My name is Jamie Edwards. I’m the creator of I am Lost and Found—a website that inspires travel. I created this site to share experiences about the places I’ve been, hoping that it inspires others to travel, too.

Why do I travel?

One of my favorite authors sums it up best:

“We travel for the same reason we read: to remind ourselves of the existence, and also the inexplicability, of other lives, to recognize ourselves within that which is foreign to us. We are one person when we begin a trip, or a book, or an article; we are another person when we conclude it. Another person, but also the same—we take the journey to see ourselves.”
—Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life

Travel is a privilege. Every trip I take changes me as a person, as a mother, as a wife, as a friend. The positive effects of travel make me more open-minded, more patient, less judgemental, less critical.

In the literal sense, travel has taken me to far corners of the Earth—from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic continent. In my travels, I’ve bungee jumped in New Zealand, climbed the Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan, and tracked silverback gorillas in Uganda. Along the way, I met a Burundian Olympic Gold medalist, a Cambodian monk, and a Sámi shaman.

I write about travel because I’m an ardent sharer of my favorite experiences. My writing aims to transport people to destinations so that they feel they are right there with me. Or better yet, I hope my writing encourages people to book a flight and explore those destinations themselves.

Where I choose to travel matters. As Hanya Yanagihara writes, I take the journey to see myself. What I discover isn’t always what I expect, especially when the journey is considered risky. Yet I wouldn’t have it any other way. I take risks because the rewards that accompany them are invaluable.

I currently live in Washington DC with my husband, two kids, and two black labs. Before DC we lived in Tokyo and NYC.

My travel experiences have shaped me. They’ve helped me see the world from multiple perspectives. But above all, they’ve reminded me that a little life is bound to grow when we get outside of our comfort zones.