My Unique Travel Story
Welcome to Maptrekking, a slow travel blog that helps you have meaningful travel experiences by responsibly immersing yourself in a culture.
I started Maptrekking with the name being based on my initials MAP + trekking.
My passion for this started because I didn’t feel very fulfilled by just checking tourist destinations off my bucket list.
I have experienced a lot well known (& crowded) travel destinations, which has made me realize what I enjoy most is getting to know the local culture instead.
I like to pursue unique travel experiences. For me, this means seeking out the overlooked and untouched areas of the world.
And of course, I want to help you travel slowly and experience local life too!
Here’s a little more of my unique travel story of where I am now and how I got started!
MARIA
Writer & Photographer
Originally from the United States, I’m a world traveler with the initials MAP.
I grew up in northwestern Pennsylvania but moved to Kansas to do my undergraduate degree.
Moving far away was always my plan growing up, but unfortunately not for a good reason.
I grew up in an extremely toxic and abusive family, so it was a way for me to escape and work through my trauma.
When I turned 17 and graduated from high school, I desperately needed to get away.
Moving To Kansas
I attended university about 1,800km/1,100 miles away at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas.
During my time there, I worked as a resident assistant for two years and a student ambassador for three years.
I did summer internships with two different non-profit, environmental organizations that focused on saving sea turtles: Hatteras Island Ocean Center and Bald Head Island Conservancy.
My volunteering focused mainly on supporting the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference championships, but I did have the opportunity to support health clinics for Syrian and Sudanese refugees in Cairo, Egypt.
In 3.5 years, I ended up graduating ‘Magna Cum Laude’ with a Bachelor of Science in sport management and a concentration in club, fitness & recreation.
Moving To Scotland
Upon graduation, I was offered a scholarship to study in Scotland to complete my Master of Science at the University of Edinburgh.
Living in Scotland really opened my eyes to the world. I fell in love with traveling and it made me question my current career path.
After graduating with my Masters, I applied to tons of sports jobs with no luck. I started to take it as a sign that working in the sport field might not be for me.
Moving To Ireland
My visa in Scotland was running out so I moved to Cork, Ireland to do a working holiday visa!
This allowed me to work in Ireland, while still having the opportunity to travel in Europe.
During my working holiday, I finally took the plunge and created Maptrekking!
Attempting Full Time Travel
After finishing my 1-year working holiday, I decided to travel full time for 6 months.
My first stop was Montenegro in the Balkan region of Europe. After doing a Workaway there, I crossed over into Shkoder, Albania.
After only 24 hours in Albania, the whole country went into a strict martial law lockdown! Read more about my crazy time in Albania here.
I ended up staying in a hostel in Shkoder for 2 months before returning to Ireland.
I stayed in Ireland for almost a year of COVID lockdown, before moving back to Albania in April 2021.
Moving To Albania
For now, I’m calling the small coastal town of Saranda, Albania, my home, but who knows what’s next!
Final Thoughts
Growing up in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, I never thought I would be where I am today.
If you had told me 5 years ago that I would move to Europe and become a travel blogger, well I would have laughed in your face!
Slowly but surely, small experiences led to bigger opportunities.
Though they seemed random at first (eg saving sea turtles and studying sport management), I see now that they all have brought me to have the courage to slowly travel the world.
If you’re interested in slow travel, check out my freebie!