ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A Rochester woman is living her best life, doing what most of us only dream of. But how do you travel the world on a modest salary? Budgeting.
Kris Dreessen has been traveling since she was a kid. It’s a trail that’s taken her all around the world — literally.
“I say I like caught the wanderlust bug,” said Dreessen. “And never stopped.”
Dreessen figures she has traveled to at least 40 countries.
“They're often off the beaten path,” she said. “Or the other way, way, way beaten path.”
Paths traveled mostly solo. From Germany to Africa to South America and beyond.
“It seems like everywhere I go, people will ask me if I'm alone,” she said. “And usually that is also followed with, oh wow, I don't know if I could ever do that.”
Wherever she goes, there are photos to be taken. Not so much to highlight the destination, but the journey.
“The more I travel, I see the differences. And that's what makes it unique and interesting,” said Dreessen. “But more importantly, every time I go somewhere new, my favorite thing in the world is to find the similarities in the strangers that I meet.”
Be it at some distant location or here at home, Dreessen looks for the things people might pass by. Things, and people, that make places special.
“I’m hoping that people can see that everyday people can make a difference,” she said.
The writer and journalist keeps a blog detailing her travels. The appropriately-named “Wandering Kris” — and “Kris Around the World” shows people you can travel on a budget. All it takes is the right plan.
“I call myself the queen of cheap travel,” said Dreessen. “I feel like a lot of people think it's out of their reach. But it really isn't if you look at different things that you can do and where you spend your money.”
To save money, Dreessen often stays in hostels, or with local families.
“I am really grateful for how welcoming and helpful people are,” she said.
The adventure is what you make it. Especially on a trail less traveled.
“When I come home, it's not necessarily the things I saw,” she said. “But the experiences I had and, and the friends that I make along the way.“