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 the country, or rather, it’s unlike any place on Earth. I’ve slowly 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 because, 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 introduced an obsessive travel craze into my life.
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 romance. As you can tell, I was deeply impacted by Sex and the City and Gossip Girl. 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 city girl life and thought NYC would be my forever home.
Until *drumroll please* a global pandemic took over the world. I was jobless, broke, and on the verge of a complete and utter mental breakdown. So, naturally, I did what any normal person would and decided to pursue a master’s degree halfway across the world (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, my flat was the size of an actual storage closet, but I didn’t care. The tube, Sunday roasts, Londoner fashion, beautiful parks, persistent gloom— God, I find everything about it sexy. London brought so many good things into my life, but it really revitalized my travel obsession.
During my master’s program, I worked retail for £40 flights to, well, anywhere. I took solo trips to Ireland where I toured the Cliffs of Moher and listened to live music at pubs. With my friends, we took trips that took us to haunted hostels in Scotland and an Amalfi coast summer.
Life has changed a lot since those days as a student in London. What hasn’t changed is my belief that I’m meant to see as much of this world as possible. Trip planning is my 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.
Happy Hour with Sophie was born from the idea that travel websites/ guides/ blogs don’t have to be boring.
Happy Hour with Sophie was born from the idea that travel media doesn’t have to 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 Happy Hour with Sophie, we escape real life and transport to the best cities around the world. Welcome, this round’s on me.
