we're AJ and DJ
hi friends,
Long love story short.. met when we were eleven, got married in our thirties! We're part-time travelers based in the US, and have collectively visited over 20 countries and 35 US states. Think of us as your millennial travel guides, helping you make the most out of your vacations, hotel stays, and itineraries! We share what's worth your time and $$, mistakes to avoid, and offer our honest takes on bucket-list destinations, local day trips and dates, and more! What can we say? We like to keep it real. There's nothing more frustrating than seeing how beautiful and romanticized a place appears on social media, to feeling mislead or disappointed when you arrive. We've experienced that feeling first-hand, which led to our passion in travel transparency and starting this blog! So, what else can you expect from us? Some hidden gems, budget-friendly alternatives, and a little bit of luxury. Let's get packing!
a little more about us..
Hi, loves! I was born and raised in New Jersey, in the same small town as DJ! I started dancing at six years old, and it was love at first dance! I earned my BFA in Dance from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, then went on to pursue my career as a Professional Dancer. Growing up, I always dreamed of traveling the world and started to turn that dream into reality by moving to Mazatlan, MX after I graduated. I went on to perform and premiere my own choreographic works on stages across the US, Mexico, and Canada.
Life hasn't always been easy, when I was 19 I was diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis, taking me on a year-long journey to remission, had 3 knee surgeries caused by dance-related injuries, and suffered 2 years from a mysterious chronic illness. As a dancer and avid traveler, you can imagine how terrifying these obstacles were for me, but I took my life back and am so proud of who I am today! When I'm not traveling, you can find me in the dance or yoga studio, creating dance content on social media, and teaching floorwork classes!
Things I love: dance, yoga, reading, fitness, writing poetry, coffee, Disney, binging
tv series, Harry Potter, rollercoasters, comfy sweat sets, and Nancy Drew games!
AJ's story..
Nope, I'm not a DJ, my name is Daniel Diveny Jr. 'DJ' for short! I spent basically my entire life in NJ until 2014 when I finished school at the New Jersey Institute of Technology earning a BSc in applied physics. I grew up as an all around athlete (basketball, track, swimming), but soccer was always my constant. I walked on at NJIT after the spring of my first year and achieved a huge life dream of playing division 1 soccer. My passion for travel began when I participated in a humanitarian trip to southern St Lucia, working with kids through soccer. This experience was incredibly eye-opening to the world, realizing my privilege, and discovering how easily sport can connect people.
I then joined the New York Red Bulls Street Team and pursued a career as a freestyler, while coaching youth soccer to make ends meet. I built my social media from zero, and started receiving some opportunities to perform and travel. Eventually, I was exploring different parts of the world and traveling became something I knew I needed to continue! It gives me such a sense of adventure and exploration both physically and spiritually.
Things I love: all things soccer, beach life, hiking, drive in theaters, strength training, astronomy, action photography, binging tv/movies, bonfires with s'mores, over analyzing things with data and numbers, and protein shakes.
DJ's story..
our story..
We could talk about our love story all day, but we'll just give you the sparknotes version! We met when we were 11 years old on a field in a small town. We became quick friends, ran track together and spent countless days walking home from school and talking for hours on my front porch. We lost touch after AJ transferred schools, but reconnected in 2018 and have been inseparable ever since! We bonded over our mutual passion for travel and took our very first trip together after only 3 months of dating.. spending one month in Thailand! The experience was equal parts incredible and a disaster, but that's for a whole other blog post ;). Ultimately, the trip strengthened our bond, deepened our connection, and taught us we brought the perfect balance to each other. DJ proposed in 2022 in the same place where we had our first date: Second Beach, La Push, WA. We got married in Sept 2023 and are loving every second of it!
