About us
Mad Hatters NYC is a NYC-based travel website founded by Lynn and Justin. We are real, hardworking, busy people, just like you. We both work full-time jobs, so we cherish our free time and spend it either exploring the city we love, or fleeing it to see the world. Curiosity propels us. Art, history, food, and culture draw us in. Oh, and coffee too.
Lynn
Lynn was born and raised in Malaysia, where trips around Asia with her family sparked her love for travel. When she came to the US to pursue a college degree, she followed her passion the only way she was able to: on a college student’s shoestring budget. Courier flights reduced airfares, overnight train travel reduced lodging expenses, street food reduced meal costs. Now, many years later, her methods may have changed, but her appetite for exploration has not.
Justin
Justin was born and raised in the US, where his family’s regular summer road trips across the country laid the foundation for a lifetime of travel. This, of course, was in addition to the nearly dozen permanent moves he made to various parts of the country during his life. More than anything, his experience traveling around his homeland inspired a keen desire to visit and explore the world outside his doorstep. His first trips abroad were to Scotland and Ireland, and he hasn’t looked back since.
Our Travel Philosophy
Whether we’re writing about New York City or a city we called home for a week, our approach is the same. We see it as a way to share our experiences and the things that excite us. Our travel philosophy, which applies even if you’re traveling to a different neighborhood, can be boiled down to these 3 things.
Travel is a privilege
There are innumerable barriers to travel. It requires money, time, physical ability, and more. We’ve held jobs where our paid annual leave was limited to 10 days a year. We’ve had to stay home to care for an aging pet. And well, there was the pandemic. Don’t compare yourself to the travelers who have been to 50 countries or the ones who are spending 3 months in Thailand. If you’re able to travel, enjoy it.
Seek your passions
Travel should allow you to do more of what you love, not less. There is no reason to build an itinerary based on what everyone else is doing. If you’re a fan of the macabre, why not go off the beaten path in London and visit Highgate Cemetery? If you loved his fairy tales, why not leave Copenhagen to see the charming town where Hans Christian Andersen grew up? We’ve hunted down street art in Lisbon and Baltimore, found the freshest seafood in Matosinhos and Portsmouth, and immersed ourselves in centuries-old history in Toledo and Nikko. Find your joy, no matter where you are.
Embrace uncertainty
No matter how much you travel, there is frequently some level of discomfort. Whether it’s a language barrier, confusing public transportation, or just well-laid plans going awry, it’s going to happen. It can be frustrating, especially when you’ve built up a dream vacation in your mind. Learning to not just accept, but embrace, uncertainty will serve you well. It will help you adapt more quickly, and can still lead to some pretty rewarding experiences.
If you have a desire to travel, we hope our site helps you in pursuit of that goal. We don’t want you to think our choices have to be yours; we want them to inspire you to make your own.
