Hey hi hello! I am so glad you’re here.
My name is Tara, and welcome to Where Tara Went: my corner of the web dedicated to slow, responsible, adventure travel. I’ve been known to jump out of planes, hop off of bridges, and drink a dangerous amount of black coffee. I’ve also been to seek out adventure and soak up life from every pore.
My hope is to inspire everyone to get out and see this big, beautiful world. I was born in the U.S., grew up in the U.K., and made homes in New Zealand and Laos as an adult. I started this site in 2011 before leaving university in Montana to study in New Zealand. I turned freelance writing and content creation into my full-time job while adventuring across four continents and 64 countries. It's all sort of come full circle as I now find myself based back in the U.K.
What started as a silly little online diary slowly transformed into a space on the internet filled with travel tips, in-depth itineraries, and stories from my suitcase.
My aim on this silly little site is to do more than show you all the best places for brunch and where to get the best photos— though all those things are included too; we’re not overly self-righteous. My primary focus, however, is on facilitating important discussions around responsible travel, ethical tourism, and the environmental impact of it all.
I hope that Where Tara Went will encourage travelers to dive deeper wherever they go— wandering off the beaten path, having more local experiences, and choosing more ethical and environmentally-conscious tour operators, accommodation options, and travel excursions.
Having traveled the majority of my time here on this big, blue planet, I feel it is imperative that there are spaces on the internet with clear, authentic voices that share not only the cutest places for coffee but the gritty stories from the backstreets of every town you may not have even heard of.
Let’s create more meaningful experiences wherever we wander.