About

Welcome to Lemon Bubbly,

an inspirational & educational site

for budget-conscious adventure

enthusiasts and travel lovers!

My story

My name is Brittanie and I’m on a perpetual search for affordable adventure. I live for planning trips and exploring anywhere new!

To put it lightly, I have a chronic case of the travel-bug. Living out of my suitcase has always felt a bit more like home than any address that was ever printed on my license. I have been fortunate enough to have seen some of our world’s most beautiful places and have felt first hand the impact of how those once-in-a-lifetime experiences have enriched my life.

My first international trip was in 2007. I was 16 and made a solo flight across the Atlantic to the Netherlands during Spring Break to see my best friend, Anne, who had moved back “home.” My parents bought my flight as a sweet 16 presesnt. What wasn’t to love about visiting my first new country and being of legal drinking age? 😋 I loved it so much that I grabbed the third best friend in our trio, Blair, and went back again in 2008 during Christmas break, which I saved up for and paid for myself!

I went home and vowed to spend the rest of my life travelling. I made a pact with a highschool buddy, Ross, that we would backpack in Europe after college graduation, and I’ll be damned if I wasn’t going to keep that promise to myself. Eight days after I graduated from the University of Maryland, I hopped on a plane with Ross and his brother, Darren, for a 6-week Euro-trip through Amsterdam (we picked up Anne!), Berlin, Prague, Interlaken, Milan, Rome, Amalfi, Cinque Terre, Santorini, Nice, Paris, and London!

This was really the trip that started my quest of learning how to plan intricate and logistical adventures, on a dime. We spent a ton of time on trains and buses and when we had to, flew on budget airlines. We stayed in hostels and with friends. In Paris, Ross slept on a pool float on the floor of a tiny studio apartment where another friend from college was living for the summer and let us crash. We were broke college grads but made it work!

In 2014, Lemon Bubbly was born. This specific trip was a volunteer trip that my friends and family helped me raise enough money to go on. On the first night of the trip at a hostel Cusco, Peru, there was a painting on the wall that said “champagne lifestyle on a lemonade wage.” Instantly, I knew that was my definition, I just had to come up with the name. Ultimately, my best friend Kate was the genius who figure it out (she gets royalties if I ever get rich)!

Lemon Bubbly (noun): champagne lifestyle on a lemonade wage

I can certainly afford more now than I could in 2013/2014, but I still plan on a budget: looking for the best deals and times to travel, taking full advantage of rewards points, and splitting costs with travel buddies. In the last 10 years I’ve checked nearly 40 countries and so many new states off my bucket list!

Ultimately, I’ve realized I have a knack for planning. I’m a big fan of 1-2 week, multi-location, logistically-intricate, unconventional yet affordable, adventures that pack in as much as humanly possible (while still fully enjoying each location and having some relaxation). I tend to need a vacation from my vacations. Though, at least once a year, I do plan a more relaxing trip with fewer activities and more time to rest & recharge.

It’s my hope that Lemon Bubbly becomes a place of mutual motivation where we hold each other accountable to go after what we want; a community of friends that encourages one another to forge paths, overcome fears, and find what a beautiful life means uniquely to you! We live on this big, beautiful planet and we should explore it while we are able to appreciate it fully!

Now, let’s get going! Shall we?

XO,