About Me

Hi everyone, my name is Mika Cronin, I am 22 years old, and I absolutely LOVE to travel. The purpose of this website is not only to share my photography and travel experiences with you, but also to inspire you to see everything this beautiful world has to offer! This blog section of my wesbite is meant to share stories and tips that I can only hope will help people discover a passion for traveling like I have.

I want to start off by giving some background about me. I was born in Israel in 2001 where I spent the first seven years of my life. The majority of my family are passionate about traveling and adventuring, and I was fortunate enough to grow up traveling abroad for family vacations. For us it was higher among our priorities. When I was seven, my family relocated to The Netherlands. We lived in the beautiful city of Eindhoven in the South, close to the Belgian border, and I attended the International School of Eindhoven where I was surrounded by students from all around the world. Most of my childhood memories are from my time in The Netherlands. My family really took advantage of our close proximity to international borders, which led to us traveling around most of Europe during our seven years living there! From road trips to South France and Spain, to quick flights to Italy and the UK, to trying Gluhwein in the Christmas markets of Germany, to driving around the Alps and sledding down mountains in Switzerland, we were fortunate enough to do it all! Additionally, the International School had annual class trips to England, Austria, and Belgium, which formed memories that will last a lifetime. When I was fourteen, my family relocated once again to the US, where I was thrown into the middle of freshman year of highschool. Although I went through a major culture shock, my family continued to travel and explore places in the US. We've visited the touristy areas and beautiful beaches of California and Florida, hiked through canyons and explored the outdoors of Nevada and Arizona, walked around big cities like New York, Chicago, LA, Miami, and Vegas, and even done some road trips through the Eastern states like Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas, etc.

When I graduated highschool in 2019, I decided to take a gap year and volunteer abroad as my first official solo trip. I ended up joining a ten-month, environmental-focused program in the Caribbean that was run through Richmond Vale Academy and Humana People to People. The program started with three months of living in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a beautiful island in the south of the Caribbean, where I learned about major environmental issues, permaculture, how to build home gardens and compost piles, as well as other things. During my time in St. Vincent, I also had plenty of time to explore the island. I hiked up to the top of an active volcano, La Soufriere, became an Open Water certified scubadiver through PADI, and even traveled to surrounding Islands like Barbados as well as one of the most beautiful places on earth, (in my opinion), Bequia Island. After three months of living the Island life, I spent six months in the rural villages of Bella Vista and San Isidro in the South of Belize implementing everything I have learned into the local communities. I worked along with women's groups and girl's clubs, taught in local schools, built home gardens and compost piles together with local families, and helped out with anything that the communities needed. My gap year opened my eyes to a completely different type of travel; one where you also get to give back to the communities you visit. This experience has also sparked a passion in me to help others.

Unfortunately, after six months of my gap year, the Covid pandemic struck the world. I was rushed out of Belize and came home from my program early, which shattered my heart. Nonetheless, I started University that fall. I started as a double major in Environmental Studies and Biology, with the intent of working in the Marine Biology field. It was a drastic change for me to jump right into school again, and the first year was especially difficult for me since everything was online. Luckily, once Covid has slowed down, I was able to travel more with my family. We started exploring other areas outside of the US, and one of our favorites has been Mexico. So far, we were able to explore Cancun, Merida, Progreso, and a large portion of Baja California Sur. I also had the opportunity to do another volunteer trip in Kenya through IVHQ, where I spent time teaching English, French, and Math at a school in Nairobi. I had some time to explore different parts of this beautiful country, and I was able to spend some time in Diani as well as on Safari excursions in Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Hell's Gate, and Lake Naivasha. Those were some of the most incredible experiences of my life. After Kenya, I went on to visit areas in Italy, France, and The Netherlands. More recently, I was able to do a study abroad course in Xpu-Ha, Mexico, where I created and conducted my own Marine Biology research project.

I have had some really amazing experiences which have shaped me into the person I am today. My experiences have opened my eyes and my mind, and I want to inspire people to do the same. I hope that I am able to help, support, persuade, and provide that little push to anyone who has doubts or fears of travel!

Make sure to follow along with my adventures on Instagram: @traveling_with_mika_