Meet Joanne, the Backpacker Flip Flops

A self-proclaimed ‘city girl with a country heart,’ Joanne spent her childhood living in suburban Long Island, day-tripping to Manhattan, and weekending in rural Pennsylvania, giving her a true appreciation for big cities, small towns, and everything in between. 

Joanne caught the ‘travel bug’ in 2003 when she went to Europe to study Shakespeare. Two years later, she ventured to Japan to immerse herself in the local culture. Upon graduating from college, she decided to head over to Denmark, driven by her passion to explore Scandinavia. 

Once in Europe, Joanne grabbed a rail map and explored all around the continent. When she returned to the States, she realized her heart was still ‘everywhere else too,’ and during every free moment, she set out to be ‘anywhere but here.’ 

With her token backpack and flip flops, she embraced backpacker travel stories, exploring the world through Chinatown bus tours, high-speed (and sometimes unintentionally low-speed) trains, planes, and cruise ships. Joanne and her flip flops have walked everywhere, from the cobblestone roads of Pompeii to navigating through snow in Lillehammer in toe-socks. 

She is unsure when the tipping point happened that led others to believe she ‘traveled a lot,’ as her focus remained on the exciting new places to see. With her eyes set on many countries (and territories), Joanne set a goal to visit 50 countries before she turned 30. Achieving this milestone at 28, she then aimed for 75 countries before 35, and once that was accomplished at 34, her new goal became visiting 100+ countries! 

Joanne has solo-traveled to 84 countries, all 50 states, and 5 continents. 

In addition to hitting all the must-see places and bucket list experiences, her travel interests also include visiting filming locations, Olympic host cities, and historical sites, including presidential libraries. 

While she is known for her signature flip flops, in April 2017, Joanne discovered a new passion—running! Road races are the only time she trades her flip flops for sneakers (although she can often be seen at bib pickup in her flip flops). Combining her love of travel and running, she has participated in 5ks, 10ks, half marathons, and marathons in 5 countries as ‘racecations’ (running vacations). Joanne has completed the Berlin 2019 Marathon, New York City 2021 Marathon, and London 2025 Marathon, and she is set to complete the Chicago 2025 Marathon as a St. Jude Hero. She aspires to one day become an Abbott 6 Star Finisher. 

Across the world, many people have encouraged Joanne to share her travel stories, leading to the creation of Backpacker Flip Flops. This initiative includes a website, blog, Instagram page, TikTok page, and YouTube channel, all designed to help individuals learn about the world and gain insider tips. 

Additionally, Joanne occasionally offers personalized guided sightseeing trips in various cities and provides select city must-see guides for purchase. As a travel influencer, she continues to inspire others with her adventures.