About
MEET THE BLOGGER
Hello, travelers! My name is Niki. Welcome to my little corner of the internet.
I created Chasing Departures as a place to document my adventures, share gorgeous photos, and inspire others to venture out and see the world. The world was quite literally at the tip of my fingers and I took advantage of the opportunity to travel every chance I got.
I’ve had some incredible experiences and have also had plenty of things go wrong.
I’ve danced in fountains in Spain, experienced rain in Death Valley, and lived abroad in Berlin. I’ve been in questionable situations, the most memorable being in New Orleans when I had one glass of absinthe and was way too drunk to stand up. And I’ve slept in just about every major airport in the US at least once and slept on airport floors for multiple nights in a row.
My last trip abroad was to England and I made it back to the States the day before the borders were closed to entry.
The COVID Era
COVID changed the world and while my bubble of the world was largely unchanged, something was different. I wanted nothing to do with jet-setting across the world and found myself traveling around my adopted home state, exploring all the place I’ve wanted to visit for so long.
I got COVID in November 2021 and found myself admitted to the hospital a week later. I was on 40L of oxygen and they were talking about transferring me to a hospital in a larger city to be put on a ventilator. Thankfully, one of the doctors gave me a couple of hours to just breathe and my oxygen requirements dropped to the point I was allowed to stay in my hometown.
Two weeks later they released me from medical jail. I was still on 5L of oxygen and could barely climb the three stairs to get into the house or walk across the room to get to the bathroom without feeling like I was dying.
The road to recovery was long. I was in pulmonary rehab five days a week for weeks and when I was finally done with rehab I slipped on the ice and dislocated my knee, taking me out for way longer than it should have. The doctors say I’ll need surgery on it eventually.
Cave adventuring at Rio Secreto on the Yucatan Peninsula.
01. Hanging out in the fish tunnel at the Lakes Aquarium in Windermere, England / 02. Standing in an archway at the Furness Abbey in England / 03. Standing in the road near Monument Valley / 04. Flying my drone on a frozen slough in North Dakota
The Next Chapter of Chasing Departures
Going forward, most photos on the blog won’t be my own due to losing everything in a house fire in 2022. As a photographer, the loss of all my photos was a huge hit. But life does go on and there are ways to continue without them.
Originally, Chasing Departures was a travel blog of my travels, but as I matured and changed, so did how I wanted to spend my time. I got my first “grown-up” job that gave me benefits. I bought a house. I want to buy land and start a homestead. All of that means traveling isn’t at the forefront of my life anymore. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have tips, tricks, stories, and more to share. Plus, I still get out and about to travel a couple of times per year.
All that to say, this will still be an internet destination for travel inspiration.
Other blogs I run are, Exploring North Dakota, a travel blog dedicated to my legendary adopted home state, and Love Newfoundlands, a dog blog that covers everything about the Newfoundland breed.
This or That
Here’s my take on big issues. Your thoughts?
| COFFEE | |
| DRAMA | |
| TRAIN | |
| HOTEL | |
| TAKE OUT |
My Bucket List
This is my personal list of destinations and travel adventures that I wish to visit and experience. I’m not going to put a timeline on the bucket list as life happens when it happens
| Storm Chasing on the American Plains |
| Hike the Inca Trail, Peru |
| Safari in Africa |
| Dive in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia |
| Stay in an Overwater Bungalow in Bora Bora |
| See the Cherry Blossoms in Japan |
| Learn to Bake Pastries in France |
| Ride the Trans-Siberian Railway |
| Road Trip on Highway 1 from San Diego to Seattle, USA |
| Visit all 50 states (currently have been to 47 states) |
