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About Dr. J, Travel Blogger at Sidewalk Safari

I'm Jennifer Petoff (aka Dr. J), the voice and photographer behind Sidewalk Safari travel blog. I’m an American-Irish expat and part-time travel blogger living in Lisbon, Portugal with a busy full time ‘day job’ as a project manager in the Tech industry. I’ve been blogging on Sidewalk Safari since 2008.

My motto is: Work to Live, Live to Travel, Travel for Work.

I aim to inspire people who have a demanding job to see that it is possible to achieve work-life balance and travel extensively, making use of every business trip and vacation day to see the great wide world. 

I write exclusively about trips I've personally taken and experiences that, well, I've personally experienced.

I am an expert on: 
  • turning business trips into bleisure trips 
  • workcation travel
  • European expat life and travel
  • building a life of travel through judicious career choices

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I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that Sidewalk Safari would not be possible without the crack travel planning skills of my husband of more than 25 years, Scott. Scott blogs about achieving better work-life balance on VacationCounts. You can find VacationCounts on Facebook too.

Part-time travel blogger, Jennifer Petoff (aka Dr. J) from Sidewalk Safari travel blog. Photo taken near Merrion Square in Dublin IrelandWe have the perfect relationship. Scott’s our trip planner, I'm our trip 'documenter' (I never leave the house without my camera).  When we moved to Europe in 2010, we spent 1-2 weekends per month traveling around Europe combined with more exotic trips to far-flung destinations across Asia, Africa, South America, Australia, and beyond. 

Before moving to Portugal, we lived for 12 years in Dublin, Ireland. Before that, we lived in various cities in the U.S. including San Francisco and Philadelphia. My business-trips often take me to the U.S. so you can expect to see travel blog posts about plenty of American destinations too. 

We love to walk (thus the name Sidewalk Safari was born) and believe that places are best experienced on foot. Oh...and for those of you outside of the U.S., 'Sidewalk' = 'Footpath' ;-)

Sidewalk Safari has been featured on a number of travel websites and blogs: 

You can also check out our growing collection of travel web stories as well as Sidewalk Safari in the News:


Sidewalk Safari in the Press

Sidewalk Safari Travel Stats

I was a scientist once-upon-a-time (that’s why my nickname is Dr. J) and I love data so I couldn’t resist teeing up a few stats about Sidewalk Safari. 
  • 63 countries visited (66 if you count the UK as 4 distinct entities: Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England)
  • More than 250 destinations covered on the blog
  • More than 1500 miles walked per year

Sidewalk Safari Travel Blog Favorites

Here are some of my favorite trips written up on the blog across various travel dimensions. None of this would not have been possible had I not followed my personal guiding star: ⭐️ To travel as much as possible and live in cool places ⭐️

Favorite Destination in Ireland

Favorite Road Trip

Favorite Festival

Favorite Food Halls and Farmers Markets

23 European Farmers Markets and Food Halls Worth Visiting For

Favorite UNESCO Heritage Site

Visiting The Temples at Angkor in Cambodia on a 2-day Tour with a Private Air-Conditioned Car and Guide

Favorite Birdwatching Trip

Why Uganda is a Birdwatchers Paradise

Coolest Wildlife Encounters

Best Place to Drink Coffee

Best Place to Eat Comfort Food

A Taste of Buffalo: What to Eat in Western New York

Best Place to See Fall Foliage

Autumn Foliage: Top 10 Japanese Temples in Kyoto for Leaf Peeping

Favorite European City Break

Favorite Boutique Wine Region

Favorite European Christmas Market

Favorite Place to Travel for Christmas

Favorite New Year’s Eve Destination

Name

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Sidewalk Safari | Part-time Travel Blog: About Dr. J, Travel Blogger at Sidewalk Safari
About Dr. J, Travel Blogger at Sidewalk Safari
Read about Jennifer, aka Dr. J, a part-time travel blogger at Sidewalk Safari, full time project manager at Google and American expat living in Dublin Ireland. Jennifer is the primary author of Sidewalk Safari and writes about her personal trips (often combining business with pleasure) around Europe, North America and the world.
Sidewalk Safari | Part-time Travel Blog
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