I’m Kirby – Missouri native, current nomad, and author of Strolling the Globe. 

I appreciate you stopping by my site and hope my content can assist you as you plan your next adventure. 

Before diving in any further, you may want to know more about me and why I chose to start this endeavor. 

Starting from the beginning, I grew up in a western suburb of Saint Louis, Missouri as the middle child in a family of five. As a kid, baseball and basketball were my primary passions, but I always had an affinity for the great outdoors. 

My family and I didn’t travel often, but I could almost always count on an out-of-state camping trip each July. 

One summer, we headed east to the Smokies. Another year took us west to Yellowstone and the Tetons. Another favorite was Rocky Mountain National Park. 

This period of time was all well before the smartphone era, so our trip’s route was typically drawn out on one of those enormous AAA maps that folds over itself a dozen times. I remember being so enthralled by those maps and our routes highlighted out in marker. 

As a child with a heightened sense of curiosity, nothing sparked my interest quite like wandering out into the unknown. 

As I transitioned into adulthood, I began to experience many travel “firsts.” First time flying on a plane. First cross-country road trip with friends. First time living on my own and in a new city (shout-out Columbia, Missouri!). 

As exciting as these firsts were, this phase of my life wasn’t all that different from your average young adult. I went to college, worked odd jobs, and embarked on the occasional leisure trip when I could scrape together enough cash. 

Fast forward to 2017 -a defining year filled with major decisions and commitments, creating the ripples that led to where I am today. 

Early that year, I had made up my mind I would soon move to Colorado. I had visited each of the two previous years, and by the second trip, I was sure I wanted to call this outdoor oasis home. 

Before I could achieve this new goal of mine, there were a few things I had to get in order. At the top of that list was making sure the woman of my dreams, Priscilla, would join me on this new adventure! 

That spring, I proposed on a hike in southern Missouri, and to my great relief, she said yes! 

The next several months were busy, if not chaotic, as we planned our wedding while simultaneously mapping out the logistics of our move to the Rocky Mountain State. 

Somehow the stars aligned for us, and everything fell into place. 

We tied the knot that summer, and by the fall, we were making the 850-mile drive west with our two-year old pit-lab, Jordy. 

As a new resident of Colorado, it felt like I had achieved the ultimate dream. I simply loved everything about this new life of mine. 

Whether I was marveling at the daily sunsets over Pikes Peak, waking up before dawn to hike a fourteener, or setting up camp in another spectacular nature setting, there were endless opportunities to explore and enjoy all my new state had to offer. I knew I would need decades to uncover it all. 

As fulfilling as that time was, I still had an innate desire to start seeing and experiencing new places beyond the borders of Colorado. 

About a year after our move, Priscilla and I began to ramp up our travels with frequent road trips and flights that allowed us to explore new cities and states while also checking off many of the National Parks on our bucket list. 

We also journeyed to Europe for the first time and came back feeling like the world was our oyster when it came to travel. 

At the end of 2019, Priscilla had an opportunity to travel for her job as a registered nurse. As great as the opportunity seemed, it would mean I would have to leave my job in banking, where I was really gaining traction and had recently received a promotion. It would also mean leaving the place that had turned into our home, a home we absolutely loved. 

After many nights wrestling with the pros and cons that came with staying or going, we ultimately decided a brand new adventure was something we were ready for. 

Leaving Colorado invoked a number of emotions. On one hand, I was super stoked to begin living a more nomadic lifestyle and seeing where the road would take us. On the other hand, leaving a place that felt like my perfect match almost felt wrong. 

The night before we said our goodbyes to our home of nearly two and a half years, I wrote a ten-page letter to Colorado, thanking it for everything it had given me and promising I would return again soon. 

Fast-forward one more time to the present day, and we’ve been living this exciting, unpredictable lifestyle for almost three years. 

Our journey has included living in seven states (MO, CO, AZ, PA, UT, TN, and TX), visiting thirty-eight more, exploring over thirty national parks, and traveling to nine different countries. 

In between, we’ve faced plenty of challenges and made tough sacrifices, but the good has far outweighed the bad, and I wouldn’t change a thing. 

It also didn’t hurt that we added our second four-legged child, our pit-lab-beagle mix Archy, to our nomadic crew. It’s safe to say both our dogs give us more support and companionship on the road than they will ever know. 

When it comes down to it, I’ve been both fortunate and blessed to experience and see all the places I have over these past five years. 

I’m also acutely aware that not everyone has the luxury or even the desire to travel as much as I have. But I think most everyone would agree they could use an occasional get-away. 

Which brings me to the purpose of this blog:

I want to help you optimize your travels, whether that mean helping you build an itinerary, peaking your interest in a new destination, sharing helpful tips about a place you have always wanted to visit, or simply inspiring you to hit the road. 

My passion for travel goes far beyond my own adventures. I want to help others build their own experiences, create their own memories, and add checkmarks to their own bucket lists. 

I don’t profess to be a know-it-all when it comes to travel, but I think I’ve notched enough experience that I’m ready to pass some of it on. 

And even if my site doesn’t provide you what you’re looking for, I wish you well on your next adventure! Perhaps we’ll even cross paths one day as we’re both strolling the globe.

Cheers!