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About me

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Hi! I’m Caitlin – the (much) shorter half of the Axels and a passionate traveler, experience collector, food lover, and amateur wine connoisseur. I’ve traveled to 32 countries and counting, and pride myself in my ability to seek out the most unique and memorable experiences around the world. For me, life is all about spending time with those you love and experiencing new places in the far corners of the world. I feel most alive when I’m in a new city, eating the best local food and enjoying quality time with my husband.

My first trip abroad was to France and Italy through my high school’s foreign language program, and it’s safe to say that after that short trip, I was hooked—I knew I had to find a way to incorporate more travel into my life. In college, I applied to study abroad in Rome and, the following summer, joined a student volunteer program building Penguin homes in Phillip Island, Australia and touring the continent’s west coast. 

After many more trips abroad in my adult years, I made the biggest commitment to a travel lifestyle to date – I quit my job with the goal to travel the world for a full year with my husband, Corey, by my side. Follow the Axels was originally created as a way to share our year-long journey with family and friends, but has evolved into so much more. Now, I harness my love of travel to help others plan epic trips and build lasting memories with their loved ones. 

The story of Follow the Axels

After years of building successful careers in Silicon Valley, my husband and I decided we wanted a break from the grind of our corporate jobs. We dreamed of quitting our jobs to travel full-time, and prioritized taking trips abroad together each year while we figured out how to make it happen.

Finally, after years of planning and only 6 months after getting married – we made the leap. We gave notice to our respective companies and began packing up our apartment. We left behind a neighborhood, jobs, and friends that we loved in the pursuit of a more fulfilled life. And we never looked back.

We spent a full year traveling around the world making memories and collecting experiences we’ll never forget. We dove into local cultures and opened our hearts to people and places we had never experienced before. We felt like we were really living and realized that the mundane of the 9-5 grind wasn’t making us happy.

I shared our travels on @followtheaxels for our friends and family to see. I started receiving a lot of questions from loved ones about how to plan such epic trips, find such unique places to stay and such amazing experiences. I was frequently told by friends that they had never even considered visiting a place until they saw chronicles of my trip there. I began sharing my travel tips with friends and family and loved every minute of it. It makes me happy to help others make lasting memories with those closest to them.