Traveling Like A Future Resident

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a love/hate relationship with Los Angeles. It’s a weird place to live and while great for the entertainment industry, I’m constantly waiting for them to realize I’m not cool enough for the party and kick me out. It’s basically a constant case of middle school insecurity.

The realization that I can work from anywhere, combined with filming a travel show around the country has given me new perspective when I go to new cities. Every time I travel it is now with the mindset of “Could I live here?” When I go, I try to experience the city as a local (which I recommend when traveling in general); I go for morning runs to explore neighborhoods, find the local coffee shops and dive bars and just really try to imagine what it would be like.

Every now and then I visit a city or state that just feels like me. The ones that most recently come to mind are Tempe, Arizona, Syracuse, New York, and Portland, Maine. I’m not sure if it’s their beer scenes, outdoor adventure, or just really darn good people but they got me! Looking at a city from a living perspective also changes things: What is the age range of the people I see out? What would a weekend getaway be? What neighborhoods look cute?

It’s a unique way to travel and in a lot of ways has made me realize that I could live in a lot of places and make them my home. In the end there’s always something missing (usually snowy mountains) that keeps me in LA…for now…but it’s given me new perspective of some incredible cities around America!