about
wonder where i wander
is an online digital magazine dedicated to documenting the everyday, accessible luxury travel experiences. The non-pretentious virtual publication seeks to remould the literary experience of travel, with easy-to-follow itineraries, reviews and recommendations aimed at the neo-traveller.
what is the neo-traveller?
We live in a digital world, where everyone is obsessed with sharing where they are, even travelling to a destination because it is aesthetically pleasing, and is perhaps part of a TikTok trend. Yet beneath that, social media is simultaneously being used to highlight ‘underrated’ local experiences in those popular places, giving a slightly more unique experience. The neo-traveller embraces both the luxuries and the experiences that take them off the beaten track, finding an authentic middle ground for modern-day travelling.
Rose Winter
founder of wonder where i wander
As many stories like this go, I was inspired to travel from a very young age. When my mum took me to Jamaica for the first time, I soon found myself running around with bare feet, cutting my toes on the red bauxite rocks, or trying to climb up coconut trees, with absolutely no regard for my own safety. I fancied myself as an explorer - and watched The Wild Thornberrys way too much! Soon after this, my Grandma took me to Venice with her on a sleeper train. We stopped over in Paris and spent a night there, and thus my love affair with travelling was consecrated. I had two very different experiences of travelling before I was 6 years old, one very rural and untouched, and one very glamorous! This has moulded me into the neo-traveller, and I guess has become the root of starting Wonder Where I Wander. I decided soon after I got to Venice that my dream job would be to become a pilot (ranking far above teacher, news reader and sixth member of the Spice Girls). I kept a list of all the places I would fly to, and begged my mum to take me to travel agents on the way back from school, so I could pick up the latest brochures. I got in trouble at primary school because I would plant huge red circles around countries in the geography atlases, and between me and you, I never returned some of those books.
I may have grown out of my tomboyish dungarees and my tree-climbing tendencies, but what hasn't changed is that I still make those lists of the places I want to visit, and I’ve now crossed quite a few off! I can confirm that I am, in fact, not a pilot (shock). It turns out you have to be good at maths for that! Out of all the occupations I considered, I actually did become a secondary school teacher, using my thirteen weeks of holiday a year to explore. After six years of teaching, I decided that the only way I was going to fulfil my travel dreams was to leave and do it as much of it as I can.
For years, I was made to feel that my trips couldn’t be classed as ‘proper’ travelling, because I didn’t have a backpack or stay in a hostel. The truth is, it is unlikely that you’ll ever catch me in a hostel! That being said, you’ll probably never see me in the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc either (ok maybe once!). You’ll find me looking for everyday and accessible luxury in travel, capturing the magic and essence of different destinations and worldwide, and uncovering stories of people and places as I go.