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Part-Time Traveler

Find your balance of travel and home. (A San Francisco based blog)

Home » About » About Me

About Me

“I should like to spend the whole of my life traveling abroad, if I could
 anywhere borrow another life to spend afterwards at home.” — William Hazlitt

<< about me >>

Sari
I’m just a small town girl who discovered the rest of the world.

Perfectly content in Smallville, USA (a tiny Northern California gold rush town), I left at eighteen for one of the world’s biggest cities and the world’s biggest universities.   After four years (and a short stint living in Barcelona) and I moved to the next stage of life, if you will, with an insatiable thirst to see the world.

Despite vowing to be nomadic all over the globe and remain a permanent explorer for life…I became drawn to building a life that included a career, a significant other, a community, a home.  Yet I found myself spending hundreds of hours of spare time talking, reading, dreaming about travel. Still, I learned I wasn’t quite ready to give those pursuits up to carry a backpack for months at a time.

As time passed and I found myself in a life that didn’t quite fit — I found myself through spurts of travel.  I visited friends in London, Shanghai, Rome, Sydney.  I applied for (and got) the company-sponsored volunteer opportunity abroad.

I taught third grade in India. I traveled solo through Nepal, climbed the Great Wall of China. I road-tripped New Zealand, attempted to conquer my fear of heights (and failed!), and fell in love…with foods and cultures I never even knew to dream about.  I did all of this…while holding a full-time job. 

When the time came for that job and I to go our separate ways, I took the opportunity and ran with it (flew with it? train-ed with it? rode with it?) and found myself halfway across the world. The longest I’ve traveled continuously was five months of full-time travel through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.  (Read more about my longest journey here and here.) I passionately believe you don’t have to change the life you’re living to see the world. But if you want to…you can, and it most certainly will change your life.

I returned home thinking (but maybe not believing…) that I could pick up where I left off.  As, piece-by-piece, the rest of my life as I knew it fell apart — I found myself free to create my life (this time) exactly as I want it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from travel, it’s that it’s really never too late to change the road we’re on.  And we’re truly lucky if we are in the position to do so.

After spending this year in the world, I insisted on building a life at home I loved as much as I love travel. The result was a move to San Francisco, which I affectionately call my“soul city.”  Though I my work is 100% remote and I can choose to be anywhere, I am committed to keeping a home base. I strive for and believe in the connection between and balance of travel and home.

With this newfound freedom comes much musing on a life well-lived, a few personal stories on my efforts to do so, but most of all…my commitment to helping you get out into the world and traveling.  It has made all the difference in my journey, and I’m confident it will in yours, too.

You don’t have to give up the life you’re already living to see the world. anne headshot

Whether you’re lost as to where to go next in your life, or you simply want to find a new place to energize your life for a few weeks…I want to help you get there.
As for me? There’s still a lot I don’t know.  One thing I know I still want to be…a part-time traveler.  I look forward to sharing the journey with you.

Eat well, travel well, live well, be well.

Anne Signature

Still curious?  Here are 65 Things About Me.

My aim is to help you prioritize seeing the world and feel empowered to travel internationally, even (especially) if you feel limited by 2-4 weeks of vacation time per year.  How can I help you?

Like what you’re reading?  Don’t miss a post via RSS or email.

P.S. I take photos in the phone booths of every country I visit.

All of the following photos are proud moments of travel achieved by goals I set for seeing the world within only 2-4 weeks of vacation per year.  (You can, too!)



Fox Glacier Anne

golden gate bridge reflection
…and there are more not displayed here.  …and there are many more to come!

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Winner of Gold and Silver 2019 Solas Awards for Best Travel Writing.

About Anne

Anne Lowrey is an award-winning travel writer based in San Francisco.

After spending a year in the world, she insisted on building a life at home she loved as much as she loves travel. The result was a move to SF, which she affectionately calls her “soul city.” She believes in the balance of and connection between time spent at home and abroad.

I’m Anne! I spend part of my time traveling the world and the other part living in my soul city, San Francisco.

I have a love for all things travel. I also have a love for nesting. I do NOT believe the two have to be mutually exclusive. If you seek that balance…you’ve come to the right place.

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Where Am I?

My last trip was three glorious weeks in Japan (with a short stop in Hong Kong) in January.

I’m currently at home in San Francisco, doubling down on nesting and wearing my mask ♡

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Find your balance between home and travel.

