Hi, I'm Kelly.

Fork & Footpath began after one of the biggest turning points of my life. In 2025, I was laid off from my corporate career after more than twenty years working in user experience (UX) strategy, research, and design. Like many people, I initially thought I knew what came next: update my résumé, apply for jobs, interview, and find another version of the same path. But the closer I got to returning to corporate life, the heavier it felt.

When I was preparing to interview for a role at a company I deeply admired, the kind of opportunity you're not supposed to walk away from, I did something that surprised even me.

I withdrew.

Instead of rushing into the next chapter, I decided to take a different path. After weeks (not months) of planning, I packed two backpacks, boarded a plane, and spent three months traveling solo through Europe. It was my first time traveling alone internationally.

I explored fifteen countries by train, bus, ferry, bicycle, and more walking than I ever imagined possible. I navigated unfamiliar cities, searched for safe gluten-free meals to accommodate my celiac disease, figured out transportation systems in languages I didn't speak, and slowly learned that some of the most meaningful parts of travel happen when things don't go according to plan.

Somewhere along the way, Fork & Footpath began to take shape.

Why Fork & Footpath Exists

I'm not a professional travel blogger or influencer. I'm simply someone who loves thoughtful planning, slower travel, neighborhood exploration, and sharing honest experiences that make independent travel feel more approachable.

Before this trip, I spent years measuring success through achievement, productivity, and career milestones. Travel didn't magically solve those questions, but it changed how I experienced the world. It taught me to slow down, pay attention, embrace uncertainty, and trust my own experience.

What You'll Find Here

Every guide on Fork & Footpath is based on places I've actually visited and experiences I've genuinely had. I share:

• Honest destination guides

• Practical travel tips

• Gluten-free dining recommendations

• Hotel reviews

• Transportation advice

• Travel gear I actually used

• Reflections from traveling independently through Europe

You'll read about what worked, what didn't, where I stayed, how I got around, what surprised me, and the small moments that made each destination memorable.

I believe the best travel advice comes from real experience, not perfectly curated itineraries.

More Than a Travel Blog

Fork & Footpath is also a reminder that it's never too late to take a different path.

Travel helped me realize that life doesn't have to revolve around constant productivity or following the timeline I thought I was supposed to follow. Sometimes the most meaningful journeys begin when the original plan quietly stops fitting.

I'm still figuring out what comes next.

But while I do, I'll keep sharing the places, lessons, and experiences that shaped this chapter of my life, and hopefully help make your own travels a little easier, a little more confident, and a little more memorable.

Thanks for being here.

— Kelly