Meet Sophie
Hello, lover! Welcome to happy hour. I was born and raised in Miami, Florida, where sun, sand, and Cuban cafecito are the Holy Trinity. Miami is unlike any place in, well, the world. It’s kind of out there and has lots of quirks (sounds familiar), but I’ve grown to love it.
I am an only child, which is a highly debated archetype (cough misunderstood), but yes— I am particularly close to my mom; we are endearingly dubbed the Cuban Gilmore Girls. She is my forever favorite travel partner and, for as long as I can remember, I’ve been her honorary stowaway. From eating our way through Savannah, sailing the fjords in Norway, and flamenco dancing in Seville, our adventures together introduced an obsessive travel craze into my life from an early age.
If New York is my rollercoaster of a first love, then London is my soulmate.
As a little girl, I had one dream: to live in New York City. New York had always been this majestic fantasyland oozing with fabulosity, hustle, creatives, and scandalous romances. As you can tell, I was deeply impacted by Sex and the City and Gossip Girl in my childhood. At eighteen, I traded the Miami suburbs for downtown Manhattan and became the first person in my family to ever leave home for college. I’ll always consider New York City to be my first love. It’s where I met my best friends and galavanted around the city like I was queen of the world. I lived the ultimate single girl life and thought NYC would be my forever home.
Until *drumroll please* a global pandemic took over the world. I was about to graduate college, jobless, and on the verge of a complete and utter mental breakdown. So, naturally, I did what any normal person would do and moved halfway across the world to pursue a master’s degree (hello, more student loans). I barely finished crying to a stranger on the plane before my five suitcases and I touched down in London.
If New York is my rollercoaster of a first love, then London is my soulmate.
That first year in London, my flat was the size of an actual storage closet, but I didn’t care. The tube, Sunday roasts, Londoner fashion, and the persistent gloomy sky— God, I find everything about this city sexy. London brought so many good things into my life, but it also really revitalized my travel obsession post-pandemic.
While living in London, I worked retail to buy £40 flights to, well, anywhere. I took solo trips to places like Ireland and toured the Cliffs of Moher. With my friends, I stayed at haunted hostels in Scotland and experienced the ultimate Amalfi coast summer.
Life has changed a lot since those days as a student traveling through Europe. What hasn’t changed is my belief that I’m meant to see as much of this world as possible. Trip planning is my personal olympic sport and I continue to travel every chance I get. I’m not an expert, I’m just a girl. A girl who spends her time fixating on dream destinations.
Sophie’s Happy Hour was born from the idea that travel guides should not be boring.
Sophie’s Happy Hour was born from the idea that travel guides should not be boring. Travel websites/ guides/ blogs don’t have to revolve around formal lists of must-do recommendations that you a.b.s.o.l.u.t.e.l.y. MUST DO OR ELSE. Where’s the humor, unapologetic girliness, and all-around good-vibe holiday cultivating in that?
Like happy hour with your girlfriends, let’s keep it playful and conversational. Here at Sophie’s Happy Hour, we escape real life and transport to the best cities around the world. Welcome, this round’s on me.