I feel elated. The stress is lifting, the weight i I feel elated. The stress is lifting, the weight in my chest is lessening. Is this what joy feels like? 🙌🏻

I won’t hold back any of my joy because I believe, I KNOW, that even the people who voted for Trump in this election will be better off with Biden as president.

And to top it off, today is a historic day for America — our first female Vice President, an intelligent and strong woman who is Black and Indian-American. Our girl from the Bay. YES KAMALA YES!!! I’m thrilled for Joe as well, a good man who has devoted himself to public service, bipartisanship, and to being an empathetic and kind leader.

I invite you to join me in celebrating this historic day!!!! So many of us can now breathe easier, and take the next steps toward healing this deeply wounded and divided country.

A win for democracy is a win for us all. That alone is worth breaking out the champagne for 🥂🇺🇸
Woke up to a huge wakeup call that I wish everyone Woke up to a huge wakeup call that I wish everyone in America could experience. It’s now past noon in San Francisco and it feels like the middle of the night. This picture is unedited, but the camera picked up more light than is present. It’s still so dark in my house that I can’t get around without the lights on.

We’ve gotten used to seeing and breathing smoke, but I never considered that there would be so much it could block out the sun almost entirely.

Understand that for us this comes after months of highly unusual weather patterns, including lightning storms and heat waves. The climate emergency is more urgent and dire than any of us realize.

I feel strongly that this is a preview of the future of this planet without serious and immediate change.
We need ACTION on #ClimateChange NOW.

PLEASE look into sustainable practices for your home and VOTE like your life and future generations depend on it. Don’t wait until seas rise or smoke blocks out the sun where you are.
—
#sanfrancisco #californiafires #climateactionnow #climatecrisis
Listening. Not just today, but every day moving fo Listening.
Not just today, but every day moving forward. That is the only way this  becomes lasting change.

BLACK LIVES MATTER.

#blackouttuesday

Edited to include: do NOT use the hashtag blacklivesmatter on your posts unless they pertain to the BLM movement itself. Please do not scroll past these squares without also watching IG stories of Black voices. I have shared some in mine if you need a place to start. ❤️
Happy Earth Day 🌎💚 More grateful than ever f Happy Earth Day 🌎💚
More grateful than ever for this beautiful planet of ours. May we never take nature (and being outside!) for granted.
—
#parttimetraveler #earthday2020 #missingtravel
Popping in to say hi 👋🏻 it’s a strange tim Popping in to say hi 👋🏻 it’s a strange time to be thinking about or advocating for travel. I’ll admit I’ve been more focused on things like the election and the effects of climate change and the coronavirus as of late. I don’t currently have any travel plans (!) but my heart goes out to everyone who has to cancel or reconsider upcoming trips. Gentle reminder that everyone has different considerations for why they do or do not travel, and when.
Here’s a soothing photo from beautiful Sicilia. 💛
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#parttimetraveler #sicilialove #sicilytravel #smallmomentsofcalm #placesilove
Do you prefer spending time in cities or the count Do you prefer spending time in cities or the countryside when exploring a country? For me this is an extra tough call in Japan. Hard not to see (very different) beauty in both 💛
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#parttimetraveler #hakata #fukuoka #cityscapes #reflectionphotography
Always love a Japanese garden 🌿 This one was es Always love a Japanese garden 🌿 This one was especially lovely, even in winter.
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#parttimetraveler #japanesegarden #kanazawa #japan2020
If I have one tip for visiting Kyoto, it’s to ma If I have one tip for visiting Kyoto, it’s to make sure to stay in the city itself. Wander at times and into places overlooked by most.
It is tempting to stay in very nearby Osaka (which is a lot of fun, and can be cheaper) and/or stick to the well-defined tourist trail — but I’ve found that the off-peak hours offer the best experiences there. Unlike in most cities, for me it’s the quiet moments and peaceful respites that bring Kyoto to life.
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#parttimetraveler #kyototravel #smallmomentsofcalm #japan2020
Japan’s art and museums are consistently some of Japan’s art and museums are consistently some of my favorites in the world. They even have an “art island” (Naoshima!)
Even if art isn’t at the top of your list while traveling, I highly suggest checking some out while in Japan. Anyone have a favorite there to share?
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#parttimetraveler #japaneseart #museumsoftheworld #japan2020
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