Stepping Into The Journey

Hello, fellow wanderers — I’m Victoeria, your hostess here at Toerist Trap, where every trip comes with a view from the ground up.

If we haven’t met yet, here’s what you need to know: I’m adventurous, energetic, and just whimsical enough to say “yes” to detours, hidden trails, and funky little roadside attractions most people speed right past. I’m not here for the kind of vacation where you never leave the lounge chair. No, wherever I land — whether it’s a cobblestoned alley in Europe, a misty Hawaiian crater, or a dusty stretch of Route 66 — I want to be out there exploring, chasing something unexpected.

This summer, that spirit took me on my biggest adventure yet: a cross-country road trip from the Santa Monica Pier to Coney Island and back again. One whole month, thousands of miles, and more quirky stops than I can count. National Parks? Check. Neon roadside motels? Absolutely. ghost towns, floating cabanas, tiny diners with enormous pie slices? Yes, yes, and yes again. Somewhere along the way, I realized that “should I stop here?” isn’t really a question anymore — my answer is always yes.

And because I believe memories live in the little details, I started documenting my travels in the easiest way I knew how: through my feet. Before you laugh, hear me out — taking a picture from my own vantage point is far easier (and more honest) than twisting around for a selfie or relying on strangers to capture the moment. Whether I’m dangling my toes over a canyon rim, stretching out in an airplane seat, or stepping across a centuries-old stone street, those snapshots are both playful and personal. They remind me exactly where I was standing when the world stopped and took my breath away.

So yes, you’ll see plenty of feet here on Toerist Trap — they’re my built-in travel companions, the “soles” of my adventures (see what I did there?). But more than that, they’re my way of inviting you to follow in my footsteps as I keep wandering.

Over the past five years, those footsteps have taken me across Alaska’s glaciers, into the heart of Kraków (twice, because once wasn’t enough), across the misty moors of Scotland, into the pubs of Ireland, down the boulevards of Paris, and over Hawaii’s volcanic ridges. And the plans ahead are just as exciting: I’m heading back to the UK soon, and if all goes right, I’ll finally make my dream trip to Korea.

What kind of adventures can you expect here? The fun and funky kind. One day it might be the dizzying descent into a salt mine, the next it might be a trail through a national park, or even just a perfectly kitschy roadside attraction begging for a photo. The only rule I travel by is this: if it makes me pause and wonder, I’m going to check it out.

This blog is my open travel diary — a place where I’ll share stories, snapshots, and little discoveries from every corner I explore. Think of it like catching up with a friend who’s always one trip ahead, sending postcards with a wink. You might stumble in here because you’re curious about a destination, or maybe you followed me over from social media. Either way, welcome.

There’s a lot more road to cover, a lot more stamps to collect, and plenty of photos to take along the way. I’m glad you’ve joined me at the start of this journey — because the best part of a Toerist Trap isn’t getting stuck. It’s realizing that sometimes, the detour is the whole point.

Until the next stop,

Victoeria