Who We Are
Founders Christie Quinn and Kelly Huston first bonded over a mutual appreciation of M&M-filled Tostito Scoops (you know you want to try it now), laying the foundation for a truly meaningful friendship that blossomed into a love of travel, and more – you guessed it – food.
What We Do
Unfiltered Travels began as an outlet for Christie and Kelly to share their travel stories, whether they be tales of hilarity, relaxation, adventure or gluttony (usually a combination of all). Our mission is to empower our fellow female voyagers by sharing our perspectives as we travel; one experience at a time. We’ll tell it like it is, never shying away from the good, the bad, or the ugly. These are our stories, unfiltered.
Where We’re Going
Read along as we share stories of our past travels, report live from our current adventures, and daydream about all the potential the world has to offer!
Follow us on Instagram @unfilteredtravels and look for #WhereAreWeNow for live updates from Christie and Kelly’s adventures.
Next up? Kelly heads to Greece in April, 2017. Send suggestions and trip-based questions to us at unfilteredtravels@gmail.com to be a part of her experience or to help plan your adventure to the region!
Ask Us Anything
We asked you what you wanted to know about Christie and Kelly’s dream vacations, travel personalities, and favorite on-the-road culinary tips. Do you have additional questions for our founders? Email us at unfilteredtravels@gmail.com!
What is your favorite type of vacation?
Christie: I love vacations that are experiential based. Don’t get me wrong, museums and tourist attractions can be cool, but the stuff I really remember I can’t find in my backyard. Like hiking a volcano, seeing elephants on a wildlife safari, touring a coffee plantation in Colombia or swimming with sharks and rays in Belize (a few of my faves).
Kelly: I love walking tours of historic towns, hikes to beautiful views, and local wine/food tasting. I tend to loosely plan ahead with the intent to squeeze a lot of activities in at the beginning of any trip, then take a few days to just walk around and soak in the culture/people, and end with a night or two at a slightly fancier hotel for a final relaxation before going home. It should be noted, I’m not really a ‘beach vacation’ kind of girl…but I CAN plan them, and WILL join if offered!
Do you prefer to travel alone, with friends, family, or a significant other?
Christie: Making new friends kind of makes me want to curl up in a ball under the covers, which makes the prospect of traveling alone daunting. I always love to travel with a partner, but it’s my goal this coming year to step outside that comfort zone and face that anxiety head on.
Kelly: Alone or family? Tough question – sometimes I get lonely, but sometimes I hate having to plan my itinerary around someone else’s travel preferences.
Are you an extrovert or introvert? Actually, just give us your Meyers-Brigg results…
Christie: I’m a huge introvert, the kind that likes to talk to their dog more than people. My Meyers-Briggs results are ISTJ, referred to as the “duty-fulfiller”, quite possibly the most boring and anal personality type there is. I’m kind of old woman trapped in a young person’s body but I love it.
Kelly: INTJ – but half the time I take this test I’m ENTJ, so call me an extroverted introvert? This is why I can handle traveling alone, but sometimes get lonely!
Top 3 favorite countries you’ve traveled to
Christie: Morocco, Peru, El Salvador
Kelly: Japan, South Africa, Nicaragua (oh, and every other place in the world…)
What is your dream vacation?
Christie: Antarctica! I’m not sure I can define this as my “dream trip”, but it is one I dream about and will probably have to wait a little while before I can afford it. (Kelly and I wrote this separately, this was not planned! It’s just a sign that we’re two travel nerds destined to nerd out together)
Kelly: ANTARCTICA, ANTARCTICA, ANTARCTICA
What scares you the most about traveling?
Christie: I hate to admit it, but I’m fully paranoid about being robbed. My camera gear is about the only thing in my life worth any money, and I know pulling it out in public in a foreign country can make me a target. I tend to be more conservative when walking in more public cities where robberies are common, bringing with me just my gopro, or cheaper equipment.
Kelly: The idea of getting pickpocketed and being stranded in a foreign country without my wallet or passport. Although, with the connectivity so easily available these days, I’m less and less terrified about that – so basically any scene from the movie Hostel reigns as fear #1, followed immediately by any and all food poisoning possibilities.
What is your biggest airport pet peeve?
Christie: When people stand in line absurdly early to get on the plane.. I’ve seen people wait for up to an HOUR! It’s absolutely insane. Why are they in such a hurry to board the plane? We’re all on the same schedule!
Kelly: Everything about people in security lines sends my blood pressure through the roof. I become a shell of a human in security lines, filled only with nonsensical rage…seriously, don’t fly with me…
Do you talk to people (strangers, eek) while traveling?
Christie: It goes against every one of my socially anxious instincts to talk to strangers but I really do make an effort to.. sometimes… when I feel like it. Ok, I kind of suck at it but I’m working on it! On a recent trip to Sri Lanka, I became confident enough to routinely give strangers a big ass smile when they made eye contact with me, which was such an incredible way to break up any awkwardness and witness the warmth of the people there.
Kelly: I try really really really really hard to initiate conversations with people while traveling…I find this incredibly difficult (as evidenced by the ‘I’ in my Meyers Briggs) which is why I love signing up for walking tours and bar crawls while on the road – I appreciate forced conversations while traveling alone!
Do you travel on an extreme budget, in luxury, or somewhere in between?
Christie: Working in the non-profit world doesn’t exactly leave me *raking in* the big bucks, so I’m usually traveling on a budget. I also tend to pick destinations where I know the costs will be lower (Think – Asia, Central America). At the same time, I rarely let a budget get in the way of a fun or unique opportunity that presents itself.
Kelly: I fall somewhere in the middle. I like my flights to be super cheap, I’m willing to spend money on tours/day trips, I stay in mid-range hotels (or use points at fancy joints!), and I tend to eat all street food apart from 1-2 extravagant meals per trip!
Unfiltered Travels 