The Lens of Jen

Travel Tales & Life Lessons

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#LiveLikeJeff

On June 4, 2018, Jeff Elko took his last breath after a brutal four-month onslaught of esophageal cancer. He was a force of nature, the giver of the best hugs on the planet, and an educator known to his colleagues as the “child whisperer” for his ability to calm even the most distressed student.

He was also my fiancé. My heart.

I realized that life is far too short to put off our dreams. I quit my job, packed a bag and started traveling the world.

I see signs of Jeff everywhere I go. This is a collection of those moments.

The Last in a Year of Firsts

June 11, 2019 By Jen 3 Comments

Sunset in Washington, DC

I had a hard time deciding where I wanted to be on the day that marked the last in a year of firsts – the one year anniversary of my fiancé’s death.

One never really knows when grief will claw its way out of its carefully contained space in the heart and squeeze, but there is a strong likelihood that a “first” will bring with it an increased dose of that familiar feeling of loss. For me, the first Christmas, the first birthday, the first Valentine’s Day without Jeff were all days to “get through” without falling apart.

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Things To Do in Luang Prabang: The Land of Wishes

May 14, 2019 By Jen 4 Comments

Making a Wish for a Second Life in Laos

Outside of temples and padogas across Southeast Asia, there are cages full of tiny birds. If you buy a bird and release it, this symbolic gift of freedom is believed, by some, to bring good luck or to ensure a wish will come true.

I asked a guide in Vietnam about this and she said that, for her, the practice is symbolic of animal cruelty rather than luck. But, pointing at a group of fish swimming lazily in a pool outside of a temple, she said: “These are wishes that I can believe in.”

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Sunflowers & Surfing

March 20, 2019 By Jen Leave a Comment

Canggu, Bali

What to do in Canggu Bali

When I set out for the beach town of Canggu, just over an hour south of Ubud on Bali’s southeastern coast, I didn’t plan to learn to surf. Actually, I didn’t plan to…plan. My whole goal was to go somewhere new with absolutely no plan at all and to say “yes” to any (reasonable) suggestion that came my way. So, when the first person that I met said, “you must learn to surf when in Canggu,” I gulped a little.

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I am a Scuba School Dropout

February 7, 2019 By Jen 10 Comments

It’s never fun to admit failure, but it’s true that I threw in my fins and quit scuba school.

In doing a little soul searching in the wake of dropping out of my (non-refundable) open-water scuba training, I can take the unpleasant admissions one step further: I just didn’t fit in on the island of Koh Tao.

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Walking Tour of Prague

September 17, 2018 By Jen 7 Comments

When I first decided to travel to all of the cities that my partner saw during his European adventure in his last year of life, I was pretty excited that Prague was on the list.

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Travel Heals: A Story of Love and Loss in Vienna

August 26, 2018 By Jen 2 Comments

I have tried for more than a week to write about Vienna. But I can’t. Because the story isn’t about Vienna. As much as I loved the city, it was a backdrop for me. A place that my partner loved, and the place where I chose to spend what would have been our one-year anniversary had cancer not ended our love story too soon.

This story begins like so many others: With a kiss.

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About Jen

AngkorWat

Just before my partner died in June of 2018, I promised him - and myself - that I would not waste a single day that I am gifted on this planet. I quit my job that very month and set off with a one-way ticket and a dream to see the world.

My hope in writing this blog is that the stories that I write here will inspire you to follow your dreams - whatever those dreams may be.

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Work with Jen

If you like what you see, I am available to freelance and ghostwrite. I have a particular talent with travel guides (surprise, surprise!) and speeches. Hit me up if you have an idea for work or play. Contact

From the Blog

  • How to Beat the Tourist Crowds in Prague
  • A Perfect Day in Tucson and the Sonoran Desert
  • Where to See Petroglyphs at Saguaro National Park
  • Visiting the Tucson Desert Museum
  • Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
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