Who Am I & Why Is This Blog Thing Here?

Thanks for stopping by! My name is Joanna, and I’ve been obsessed with travel ever since I can remember, though the feeling definitely intensified after my college study abroad trip. I have lived in Athens, Greece, New York, and Los Angeles in my lifetime.

I made Lose the Map in order to share my adventures, thoughts and lessons learned along the way, because my goal when traveling is to get into local life and local culture as much as possible.

I believe in walking and biking around cities as much as you can; in staying with locals, eating with locals, and drinking with locals to really get to know a culture; in trying to learn some basics in even a language as tough as Japanese, both to show some respect to the country you’re in, and also to get to know people better so you can find the cool local spots you never could otherwise.

Also, I believe in saying yes to everything you can on the road so you can get yourself into some incredible adventures!

Most of all, Lose the Map is about finding and sharing stories. Whether it’s people on the road doing interesting things, the history of a neighborhood, the culture of a city, what it’s like to fly a plane, the habits of a geisha, I try to discover and share the intriguing and unique wherever I go.

So here’s me in a nutshell:

I am an actress, writer and photographer living out in Los Angeles. Sometimes my life is this:

Me getting all slammed up behind the scenes.

Getting all glammed up behind the scenes.

More often though, my life is this:

Hippie Me

Most definitely unglammed at a desert musical festival.

Me Windsurfing

Windsurf Ready

Me at Tate

Serious photographer face at Tate Modern, London.

Countries I Have Visited: 37

 

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