About Me

This year (2025), I decided to start the new year differently. Right after the holidays, I had the chance to travel to the U.K.—Bristol, to be exact—to help my niece who was spending a semester abroad.

It was more than just a trip. While I’ve been a travel agent for over 20 years and even worked for a major airline for a decade, it hit me that it had been 20 years since I’d flown internationally. Ironic, right? A travel agent who spent two decades helping others see the world, but hadn’t been stamping her own passport. For years, I focused on corporate travel and building my business. And just as I was branching out on my own, COVID hit—and we all know how that story went.

Fast forward to 2025: this trip changed me. It was just me, my sister, and my niece navigating a new city together. We explored Bristol, shopped for dorm essentials, and even snuck in a quick day trip to Paris. Paris will always have my heart—it was my third time there, but the first time in over 30 years that my sister and I experienced it together. It reminded me of when I worked for the airlines and our family’s first international adventure was to Spain. We routed through Paris, spent a whirlwind day there, and caught the night train to Valencia. That’s the beauty of travel—sometimes the “in-between” becomes just as memorable as the destination.

Travel has always been in my DNA. My very first flight was at the age of five, and I never stopped chasing that feeling. From my years in the airline industry to my two decades as a corporate travel agent, travel has been both my career and my passion. But this recent London trip was the reminder I didn’t know I needed.

Now that my husband and I are empty nesters (as of 2024), I realized I want to see the world through new eyes. To feed my soul with new experiences, new sounds, new tastes. And in 2025, with a milestone birthday—60!—I felt the pull even stronger. So when the chance came to help my niece abroad, I jumped at it. I journaled the whole experience, from the magic of Paris to the comedy of dragging suitcases through snow in Bristol after our Uber driver refused to risk it, saying, “It’s not far!”

When I got back and shared my stories with my bestie, she felt it too—that call to adventure. After her cruise to Honduras last year, she wanted more travel in her life. And together we asked: What are we waiting for?

That’s how Have Friend, Will Travel Blog was born.

For us, it’s more than just hopping on planes. It’s a journey of reflection, discovery, and joy. It’s about uncovering hidden gems, tasting new foods, and creating adventures in this next chapter of life—together.

So here’s to the journey ahead. ✈️

Your Travel Beastie,

Rhonda

Ready to book your own travel adventure, check out my travel agency site: The Urban Voyager