Hi, my name is Lily! I founded Travel Beyond Excuse in 2013 as a digital travel magazine with the aim of helping people learn how to travel despite the common “excuses” that stop most of them from actually doing it.

Do any of these excuses sound familiar to you?   I wish I could travel, but…

  • …my spouse won’t travel with me
  • …I’m single and nobody I know will go with me
  • …I have kids
  • …I don’t have time
  • …I worry for my safety and health
  • …I don’t speak any other languages
  • …I have pets/plants/obligations around my house
  • …I’m scared to fly
  • …I can’t afford it
  • ...it would be selfish of me to travel the world when people around me are in need

I’ve heard them all, and plenty more! A few months in to publishing my magazine, I created a special issue just for teachers, and after that I decided I wanted to focus more on teachers and young people.

I started my career as a teacher myself, and I believe that travel can not only bring joy to the teacher, but their experiences as travelers can enhance their lessons back in the classroom and inspire a whole new generation of travelers among their students!

I’m passionate about helping teachers travel the world because teachers influence so many of our future leaders. Travel, and then bring those travel experiences back into your classrooms!

I no longer publish the magazine, but through this website I hope to introduce teachers to many ways they can travel the world, through:

  • Receiving travel grants
  • Finding cheap airfare and accommodations
  • Learning how to save up for a trip
  • Virtually eliminating airfare costs through travel hacking techniques
  • Discovering alternatives to hotels to reduce lodging costs
  • Exploring long-term travel opportunities such as teaching overseas
  • Finding inspiration for solo travel
  • Learning how to put your home, pets, and plants into capable hands while you’re away
  • Tips for safety, packing, staying healthy while traveling, traveling with kids, and much more
  • Learning how to travel in such a way that you spend less than you would if you stayed home
  • …and even options for earning money while you travel!

Sound good to you?

Maybe I’m a little naive, but I believe that the more we get out and mingle with people of other cultures, learn about their ways of living and bring home and apply what we learn in our own lives, the more peace we can generate in this world. There will probably always be racism, war and conflict somewhere, but if we truly get to know others, and allow them to get to know us, the more we will realize that we are all not so scary and different from each other after all. 

Start exploring this website and get ready to travel (and change) the world!

P.S. If you want to learn more about me, I’m an author, traveler, and blogger with a personal blog at LilyAnnFouts.com. I have a unique past as a child fugitive and wrote a book about it, which I am in the process of seeking a publisher for now. Hop over to LilyAnnFouts.com if you want to read a free sample from my book!