About
Welcome! Wanderlust Alley is a home for travel lovers with a thirst for adventure. I’m happy to have you here!
Welcome to the Squad!
My name is Alley and I’m the creator behind Wanderlust Alley. The purpose of this blog and my Youtube Channel is to inspire travelers to live a life beyond fear, and unlock their inner wanderlust (& to do so with joy in their hearts).
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” -Niel Donald Walsch
LET'S COLLABORATE
LET'S COLLABORATE
Wanderlust Alley has a community of over 600k people and a reach of over 10 million viewers on a monthly basis.
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My Story
Something I get asked all the time is “so have you always loved traveling?” And the answer to that is always an astounding “no!”
My story begins in Southern California in 1997. I was born into a beautiful family and grew up alongside my 3 little brothers (however, not so little anymore). In my childhood, I was so fortunate to have such a loving and supportive family with everything I pursued; however, something we did not do a lot of was travel .
Because this was something I didn’t grow up with, in my teen years I struggled to see the value of it. For example, I remember telling my friends at lunchtime:
“Traveling sounds like such a waste of money.”
Well, that all began to change during my senior year of high school..
The Year Everything Changed
During my senior year of high school, I was offered an amazing opportunity to be a traveling assistant for a dance convention.
At the time, I was definitely more stoked for the dancing aspect of it…
but it ended up opening up a whole new world for me! After all, this was my first time in a plane in over 10 years, and I was also doing it alone!
I went to South Carolina, Indiana, Texas, Michigan, Louisiana (2x), Mississippi, and Missouri.
This is me!
and Then, I moved to Japan at 19.
My first adult job was at Disneyland.
The main reason I wanted to attend Chapman University (other than the dance program), was because it’s 10 minutes away from Disneyland. So when the summer before my freshman year approached, I started going to auditions and got hired!
I worked here for 1 year before going to a Tokyo Disneyland audition on a whim. Honestly, I didn’t think I would get that job. At the time, I was feeling a bit lost and looking for a sign of some sort. Well, I got the sign loud & clear when I was offered to work at Tokyo Disneyland for 15 months!
When I moved to Japan, this was my first time even owning a passport; but for some reason there was no part of me that was scared. I immediately felt right at home and started going on trips every single weekend!
My first year with a passort.
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Dragon's Back, Hong Kong
This was such a stunning hike that we did! This was my first international trip outside of Japan.
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Hanok Village, South Korea
This was my first time solo traveling to another country! Terrifying and thrilling all at the same time.
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Tokyo, Japan
This was essentially my home for 15 months straight! Tokyo became a place I felt so safe and free.
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Nami Island, South Korea
A stop on my solo Seoul trip!
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Downtown Hong Kong
My favorite part of the day was eating a rainbow grilled cheese, egg tarts, and dumplings.
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Hakone Open Air Museum-Japan
My first solo trip in Japan!
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Shanghai, China
Shanghai was nothing like what I imagined! I was there for 2 days using the stop over visa.
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Miyajima Island, Japan
Booked a impomtu trip to Hiroshima for a research project! Miyajima is just a ferry ride away.
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Nabana no Sato-Mie, Japan
Description goes here -
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Kegon Falls-Nikko, Japan
A short day trip from Tokyo and so seasonally diverse and beautiful!
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Ashikaga Flower Park
Went on a flower tour to see the wisteria!
Living in Japan was the most incredible thing I could have done for myself at 19 years old. I was able to discover a newfound sense of self and this gave me the confidence to pursue anything and understand that nothing is off limits.
After coming home from Japan, I decided to pursue my career as a performer more intensely before returning to travel. Here’s a few example of what I was up to!
Laker Girls 2018-2019
"Twist & Shout" in Niagara Falls
Book Cover Model
HBO's "Winning Time"
But I was always called back to travel.
Dance has always been a lifelong passion of mine, but travel has provided a type of fulfillment that I have never experienced before. While I was pursuing entertainment, I actually started to feel trapped when I was within the constraints of a gig.
Because of this, I’m no longer pursuing the hustle and bustle lifestyle that comes with being a professional dancer in the city, but rather making choices that honor my wanderlust.
So now, whether it’s accepting a cruise contract, moving back to Japan, or just freely traveling around the world, that is at the forefront of my journey and something I now am sharing on my social media platforms!
Of course it’s fun to create content for myself and have amazing memories to look back on; however, I hope I can also provide value to my audience and inspire people from all over the world to explore a little more…