Welcome to West Virginia Travel Queen’s NEW blog, now on WordPress!  For the past few months, I have been hosting my blog on my Weebly website, but I have decided that hosting a blog on a site that specializes in blogs is a smart thing to do.  So, here I am 🙂

For those of you who followed me from my original site, you already know who I am.  But for those of you who are new, here’s the short version:  I’m an aspiring blogger, vacation planner, and love traveling the Mountain State.  Need advice on a local eatery?  When is the best time to see the fall leaves at their peak?  What on earth is the Mystery Hole and why should I visit?  Ask and I’ll tell.  I truly enjoy helping people plan vacations in West Virginia and hope to eventually create a sustainable business doing just that.
Now, if you want to know more….

My name is Sara and I am in my mid-twenties and currently work for a nonprofit organization in West Virginia’s capital city of Charleston.  Although I am young, I have had the pleasure of becoming well acquainted with my home state through extensive travels as a child with my family, as a teenager with my friends, and finally, as a young adult with my own journey.  If you consider personal interest as experience, then it’s safe to say I have nearly 25 years of experience within the West Virginia travel industry.  However, I have also been fortunate enough to have worked for the State of West Virginia as a pioneer for the state’s first official geocaching organization, ExploreWV GeoChallenge (if you’re scratching your head wondering what geocaching is, don’t feel bad; just click here or here to relieve that confusion).  My year and a half internship and part-time position with ExploreWV allowed me to visit new parts of West Virginia that were largely untouched during my endeavors (i.e., the Northern Panhandle).  Of course, traveling to new regions of the state led to other trips and, ultimately, I can say that I have been to nearly all 55 counties in West Virginia.  And, if for some reason I haven’t had the pleasure of exploring a county, then you’d never know it because “research” is my middle name.

Besides my passion for West Virginia, I am a planner by nature and extremely enjoy helping others plan their vacations, regardless if they are vacationing in the Mountain State.  My level of organization and planning for a trip has had the tendency to be overbearing to those with whom I’ve traveled, but I’m the type of person who would rather be prepared with a back-up plan and knowledge of an area than have no clue at all.  Scoping out an area for hidden gems, researching accommodations and restaurants for the best quality within my budget, and developing sample itineraries are things that I absolutely love doing — and when the opportunity arises to help others with their planning, I can’t turn it down.

So, if you’re planning a trip to West Virginia or if you are a Mountain State resident looking to experience another side to your state, consider sending me an email and seeing what I can do for you.  As a self-proclaimed Travel Queen, I am confident I can help make your West Virginia vacation one of the best you’ve ever had.

Until next time,
Sara (West Virginia Travel Queen)