Hi! I’m Chris Román. I’m so glad you’re here!
I’m a sixty-something San Diego-based freelance writer, new watercolor artist, and mom who lives to travel. After 30 years of ghostwriting books and articles for VIPs, I retired and made blogging my full-time gig! It’s been six years since then.
I think of myself as a “value” traveler…not a budget traveler, really. I’m about smart planning to stretch your travel dollar without sacrificing comfort…connecting with locals through immersive travel…and enriching my life through delicious foods, new experiences, and deep appreciation for the beauty in our world today.
This is Steve, my husband of 38 years. Until he retired a few years ago, he was a research scientist. These days, he’s in charge of tech support and travel logistics for Explore Now Or Never. We mostly travel together.
I’ve craved travel ever since I was a summer exchange student to Brazil back in high school. That experience inspired me to sign up for a full exchange year in France my junior year of college at UC Santa Barbara, which was a truly transformative year for me. (I finally returned for a visit in 2019, 32 years later! You can read about my experience here.)
In fact, it’s a big reason why I’m still so passionate about the value of year abroad programs for students (and sent our daughter to Italy!).
Our two kids are all grown up now. Our daughter is a medical resident and our son is a software engineer. However, back when I was raising two kids as a stay-at-home mom while managing a busy freelance writing career on the side, I scratched my travel itch with (free) home exchanges throughout the western United States.
I sure wish I would’ve known back then though about all the other ways to make international travel more affordable!
In 2022, Steve took an early retirement so we could travel the world without hoarding vacation time. But then, in 2023—just two weeks before our epic hiking trip to Norway—I got a surprise diagnosis of ovarian cancer and all travel ceased while I underwent treatment for a year.
I’m so grateful to be in remission now. You just never know what tomorrow will bring.
And that’s why I’d like to encourage you to stop making excuses if you feel the same kind of wanderlust that I do. Along the way, I’ve learned that satisfying travel experiences enrich my life, spark my gratitude, and make me smile long after the trip is over… in a way that buying a new car or a bigger house just can’t do.
I’m out to change the perception that travel should be a once-in-awhile luxury vacation to indulge in when you find yourself with spare cash…or that it’s a “someday” proposition after the college bills are paid or you have more time in retirement.
Go now! Someday is here. Explore Now or Never.