Welcome to The Fearless Wanderess!
Thanks so much for visiting.
I’m Claire, The Fearless Wanderess! I’m a Michigan native and neuroscientist who has lived across Europe and traveled the world for nearly a decade.
After managing to live, study, or work in 5 different countries across Europe during my bachelor’s degree, I fell in love with traveling and living abroad. Though I’ve found myself in over 40 countries around the world since, I keep coming back to Europe and all this wonderfully diverse continent has to offer.
Out of this, The Fearless Wanderess was born.
I wasn’t always fearless…
You may have noticed by now that my name is “the Fearless Wanderess” – but I wasn’t always this way.
Instead, I was a socially anxious, insecure girl from a family without passports. I had a sneaking suspicion I was missing something, I just didn’t know what.
So at age 18, I wanted to see Europe. But, I had never traveled internationally before, let alone with strangers! Thinking about this only amplified all of my personal insecurities.
I thought: who was I to live differently than my friends and family?
Well, it’s a good thing I got my head out of the toilet (true story) and overcame my fears so I could study in Salzburg, Austria during the summer after my freshman year of college.
As a rather academic girl preparing for the burn-out that American life almost demands, life in Europe changed my perspective completely.
I saw that it was possible to work hard and reap the rewards while enjoying life, too – and in stunning, historic, vibrant surroundings to boot!
It was then that my sneaking suspicion grew into certainty: the “typical” American culture and life just never quite suited me.
With my suspicions confirmed, I returned to the US…
But of course, now things really didn’t feel right.
I had to face the truth:
I was not made to stay in one place.
I was just not made to follow the “typical” American life:
Go to college, get a good job, buy a house, get married, have kids, and save your entire life for that “once in a lifetime” trip… you know the script.
So I found a way to station myself in Europe for the rest of my degree.
I strung together a series of separate internships and exchange semesters, allowing me to travel as much as possible and trial life as an expat.
(Spoiler: I loved it.)
Liberated through living and traveling abroad, I moved back to the US for a job and entered a season of personal growth.
Whether I traveled solo or with a partner or friends, travel brought me deep, meaningful connections.
I was intoxicated with the freedom travel brought me that filled my soul up to the brim.
I wasn’t ready to give it up, and I knew I didn’t have to in order to still do meaningful work – can you relate?
So, a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, I knew it was time to switch things up for myself and get back out there. So naturally, as any girl does in this situation (sarcasm alert), I applied for a PhD.
After a series of extremely stressful months writing applications, being interviewed, and applying for funding and visas, I was lucky enough to secure myself yet another escape route to get back overseas…
Today, through lots of hard work,
doubts, trials and errors,
I’m a PhD student studying Clinical Neurosciences
at Oxford University in the UK.
This marks the sixth country I’ve lived in abroad,
and you could say the start of my “true” expat journey –
as I plan to make Europe my home for good.
Living abroad has allowed me to travel to over
40 countries around the world too,
and I’m not stopping anytime soon.
Now, I want to help you
travel Europe & live the dream abroad,
just like I have.
Europe Destinations
Explore the best of my guides & tips for my favorite destinations across Europe.
Living Abroad
Dreaming of studying or living abroad? I’ve got you covered, from inspiration to the nitty-gritty how-to!
Solo Travel
My guides & tips specifically for solo female travel, perfected from over 4 full years of it.
Get to know me better!
Click on the tabs to learn about some of my favorite destinations, tips, & random facts about me!
Favorite European destination >
It’s so hard to choose one, but if I had to choose my favorite destination in all of Europe, it would be Albania. Albania was the first place I solo traveled to and lived alone, and without exaggerating – it blew my mind. It has a little bit of everything for everyone – full of towering mountains, ancient ruins, and gorgeous beaches at a quarter of the price of the rest of the Mediterranean. And the people are some of the friendliest I’ve ever met. If you’re looking for an off-the-beaten path adventure that will fill up your soul with sights and experiences, check out my guide to the capital to get started!
A must-have gadget I can’t travel without >
A headlamp. Sounds simple and maybe like you wouldn’t use it much, but I’ve been surprised! I hang one on the hostel bunk – either between the slats supporting the bed above me or on one of the four posters – so I can see at night while not disturbing others. Also great for late-night walks home in more remote areas. You can check out my cheap, reliable one here!
And for more of my must-have travel gear, check out my post: 13 Travel Essentials that Will Change Your Life
My dream destination >
Hands-down, the Maldives. It may be cliche, but I dream of staying in an overwater bungalow over that incredible, clear, turquoise blue water. You would find me laying under a palm tree all day.
Am I an introvert or extrovert? >
I’m actually almost a 50/50 split! But technically I’m a little more introverted than extroverted. Chatting with the right people full of good vibes definitely energizes me, but I really need and enjoy my alone time, too.
The instrument I’ve played for over a decade (hint: you like jazz?) >
Saxophone. I’ve played (almost) all of ’em, but alto is my first and main love. Jazz band was my favorite in high school! (except starting at 6:45 every morning – that was not my favorite)
One of my sisters was born on the same day as me… how can this be? >
She’s my twin, of course! Fraternal, not identical 😉 She’s killing it as a software engineer in the U.S.
What I’m up to now >
Right now I’m studying for my DPhil (PhD) in Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford in the UK. I specialize in autoimmune neurology while getting to live abroad – a dream come true. Click here if you’re interested to learn more about what I do in the lab!
