Today we’d like to introduce you to Krista Landis.
Hi Krista, It’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us. To start, could you share some of your backstory with our readers?
A love of travel is in my blood. I’ve always loved to travel and explore new places; it’s a passion of mine, that was ingrained in me when I was young. My first cross-country trip was at 9 months old, and I’ve been traveling ever since. When I was 10 my family spent 6 weeks driving across the US, from Oregon to Pennsylvania. We stopped in over 38 states on that trip. We explored multiple national parks, landmarks, and historical sights, traversed across magnificent scenic areas, and visited friends and many families. I remember being transfixed by the variety of landscapes, massive mountains with incredible snow-capped peaks, vast wide open spaces, and observing the sky full of stars twinkling and shining brightly once we were away from the bright city lights. It was mesmerizing as a child to witness the dramatic change in terrain as we drove from one state to the next and marveling at the sky (while we drove from place to place. I loved watching giant storms roll across the Great Plains of South Dakota & Wyoming, listening to the thunder, and watching flashes of brilliant light streak across the sky with thunderous claps that rumbled so loudly I could feel the reverberations. Those are moments I’ll never forget.
My first international trip was to England with my youth group when I was 17. I spent 3 weeks exploring the English Countryside, a week at a youth church camp, and a few days being a tourist in London. The fantastic city of London left a lasting impression on me and has always evoked wonderful nostalgic memories. The magical feeling of riding on top of an old double-decker bus & seeing all the sights, riding under the London Tower Bridge, seeing the Tower of London, Picadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey & Big Ben, St. Pauls Cathedral & Buckingham Palace for the first time was incredible! Other travels have taken me to multiple destinations in Mexico, several provinces in Canada, a road trip across the Republic of Ireland, a few different trips to London, a 10-day Mediterranean Cruise, time in Athens, and the Greek islands of Mykonos, Corfu, Crete & Zakynthos, happily wandering through Venice Italy, exploring the marvels of Montenegro, touring the French countryside and a fantastic time strolling around Paris, exploring 45 of 50 US states and multiple visits to the charming city of Charleston, SC. All of these travels & adventures have planted a yearning deep within my soul to travel, experience other cultures, meet new people & connect with the locals, visit new countries, and continue exploring new destinations. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed sharing this passion with my audience on my Instagram & blog and inspiring them to plan more adventures and explore the world. This led to starting a website where my travel itineraries, travel guides & checklists are available to assist in planning your next adventure!
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As a survivor of DV (domestic violence & abuse), part of my story is often hard to share because of some harrowing situations that wreaked havoc and chaos in my life and nearly destroyed me. The struggles, obstacles, losses and gutwrenching experiences, mental, physical, and emotional anguish I endured and overcame taught me so many valuable lessons that changed & molded me into who I am today: a strong woman who survived over a decade in a toxic, abusive marriage, escaping from our abuser, living in hiding while single parenting & raising 2 children and attending college at the same time. I could write a novel with everything I’ve experienced and how I escaped, the lessons I’ve learned, how those shaped & taught me and, how I’ve grown, and the strength I’ve found since I escaped that life. Being a survivor has shifted my entire perspective and formed my new outlook on life to live every day to the fullest: spending time with loved ones, creating and making memories, laughing as much as possible, chasing your dreams, and pursuing the things that bring you joy!
During my first marriage, I rarely traveled; it wasn’t until I re-met & eventually married my husband Brad that I began to travel again and my love of traveling was reawakened. We love exploring and experiencing new places and things together; our first adventure was our honeymoon in Maui. Some of our first big adventures were a submarine tour where we went over 200 feet below the surface to the ocean floor and riding in a helicopter for a tour of Maui, Molokai & Lanai during our trip. Over the years, we’ve taken hundreds of road trips with our kids; multiple road trips have been across the state of Oregon, up and down the length of California & Washington. In June of 2020, we drove more than 2200 miles across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana & Wyoming on a road trip to multiple National Parks & drove over 2000 miles from Sarasota, Florida, up the East Coast to Boston, Massachusets on a long road trip in the Spring of 2022. We’ve flown across the country multiple times and made several road trips up and down the East Coast. We are currently planning our next trip, our first international family adventure! Last Summer, Brad and I celebrated our 10th anniversary with a 16-day European adventure & a 10-day Mediterranean cruise that was incredible!
Thanks. What else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a social media content creator, mainly on Instagram & a blogger. I’m a natural planner and especially love organizing and planning itineraries for our adventures. A few years ago, I realized that I’m usually the friend asked to plan/arrange details for our girl’s getaways and asked for input or suggestions for their own travels. Over the years, I’ve helped many friends and acquaintances with suggestions and referrals of locations I loved & exciting places they should add to their itineraries. It became so frequent that I started to share my advice & suggestions on my social media account, and it’s developed into a resource that I can point them to when questions arise or they request advice. I also have a website, stampsinmypassport.com, where I share my travel itineraries, travel tips & insights, travel guides, and checklists that can be purchased as a digital download. I’ve been inspired by other cultures and experiences while visiting several parts of the world, and my goal is to inspire others. To spark & ignite a desire to get out of their comfort zone, take a leap of faith to explore or visit a new place, step into unchartered territory, and go for it. To pursue their dreams and achieve what they desire/want to achieve.
Do you have any big plans?
I always have multiple lists and Google Docs for current trips I’m planning, future destinations to research, and dream bucket list destinations I want to visit. I’m fortunate that my husband and kids enjoy traveling as much as I do & that I have a fantastic group of girlfriends who share the same love for traveling and are always up for our next adventure together. Currently, I’m in the middle of planning multiple back-to-back adventures for this coming April 2024. My next adventure will be a girl’s trip to explore a few Central California areas & part of Highway 1 with a 1-day turnaround before traveling to Victoria, Canada, on another girl’s getaway. Then, I will do a few more local adventures with my husband and kids around Oregon and Washington. September will be the most extensive trip we’ll take this year, with a grand adventure to celebrate my son’s graduation from high school in 2025. We are still making arrangements for his trip and are excited to figure out the details as we narrow down all the destinations. I’m also in the beginning stages of putting together a rough outline for a Southwest States road trip with my husband and kids & making itinerar for returning to Charleston, SC next Spring & planning to visit Germany with girlfriends in 2025, and a trip along the New England states for the fall of 2026.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stampsinmypassport.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stampsinmypassport1/
Image Credits
The first photo (black dress, jean jacket) & standing with the Eiffel Tower (I’m wearing a long red dress) were both taken by Erica Miller Photography- link is: https://www.ericamiller.photography/
