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Nora 🌿 | Adventure World Travel

@noratheexplorahh

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Ex-lawyer turned full-time traveler, hiker, backpacker, bread connoisseur & side-quester
📍Georgia 🇬🇪
Founder: @via.adventure

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How it actually went down ⤵️

“Wait you’re a lawyer?”

Yup! Well…ex-lawyer now I guess. Let me explain:

Becoming a civil rights lawyer was a lifelong dream of mine. And in 2021, I’m so proud to say that I actually achieved it!

I started working at a workers’ rights law firm while studying in law school and practiced for a couple years before I was like, “…wait, I kinda hate this.” Lol

I got to a point in my career where I was working 80hrs/week, and being berated on a regular basis by my boss over the phone. Panic attacks, sleep paralysis, and anxiety-induced skin picking became regular occurrences for me.

AND on top of that, my firm was based in San Francisco but I didn’t even make enough money to live in SF. Instead, I had to live 1.5hrs away.

There’s no price point for burnout, butttt this surely was NOT it.

I’d worked SO hard to get here. But the reality was my ‘dream job’ was ruining my life.

So one day 3 years ago, I decided I’d had enough, and I left and started traveling. And I’ve been traveling full-time ever since — even started my own business (@via.adventure)!

This is *super* unheard of for the legal profession. I don’t know a single person I went to law school with who isn’t still practicing law.

But since leaving, I realized that being a lawyer wasn’t my identity, it was just something I did. There is so much more to who I am as a person that can’t be captured in an academic degree.

And I’ve actually met SO many other people who made major career pivots in their life (some even in their 50’s). Yes, it’s challenging. And you may “fail”.

But whether it’s going back to school, taking a career break, or starting your own business, this is an investment in YOU. And that’s not something you’ll look back and regret doing, but perhaps never trying.

So let this be your sign: You’re not in “too deep” to pivot. It really is never too late to make a change.

If anyone can relate, let’s connect in the comments 🤗

#unfiltered #personaldevelopment #solotravel taken in Around the World by @noratheexplorahh

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5 months ago

GET TO KNOW ME⤵️

Hi! Lots of new faces on my page recently and I felt like what better time than now to reintroduce myself 🤗

If you’re new here, hey I’m Nora 👋🏼 A year ago, my boyfriend (and best friend!) of 5 years and I broke up. A couple weeks after that I quit my “dream job” as a lawyer.

I knew in my heart that these changes were necessary. But at the same time, I had no idea what I was doing and I felt like I was hitting rock bottom.

I’ve been solo traveling full-time ever since. I can’t believe it’s been over a year now!

I created this account to document my travels but also to show you that you don’t have to be pigeonholed into doing the same thing for the rest of your life just because society tells you that you should.

I firmly believe that life is NOW and I want to make the most of every minute I have on this Earth.

The best part is that I learned how to make money while traveling which has allowed me to sustain myself and continue on this bucket list adventure.

So in addition to sharing hidden gem destinations and the ups and downs on the road, I also share content on how you can make AND save money while traveling.

I genuinely want you to feel the empowerment and liberation I have experienced from leaving my corporate burnout behind to follow my dreams.

If that sounds like something you’re interested in, be sure to follow @noratheexplorahh for actually useful travel tips and maybe even consider joining one of my EPIC group trips!

I am eternally grateful for this community. Thank you for being apart of my journey 🫶🏼
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#traveladdict #unfiltered #digitalnomad #solotravel #personalgrowth #selflovejourney #livingmybestlife #personaldevelopment taken in Hierve El Agua, Oaxaca Oax. by @noratheexplorahh

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3 years ago

Don’t miss this hike when you travel to…

📍Georgia (aka Sakartvelo) 🇬🇪

Going to have to delete no less than 60 pics off my phone after this hike! The Juta Valley is a perfect place that is touristy for a REASON. It’s one of the more popular day hikes in Kazbegi meaning it can get pretty crowded, but if you rock up by 7:30am like I did, you’ll get the trail almost all to yourself.

Share this with your hiking or travel buddy so you don’t miss this on your trip to Georgia! And follow @noratheexplorahh for more adventures in off the beaten path destinations ✨ taken in Georgia by @noratheexplorahh

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9 days ago

Ready for some travel trivia?

