About The Wanderful Me

Hey! I’m Sophie, a small-town Minnesotan turned travel addict. Not too long ago, I was attending university earning my degree in Marketing. I had an awesome internship at a small marketing firm, where I could grow and flourish into a full-time marketer.

Fast forward a little bit, I now have my marketing degree… and I’ve said “so long!” to the business realm.

I’m off chasing my dreams of becoming a world traveler. Stumbling my way across the earth, searching for mouth-watering vegan eats in every little corner of the world!

My love for travel started with a school trip.

I was a sophomore in high school and in my second year of taking German. The following summer, students had the opportunity to go on a trip to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland to learn more about the culture and German language.

I was apprehensive about it first, but when I made the official decision to go with fellow students and friends on the adventure, I started getting excited!

It was my first time going overseas and I didn’t know what to expect, but holy buckets, the trip blew my mind.

After growing up in a small Minnesotan town, I wasn’t expecting the culture shock I experienced. The continent of Europe is very different — much more densely populated and a completely different culture than what I’d grown up in.

But that didn’t stop me from falling in love with the adventure.

Thus, my addiction to traveling the world was put into place.

In 2013, I started attending university. And decided that I wanted to study abroad. After doing some research on various study abroad programs and locations, I picked a summer program in Salzburg, Austria and made it my goal to get there. I told myself, “it’s going to happen.”

And it did.

During the summer of 2014, I packed up my things and after a hop and a skip across the big ole’ pond called the Atlantic Ocean, I landed in Salzburg, Austria to spend a month studying at the University of Salzburg and living it up in the culture-filled city.

The month just flew by.

A year passed by and I had the chance to go back. The summer of 2015 was nearing and my sister wanted to go on the high school German trip. Considering my sister is one of my BFF’s, I made the decision to go on the trip with her as a chaperone.

I was going back to Europe!

The two of us took on Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, visiting Disney-worthy castles, exploring the Black Forest, admiring the Austrian Alps, and eating all the Swiss chocolate!

After we returned home from the trip, I set a goal for myself: I was going to go backpacking after graduating from college so I could experience the world… Before I had to set foot into the real world (like getting a big girl job and whatnot).

Fast forward two years, I’ve finally finished my university education, graduating with a major in marketing and a minor in international business.

And a week after taking my last final—EVER—I hopped on a plane and landed on the beautiful island of Bali, Indonesia to backpack around Southeast Asia

Since then, there’s no sign of me slowing down!

It’s been nearly 7 years since that plane ride to Bali and I’m still living my dream of traveling the world as a vegan and showing others that exploring the world with a more compassionate path in mind doesn’t have to be hard!

Sophie on Top of the Mountains • About Me | The Wanderful Me
On top of the world in the Austrian Alps.
Wandering through Scotland.
Admiring the views at the White Cliffs of Dover.
Vegan burger and coffee with coconut milk. YUM!

One big goal of mine is to show others how easy it is to travel as a vegan.

Why am I vegan? Or why do I want to show others traveling as a vegan isn’t hard, you might ask?

Well, I made the decision to adopt a plant-based and vegan lifestyle in March 2015. Now, and at the time, it’s the best choice I’ve made for myself.

I’m über passionate about it and really like talking about the benefits of the lifestyle to others. It has really changed me and my outlook on life. (In fact, I totally think going vegan saved my life… find out why here.)

I want to inspire vegans to travel the world and experience it like any other traveler, albeit a more compassionate path of travel.

Many vegans – and vegetarians – believe it’s hard to travel the world as a strict veggie eater. Exploring new places, unsure if any restaurant will offer a vegan meal, or if the locals will even understand what ‘vegan’ means can be unsettling. I want to show vegans around the world that traveling with a vegan lifestyle in mind isn’t as difficult as one may think.

I hope you follow me along my travels and maybe after seeing what I’m eating, you’ll consider trying a vegan dish once in a while 😉

You still wanna learn some more about me? SURE!

Here are some random facts about me —

  • I grew up in a small town in northern Minnesota with a population of about 8,000. It was sometimes the worst and sometimes the best. Everyone knows each other but secrets and gossip spread like wildfire. It’s weird. And annoying.
  • I have the typical midwest accent. If you would like to hear it, please watch this video: “Sh*t Minnesotans Say” on YouTube and you’ll understand (NOTE: my accent isn’t THAT bad). Also, yes, we do say a good majority of that shit.
  • The town/city where I lived and attended college is the coldest city in the continental United States. So, in other words, I can pretty much survive anything.
  • I have one sister, who is one of my best friends and I love dearly.
  • My family has a golden retriever named Bennett. He’s the favorite child (dog). And the love of my life.
  • I have one tattoo. It’s a map of the continents on my left wrist.
  • I eat a lot of rice and beans. (yes, I’m the typical vegan. GO PLANTS!)
  • Currently, my favorite country is Austria.
  • As far as I know, I’m not allergic to anything. *Score*
  • I graduated from the University of North Dakota in May 2017 with a major in Marketing and a minor in International Business.
  • A favorite quote of mine is: “Every kind word, every smile you offer to someone who might be having a bad day comes back you to you in ways you’d never expect.”
  • Another one is: “Adventure awaits. 
  • I’ve been told I’m super oblivious. I suppose I can admit I’m not the best at paying attention.
  • Some movies I’m always super psyched to watch: any Harry Potter movie, LOTR series (including the Hobbit trio), Star Wars, or pretty much any nerdy series.
  • I’m very, very passionate about traveling (duh).

If you want to know anything else, just shoot me an email!

Wander on fellow travelers and get lost on purpose,

Sophie xx

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