Boss Ladies | Jessica Wright — The Refined Woman

Jessica Wright is a full-time travel blogger based out of San Francisco. As a photographer and writer, she shares her travels on Bon Traveler — a site dedicated to inspiring others to travel well and often. Bon Traveler exists as a home to curated guides, hotel insights, and the best in cultural, adventure travel.

Growing up I really wanted to be

Maria (Julie Andrews) in the Sound of Music.

My most-used emojis are

The praise hands, laughing with tears face, and the monkey covering its eyes.

My go-to order at a coffee shop is

Cortado! Or straight espresso.

I don’t know how I ever lived without

Spotify premium and my Nespresso machine.

My real life hero is

My French grandmother, who is brave and strong. She moved here from France and raised her family in a new place where she didn’t speak the language. She inspires me and has sparked a love for culture, travel, and independence

What I love about my work is

The people. I’ve met some of my closest friends through the blog, and the global tribe is amazing. The people I meet on the road make the memories of travel really special.

The hardest thing about my work is

The long days on the road. Sometimes I’m away for weeks, and not being able to be with close friends and family can be difficult.

How I got started with my current career

I’ve always had a passion for photography and writing, and started with a blog under a different name about four years ago. Then I got the opportunity to be an independent travel agent, and realized my passion for inspiring travel through creating content. I rebranded my blog, and took it more seriously. The time came to make a jump, and I closed my business as a travel consultant, and pursued travel blogging full time.

The dumbest thing I did when I was starting out

Not investing in a better camera. I have so many photos I wish were higher quality. Lesson learned: always invest in your trade (when you can).

My typical day on the road looks like

6:00 am: Knock out many emails as I’m off timezone and my inbox is absurd. Throw back a quick coffee, even if it means I drink it in the shower to save time. 7:00 am: Light is everything, and the sun rising is the best time for photos: seek out best spot. 8:00 - 11:00 am: Go from one spot to the next, capturing and editing content, meeting people, asking questions, writing notes and end up at a lunch spot. 12:00 pm: Fuel up for the next few hours of madness. The day ends when the lights ends. 1:00 - 4:00 pm: Meet someone for coffee, head off to the next spot, probably a museum, run to somewhere new to get more content. 5:00 pm: Mid-day snack, and tapas and a drink will do. 6:45 pm: find the best sunset spot, snap away. The creation part of the day is over. 8:00 pm: Meals are always saved for the dark. 9:30 pm: attempt to answer emails, gather notes, and put together an overview of the day. Start planning the next day. 11:00 pm: Click on Office reruns, room service popcorn, and crash.

I used to think success meant

How much I accomplished and who recognized it.

My current definition of success is

Having the dedication and discipline to pursuing my passions and curiosity.

An example of when I had to push through fear was

My first speaking event as a travel blogger. I was invited to be on a panel in front of a couple hundred people in the tourism industry, and the pressure was high as there were many opportunities for future work. I had studied public speaking, but had never really been on a stage. When I was asked to do it, I almost said no. I took the risk, committed, and showed up with my game face. It went incredibly well, and from it came many opportunities — the risk was worth it.

I know my work/life balance is out of sync…

When I haven’t read a book in a few weeks, I am out of balance, as normally I have time to read. So I cut back on the pressure, recognize the amount of work that can be done in a day, and give myself time to dive into a good book.

The last time I created something I was proud of was

When I did the paintings in my living room. It had been a long time since I picked up my brush, and having the courage to put paint to paper again boosted my confidence.

I wish I could tell my younger self

That I can live my dreams.

The legacy I hope to leave is...

That others will feel the courage to pursue whatever it may be, if it's in travel, in life, or in day to day.

XO,

Jessica