Comment below your score! Let’s learn together 🤓

It’s always so interesting to me that there is a different word in English for a lot of countries and cities vs. how natives from that country/city actually refer to it.

I first noticed this when I moved into a house full of Italians during law school. They’d refer to their hometowns as ‘Naples’ and ‘Sicily’ but in Italian, it’s actually ‘Napoli’ and ‘Sicilia’…even ‘Italy’ in Italian is ‘Italia’. It’s not like these are hard to pronounce so how did we end up in this situation where we needed our own name for them in English? A name so insignificantly different that it makes no sense not to just say what the actual name is.

I’m in Armenia right now and I’ve been thinking about this A LOT (maybe my new Roman Empire?) since the name for Armenia in Armenians is completely different from how we refer to Armenia in English, Spanish, German, Arabic, etc.

There’s so many more examples of countries with different names in English vs. their native language. So if you like learning about them, be sure to follow along for a part 2!

Side note before anyone comes for me: I know this isn’t unique to English and a lot of languages have their own names for places as well that differ from the native names. But WHY can’t we all just call it by the native name? Maybe there’s a bit of a learning curve, but I’m sure we’ve all done harder things in our lives.

Just some food for thought…let me know what you think and how many of these did you guess? 👀 I’m super curious. taken in Yerevan, Armenia by @noratheexplorahh

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16 days ago

Video postcards from the summer I said YES to everything (aka one of my favorite summers yet).

Traveled a lot, worked a lot, laughed a lot, learned a lot, cried a lot. This is what it means to be alive. Thank you Summer 2026 🥲🫶🏼

High altitude Arabi! (Learning Arabic is not for the faint of heart but I’m getting better, I promise)

Busting a move with my homie @artikadance_studios. Check out his classes if you’re in Nairobi!

ASMR from my Sweden Midsummer Kayaking group trip with @via.adventure. This was literally a trip of my dreams and I find it so validating when other people want to join these adventures I put so much of myself into planning 🥹🫶🏼

Sweet Home ALBANIA 🇦🇱

Fun fact: This vid went viral and then the prime minister of Albania used it as propaganda this summer (obvi without my consent) so I had to block him on social media. Not something I thought I’d ever be saying 😂

Pure bliss in 📍Juta Valley, Georgia

Helped pick the grapes for the wine harvest in Kakheti region of Georgia. This was so much fun!! I love Georgian wine and I love getting to meet some of the incredible families that make it 🍇

Spontaneously road tripped to Sarajevo with my homie to watch Bosnia (my second home) take on the USA (my home country) in the World Cup…and somehow ended up singing on Bosnian National Television 🙈🇧🇦

On my 30th birthday, I messaged one of my favorite DJ’s Boris Brejcha asking if I could go backstage at the festival he was headlining that night, and guys…he said YES 🤯 and gave me one of the best birthday presents I’ve received. This is your sign to ask for the things you want bc you literally never know and the worst thing that can happen is you just get a ‘no’ 🤷🏼‍♀️

Watching the Great Migration in Masái Mara for the second time. This was a completely unplanned and unexpected crossing of over hundreds of wildebeest! It’s hard to tell in the video but the ground literally felt like it was rumbling.

Frolicking through Kosovo literally 24hrs after my girls had Norovirus 😂🫶🏼 mad respect

Join a @via.adventure group trip and you may just end up making silly videos like this mid safari for a music video we spontaneously decided to make 😆 taken in Montenegro by @noratheexplorahh

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17 days ago

the 5 hour drive I wished would never end

#georgia #mountainviews taken in Stepantsminda - Kazbegi by @noratheexplorahh

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19 days ago

“Do you have a favorite country?”

Such a common question to ask one another when traveling and as a tragically indecisive person I never had an answer to it. Some countries I loved for their food, others for mountains, history, or beaches. But one country that has it all? I didn’t think that was possible until I spent a month hiking, eating, frolicking, wine tasting my way through GEORGIA 🇬🇪

I love this country with my whole heart. Georgian people are some of the most resilient, multi-faceted, and generous people I’ve met in my travels and to be welcomed back by them to explore this place more deeply over the last few weeks has been such a privilege.

