We had the good fortune of connecting with Meghan Elise and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Meghan, what matters most to you?
One value that means a whole lot to me is bringing value to others by helping them. My overarching goal in everything I write, do, and decide on for collaboration is the question: how will this help people? How will it impact my audience and their ability to do something that brings value to their life? It’s one of the reasons I really love that I’ve been able to help so many people on a budget find ways to travel more. Travel is such an enriching experience and brings so much value to life. When you travel, you learn about yourself, broaden your understanding of the world, and ability to have empathy for different types of people. We all deserve to travel more and enrich our lives. It’s a privilege and I love sharing how people, especially teachers, can even do it potentially for as little as $5.60 in fees.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started creating online in 2018 after I realized that I was really good at finding ways to travel for less. I’d tell friends and family about a trip and how much it costs, they would be in shock at how cheap I was able to find deals! I realized that I could start helping a lot of people travel if I shared ways I was successfully traveling on my teacher’s salary. The creator space often feels saturated and like you are making no movement at all. Other times, you go viral and gain thousands of followers in a short span of a few days. It ebbs and flows and can cause you to feel like you aren’t making progress or aren’t reaching the people you hoped you would. However, what keeps me going goes back to that question of, “Am I helping people?” My tagline is “budget travel and bucket list places.” I help people achieve their bucket list without breaking the bank. It’s not always cheap, but we’ll find a way to do it for less. That’s something I am really proud of. I don’t need the biggest audience online or the most followers to achieve my goal. Every little win can be celebrated, and each new person who reaches out or reads a post on my website is one step closer to traveling for less, and ultimately, that’s my goal. Growth takes time and keeping yourself grounded in your purpose is what will make you the most proud in your business.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is an easy one for me; I’ve created lots and lots of itineraries for visiting Washington, DC, which you can read in full detail on my website, meghanthetravelingteacher.com.
We’ll start this itinerary off on a Friday. I’d start the trip off with one of my favorite views of DC in the Wharf. We’d have dinner at Hank’s Oyster Bar, where you can get a classic crab cake and Chesapeake Bay oysters for a local taste. After dinner, we’d head upstairs to one of my favorite bars, Whiskey Charley, for sunset drinks. In one direction, you’ll catch views of the Jefferson Memorial and Potomac. On the other, you’ll see the US Capital.
On Saturday, we’re starting off in Old Town Alexandria for the oldest continuously open farmers market in America, where George Washington used to bring his own produce for sale! We’ll stroll the shops and see some of the oldest homes in the DC area. In the afternoon, we’ll choose a Smithsonian to check out; some of my favorites are the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of American History, and the National Air and Space Museum. Then we’ll grab dinner in Chinatown at Daikaya, an excellent ramen spot that is usually pretty busy, so go early! If we’re not too tired, we can head to U Street for a concert at one of the many music venues there like the Howard Theater, 9:30 Club, Black Cat, or DC9.
Sunday, you’ll need your walking shoes, we’ll spend most of the day walking DC. We’re headed to the Eastern Market flea market in the morning. We’ll grab coffee, pastries/local goods, enjoy art and antiques, plus so much more. After that, we’ll grab dinner in Capitol Hill at their Ambar (an all-you-can-eat spot that is so delicious) or Ted’s Bulletin (upscale diner vibe with homemade pop tarts that are delicious!).
On Monday, we’ll start with a stop at Tatte for coffee and pastries. They’ve got spots all around DC and are truly so delicious, you’ll love it there! After breakfast/brunch there, we will spend some time touring the Capital and the Library of Congress. We’ll book advanced tickets, both activities are timed entry. In the afternoon, we’ll head to the monuments and see this half of the National Mall you haven’t seen yet! It’s best to take a tour and learn a lot of history while here.
Tuesday, start your day with coffee from Wydown. This is my favorite coffee shop in DC with two locations. Great start to your morning! From there, head to one of the non-Smithsonian museums. DC has so many incredible museums, even beyond the Smithsonian museums. I love the Spy Museum, Women in the Arts Museum, and Hillwood House Museum. After spending your morning at a museum, spend the afternoon in Georgetown shopping, enjoying the water, and then relaxing with a drink along the water. If it’s warm out, we’ll go kayaking, but if we’re too tired, we can take a boat cruise to see DC on the water. For drinks and sunset, we’ll go to Nick’s River Side Grill.
The rest of your week depends on the type of trip you want! I’d recommend going to a few more museums, exploring more history (like the National Archives, where the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights can be found) and seeing the monuments at night, and then taking a few day trips! My favorite day trips from DC are Virginia Wine Country, Baltimore, Shenandoah National Park, Chesapeake Bay, and Annapolis.
Other favorite local eats are Lutece in Georgetown, Falafel Inc. (multiple locations and their proceeds help support refugees), Andy’s Pizza (the best NYC style pizza outside NYC), Bullfrog Bagels in Eastern Market and H Street, Maketto on H Street, Roaming Rooster (Nashville Hot Chicken, multiple locations), and Union Market.
My favorite neighborhoods are Logan Circle, U Street, H Street, Woodley Park, Eastern Market, Capitol Hill, Old Town Alexandria (in Virginia), Takoma Park (in Maryland).
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am lucky to have many people in my life who showed me encouragement and helped me shape my passions in life! My parents are a great example of what it looks like to make sacrifices for others, help people, and love them unconditionally. Throughout my life, they’ve always encouraged me to do things that challenged me. One example was that my parents really wanted us to attend a good school. My mom was a teacher and in exchange for her teaching at the school, I was able to go there. They made a huge sacrifice for me and my siblings to send us to one of the best private schools in the state. It’s one of the major reasons I became a teacher, I really looked up to my mom. Another example, when I was in college, I really wanted to study abroad, but one of my large scholarships was denied for the program. My dad helped me advocate to ensure I could find a program and didn’t lose the scholarship. I ended up being able to study at a university in Boston. Because of that, I had the confidence to apply for Teach for America after that and moved permanently across the country on my own to a city I’d never even visited, Baltimore. To this day, I live in the area and it’s the perfect fit for me.
Website: meghanthetravelingteacher.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/meghan_elise_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dmvfriend
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzRlPk3QrTT1LTn6FnLXjUQ
Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meghan.elise
Image Credits
all my photos