Why T.R. Avel?
From inside joke to alter ego to full-blown travel persona…
The name T.R. Avel didn’t come from a branding session.
It came from a sleep-deprived music festival, a clear makeup bag, and a well-timed inside joke.
I was bunking with strangers-turned-friends — the kind of people you bond with over 3AM stories, shared snacks, and collective exhaustion.
Someone asked if I ever got gifts from the artists I worked with. I said, “Sometimes.”
They looked over, spotted a bag with the word TRAVEL written across the top, and asked — dead serious:
“Who gave you that?”
Without missing a beat, I said:
“Oh, she’s an up-and-coming artist. You probably haven’t heard of her… T.R. Avel.”
The room exploded with laughter.
Except the person who asked.
They blinked and said:
“Are they on Spotify?”
And that’s when I knew:
They were being totally serious.
T.R. Avel needed to become real.
So... who is she?
She’s the part of me that never fully unpacks.
She books the flight before checking her calendar.
She eats the street food even when she shouldn’t.
She gets lost on purpose and talks to strangers at train stations.
She’s not a stage name.
She’s a state of mind.
Why Write Any of This Down?
Because sometimes a trip is more than just a trip.
Sometimes it’s a reminder.
That I can start over.
That I can figure it out.
That I still haven’t packed the right shoes, and it’s fine.
I started this blog not just to share travel tips — but to remember.
The missed trains.
The quiet moments.
The people I met at 3AM in the middle of nowhere who changed everything.
I’ve always had a million stories — most of them buried in group texts, notebook pages, or retold over wine and pizza.
But never written down the way they deserve.
So this is me — finally writing them down.
Not perfectly. Not always on time.
But with heart, with honesty, and with hope that you’ll see yourself in them too.
This blog is her journal.
Her stage.
Her GPS-free, typo-filled, boarding-pass-smudged storybook.
This is me giving T.R. her voice —
and handing you her journal.
A collection of moments written in motion.
This is me welcoming you into the traveler family —
not because we’ve figured it all out,
but because none of us have.
We’re all wanderers,
just doing our best to find our way.