From the mountains, to the wine, the stunning historic buildings, the FOOD (my favorite cuisine no joke), history of endurance, even the language and alphabet…I could write a novel about how incredible this place is but I’d rather just show you…So much more Georgia content coming your way, so be sure to stick around ♥️ taken in ქუთაისი - Kutaisi by @noratheexplorahh

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20 days ago

Immediately no. Let’s stop country counting⤵️

Inspired by a conversation with a dude from my hostel who made fun of a girl who told us this was the 5th country abroad she traveled to.

“You haven’t seen much of the world then, have you?” 🤮

Yikes! In the travel blogging space we routinely glorify traveling to as many countries as possible. But recently, it’s got me thinking: Why?!

🌍 Don’t get me wrong. I think everyone should travel abroad at least once in their life.

But here’s 5 reasons why we should STOP country counting:

1️⃣ Passport Privilege

Yes, it’s a thing. Having a strong passport like from the US, EU, or Australia means you don’t have to worry about applying for tedious visas every time you want to leave your home country.

Indians & Indonesians, for example, have to submit proof of sufficient bank statements to enter many of the countries that I don’t even have to apply for a visa for.

The globe just isn’t as accessible if you have a “weaker” passport.

2️⃣ Superficial Visits

What does it mean to *see* a country? Does your day trip from Vienna to Bratislava mean you’ve experienced Slovakia?

Also, it’s easy to travel in a bubble: Staying in chain hotels/hostels & only interacting with other travelers from your hotel. It can be a fun way to travel but you don’t really experience local culture.

3️⃣ Sustainability

When we travel just to tick countries off a list, we encourage fast-paced travel which isn’t sustainable for our wallets, local communities, or the environment.

4️⃣ Pacing

Traveling isn’t a race. Everyone goes at their own pace & some people will start later in life. Let’s celebrate that!

5️⃣ Domestic vs. International Travel

We emphasisize international travel and forget that we can learn and see SO much in our own country. Like, I’m from the States which is a country about the same size as the entirety of the European continent.

I know people from the U.S. who haven’t traveled much outside US but have arguably covered more of the globe than a European who’s never left Europe.

This isn’t a dig at anyone. Just food for thought. Now I want to know: What d taken in Tbilisi, Georgia by @noratheexplorahh

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a month ago

Ouch! that one hurt.

If you’re new here, HI I’m Nora and YES this is a true story:

I spent most of my life pursuing my DREAM (or so I thought) of being a lawyer. I realized early on, that I might not be the smartest person in the room, but I could outwork most.

For years, I studied my butt off, worked multiple jobs (some paid and some not), chaired organizations, said no to every social outing all so I could graduate at the top of my class from law school and dive straight into fighting for workers’ rights in a courtroom.

But it wasn’t until I was working 80 hours a week, regularly pulling all-nighters, getting screamed at by my boss, and realizing I was earning 1/3 of what the attorneys I was working against were being paid that I stopped to think: Is this *really* what I want?

I felt ashamed wanting to leave the profession because (1) I genuinely believed in my clients and am passionate about workers rights and (2) I had worked SO hard, spent so much time and money, and made so many sacrifices to be here.

But to what end? I had regularly occurring panic attacks, couldn’t afford to live in the city I was working in, lost a lot of weight to the point where people in my life started commenting on it, and even developed sleep paralysis. My ‘dream job’ was tearing me apart.

Leaving the profession I had worked so hard to be apart of was one of the most difficult things I’ve done but it has also been one of the most empowering and important decisions of my life.

It was only supposed to be a couple months but…3.5 years later and here I am still traveling full-time, putting down roots abroad, healthier, happier, with no plans to return to the US or to the legal field (at least for now).

Sometimes we have to take a step back to realize what’s best for us moving forward.

I don’t have it all figured out but I share my reflections, unfiltered moments, and epic adventures here as I navigate this chapter. So follow @noratheexplorahh for my journey.

And if any of this resonates with you, please know you’re not alone. Introduce yourself in the comments so we can connect with you!

💛 Nor taken in Peaks of the Balkans by @noratheexplorahh

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a month ago

Ultimate Guide to My Fav City⤵️

…okay it’s *one* of my fav cities (Tbilisi, Stockholm & Sarajevo are all tied).

📥 SAVE this guide for your visit to Sarajevo & follow @noratheexplorahh for more actually useful travel tips.

