Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Tonne.
Alicia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Last year, after being let go from an amazing company I’d busted my butt for – I decided I wouldn’t hold off taking vacations for my career any longer. I wanted a year to work on personal growth and to me that mainly meant doing all the things in life I’d been putting off. I would say yes to friends when they wanted to travel somewhere, I would prioritize experience over materialistic goods, and I would start crossing things off my bucket list.
I started with trying the things I’d never done because I thought I couldn’t – so first up was a hiking trip to Central Texas. Soon enough, I was hiking every weekend, and working toward saving my money for other weekend trips. I wanted an equal mix of the outdoors and city exploration. Last summer, I went to New York City and visited White Sands National Monument within the same month. It was at White Sands that my goals got a little clearer. I discovered the National Parks Service Passport book that listed all sites in the nation and kept a place for you to collect all their personalized stamps. I knew I would one day see them all. With this goal in mind, I made it my mission to finish the Southwest Region by the end of 2018. (and I’m only four trips away from my goal!)
I spent a lot of last years traveling, but also trying new things in my own hometown, Dallas. I wanted to explore the idea of richer experiences and truly discovering all the exciting facets my city could offer. I started with the obvious tourist things like visiting Reunion Tower, which I hadn’t done since I was little; but I also wanted to get adventurous and try things like a sage-making class and goat yoga.
Through all this, I started my blog somewhere along the way to share what I’ve learned and how there’s still so much to learn and do in life, no matter what age you start. My blog, wherewithalicia, will hopefully inspire others to start doing what they’ve always wanted to do – whatever that may be!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road – literally. A lot of my time is spent in the car on long road trips and car-camping. Seeking out nature, I find myself often in the middle of nowhere. While the views are spectacular, it certainly teaches self-reliance. My GPS has failed, I’ve gotten flat tires, and I have worried about all other sorts of vehicular emergencies. But I’ve made it through. It’s always worked out, even after the trouble.
This practical life lesson has taught me to be flexible when it comes to everything else in life. I’ve had to cancel trips because of family emergencies. I’ve missed out on going to a concert because a friend’s flight in got delayed. Itineraries have had to shift because of weather, budgeting, and being sick. Things come up – that’s life. Trying to be constantly on the move and exploring new things, it’s okay when plans get delayed – and even sometimes canceled. Running a travel and experience blog, I know that even the bad experiences are still new and can have a lesson in them if you learn to look.
wherewithalicia – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My blog, wherewithalicia, is all about adventure and experience. It’s got a dual-sided nature and city-life aspect to it. On one hand, I work to share all the National Park sites and local hiking trails, and on the other, I head to local festivals and explore new spots in Dallas. My goal is to try and always say yes. Yes to my own ideas of adventure, but also yes to what the people in my life would like to try. I want my readers and followers to take away the idea that you can put your own personal resources to going after the things you want in life. Whether that be time or money, or even fear of the unknown, you can prioritize what you do to accomplish your goals. This idea reiterated back to me by my readers is what I’m most proud of. When someone specifically says that I’ve inspired them to travel more or live like a tourist in their own city, I know my blog’s true purpose.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment so far as a blogger was being able to open up and learning that authenticity gets you further. One of my biggest steps in the previous year was not letting my autoimmune disorder hold me back from going after the things I wanted. Opening up and sharing my experience having Chronic Urticaria was so hard. A lot of my travels and hiking trips have been affected by my disorder. But I made a decision to promote full disclosure because it was something out of my control that I could no longer ignore. And the response I got was astounding! Not only did I find others in the blogging community with similar issues and fears, I heard from so many others who all seem to be struggling with something. Building that bridge of communication and connection through the platform of my blog was so gratifying and personal.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wherewithalicia.com
- Email: aliciatonne@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wherewithalicia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wherewithalicia
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/atonne
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
