Editor’s Note: All pics are provided by Darcie.

Next: Celia and Jonas of Nomadic Danes Previously: Kimmy Hayes of After Globe For more interviews with travel bloggers, check out the archives of Meet the Nomads.