At the age of 18, advertising junior Shalee Blackmer traveled to Australia alone to stay with a foreign exchange student.
She created “The Michigan Bucket List” on her blog, which has acquired more than 175,000 views and recommends places like Sleeping Bear Dunes and Tahquamenon Falls.
Blackmer has a case of wanderlust and The State News talked to her about her blog, her past adventures and what she has planned for the future.
The State News: When did you start your blog, “Shalee Wanders,” and where did the idea come from?
Shalee Blackmer: I started my blog in February of this year, 2014. After last October I joined a website called Glypho and created a blog on how to go to New York City for New Year’s Eve on a budget. I shared this with my friends on Facebook and got great responses.
SN: How were you introduced to traveling?
SB: My family traveled when I was a kid, but mostly in Michigan so for fun and entertainment I would explore the trails because we were surrounded by woods. That’s where I first got my case of wanderlust. I caught the travel bug for something bigger when I was 16 or 17. I surprised my parents asking to go to Australia by myself when I was 18 to stay with a foreign exchange friend. I stayed there for a month. It was very much a different thing, they are way more relaxed than Americans. It was great to live with the family and learn the culture.
SN: “The Michigan Bucket List” was popular on social media, how did you decide to compile the list?
SB: It got 175,000 views in less than a week. It was very unexpected but everyone has had great responses and people have commented their suggestions and they told me places I didn’t know about, so I have added to my list. I picked my favorite adventures I’ve had in Michigan and combined with things I want to experience. It’s a little more adventure related.
SN: What is one of the best trips or adventures you have been on?
SB: Australia is up there but last summer, in 2013, I went to Yosemite National Park in California and I climbed the Half Dome and that was probably one of my favorite adventures, because it was the most challenging mentally and physically. That’s how I got into adventure traveling and mostly what I like to revolve around now.
SN: What have you learned from your travels?
SB: I’ve learned you have to be open-minded because on the road, nothing goes as planned. I learned patience. It’s opened me up, I used to be timid. With travel I’ve learned to let the experience take over. I’ve learned that traveling you never stop learning, it’s always something new. You go somewhere and come back with a better understanding of that place and who you met.
SN: How does your blog inspire you?
SB: I want to inspire others. Before I started the blog, I had these things I wanted to do. What inspired me is my hope to get other people to go out to explore something and step outside their comfort zone.
SN: What is your goal for the blog?
SB: I have two more years at MSU. (The blog) has been mostly Midwestern based but eventually I want to take it and travel globally. I want to take my readers on the trip with me and take them to places they may not know existed around the world.
