Hey! I’m Nikki
It’s confession time: I haven’t always loved the outdoors. 🤭
Yes, I understand the irony as someone who encourages everyone to get outside and enjoy this beautiful earth.
Sure, some of my best memories as a child were road tripping in my grandparents RV around the country. (more on that in a bit)
But pair me up with unpredictable weather, spider webs and other creepy-crawlies, no thanks!
Finding ‘that guy’
So enter my early 20’s when I met the one. You know, the one you promise to do anything with when you’re first together… like camping!
We even registered for camping equipment for our wedding…that we only used twice for actual camping.
Needless to say, I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain. (And he will never let me live that down 🤣) Sure, I loved being outside…kayaking, hiking, enjoying the beach. But simply put…I need running water to feel comfortable.
So we pivoted to beach vacations, seeing amazing national parks, enjoying the Midwest on our kayaks with our two beloved golden retrievers (oh – and two kids!)
We got pretty good about prioritizing travel and saving our money to go amazing places…including paying for travel with points and miles. I share more about that on She Saves She Travels, if you’re interested.
Enter 2020
Then life turned us all upside down in 2020. Your life changed, and so did mine.
Because traveling is part of my soul, we couldn’t stop. But it meant traveling differently. We road tripped all over the country exploring outdoor spaces where we could be alone and see the amazing landscapes that make up the USA!
We learned our kids loved to hike (yayyyy!) and that there’s so much more to see between beach destinations.
(by the way, you won’t see my kids’ faces on here – they’ll have their own story to tell online someday)
2021 wasn’t easy either.
Some of the best memories as a kid were traveling with my grandparents in their 1970’s motorhome. We went all over the USA in that thing and saw so much! During 2021, both of my grandparents passed which was incredibly difficult.
But out of the darkness came something bright: the idea that my husband and I wanted to give our kids a similar experience.
So, if the previous holdup to camping was running water – we’ve just found our solution.
In 2021 we purchased an RV and are showing our kids unique landscapes, amazing national and state parks, and even some cool cities in it, too.
Inspired Routes was created to share ideas, plans, gear and guides to help you enjoy the outdoors, in whatever way works best for you!
Let’s celebrate the outdoors
I truly believe this world was created to be explored. And no matter if you go all-in and backpack for a month through the Appalachian Mountains or you’re just getting comfortable with day hikes, you deserve to experience it, too.
Everyone is welcome outdoors!
The guides on Inspired Routes are created to help you feel at ease on your next adventure. From the best hiking and camping gear for newbies to detailed road trip itineraries, you’ll get excited to explore more.
And if you ever need to contact me please send me an email – I really read all of them! I’m at nikki (at) inspired routes (dot) com.