I’ve been to Sarajevo 6 times now and this summer, I decided to make it my 2nd HOME 🏡

I came here for the first time 3 years ago with no expectations and was completely taken by surprise. I couldn’t stay away.

The Top 6 reasons I LOVE Sarajevo (& I think you will too):

🌳 Proximity to Nature
🕌 So Many Different Cultures & Religions
🕺🏻 There’s Always Something Going On
🥘 Incredible Foodie Scene
🇧🇦 Fascinating History
🏛️ Well-Preserved Old Town

Sarajevo has a little bit of something for everyone. Here’s some of my favs:

➡️ What to DO:
• A “free” (tip-based) walking tour
• Take cable car/ hike to see the abandoned bobsled course from 1984 Olympics
• Explore the Old Town/markets
• Sunset at the Yellow Fortress
• Visit the War Museums about Sarajevo’s gut-wrenching but inspiring recent past
• Attend a Sarajevo FC fútbol match - super fun!

➡️ What to EAT:
• Sahovski Klub Bosna (go all the way to the back for the garden seating)
• Lasika Viljuska Noz (not always open, but when it is it’s a TREAT. Great food, great prices.)
• Cakum Pakum (get the Cakum Pakum pasta it’s so good)
• Veranda (affordable/ traditional Bosnian)

➡️ Where to STAY
• Hostels: Vagabond, Balkan Han, Good Place
• If you have friends, might be cheaper to get an apartment - pretty affordable here!
• Neighborhoods: Baščaršija & Bistrik (for first timers), or Gjerbavica for more local

➡️ Happy Hour*
• Kawa (great house music)
• Blind Tiger
• Tito Bar (very local)
•Kamarija (incredible city views, no alcohol)

* A lot of places do not serve alcohol in Sarajevo.

➡️ Day Trips
• Konjic (~1hr) or Tara River (2.5hrs) for hiking/water rafting
• Sutjeska National Park (Europe’s Yosemite)
• Lukomir for hiking & remote mountain villages
• Mostar (Rec at least 1 night here)
• Srebrenica (Learn about the tragic history, be warned it’s graphic but really taken in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina by @noratheexplorahh

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a month ago

a dose of travel reality

In a highly curated, edited, and often misleading space travel blogging can be…I hope we can inject a little authenticity and dose of reality:

Lately I’ve been feeling pretty burnt out, uninspired, and just unmotivated to create. I’ve really enjoyed all my epic summer adventures, but my mind has felt simultaneously preoccupied by some difficult emotions and frustrating situations happening behind the scenes.

Full-time travel while solo running a tour company is super fun, but NOT for the faint of heart 💀😭

I was venting to one of the many geniuses in my life about how I’ve been in a creative rut this last month, and he was like, “Why don’t you just post about that?” 🤯

So this is me giving you a *brutally* honest window inside my mind lately. Some of these takes might be a little controversial 😅

Don’t worry though, I’m all good. But sometimes I think it’s easy to compare our lives to other people we see on the internet and feel like we’re behind in life or even not pretty, fun, smart, rich, etc. enough.

I’ve been there too. But I’m here to tell you to please STOP.

Social media, especially travel blogging, can be a highlights reel. Highly curated stories, forced smiles, meticulous editing, countless omissions…There’s so much going on behind the camera we don’t see.

So I hope this post helps inspire a little more rawness and authenticity in this space. Because I can imagine I’m not the only one feeling some of these things.

💛Love you taken in Montenegro by @noratheexplorahh

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2 months ago

pls don’t cancel me…

After 15 years of travel experience, I’m really not a fan of these “tourist vs traveler” or “tourist trap vs. hidden gem” binaries.

If you’re on a tourist visa, you are quite literally a tourist plus I’ve found a lot of touristy places are touristy for a REASON! Think the Grand Canyon, Taj Mahal, Dubrovnik. These were my brutally honest ratings after visiting some…let me know if you agree!

My best tips to avoid the crowds?
- Stay overnight and get up EARLY especially if most of the tourists are day-trippers or cruise ship passengers
- Visit off peak season. Shoulder season usually means better prices and less crowds!
- Chat up the local hotel staff, waiter, bartender, etc and ask them where they’d take their family (or even a date 👀) out to

I have so many tourist destinations I could spill the tea on…should I make a part 2? taken in Athens, Greece by @noratheexplorahh

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2 months ago