Welcome to My Fantastical World!
Hi everyone! I'm Jill, the owner, founder, and creator of Fantastical Adventures. I started this business and website because I am a HUGE nerd who loves to plan and create awesome experiences for others. Hopefully I can make your dreams come true!
I started my career in Production Management in the entertainment industry, where I gained my love and passion for planning and organizing travel and events (after all, TV productions are basically a series of events / shoots). I was also constantly booking travel for crews, talent, and staff, and ensuring the top quality of service for any clients I booked for. I've always loved helping others, and I'm someone who LOVES organization and planning, so production management always felt like the right place for me as a jack-of-all-trades planner.
When COVID hit, my priorities in life started to change. Seeing this sudden plague hit started my journey to realizing that life is too short to wait to live it. Then, in 2021 the unimaginable happened: my mom, my primary caregiver growing up who gave up her career to stay at home with her kids and help them grow, had received the diagnosis of cancer.
Changing my Course
After my mom's diagnosis, everything changed. I was luckily working remotely, and decided that I should go home to help my mom and be with her for a bit. My then-boyfriend / now-husband and I set off on the road with our dog in tow to drive cross country so I could stay with my mom for an indefinite amount of time. I had driven cross country once with my father when I moved from Boston to Los Angeles, so I set out our path and we made the trek, stopping for 6 nights in various cities across the US. Even though this time we made the journey for more solemn reasons, I saw so much more beauty in all of the roads and cities we went through on this trip.
As my mom went through her cancer journey, I was once again reminded that life is indeed too short. We always hope to travel or celebrate life's big occasions when... when we retire, when we get that big promotion or bonus, when we have the time, when... but nothing in life is guaranteed. My mom and dad hoped to travel when they retired, and now traveling feels out of reach due to the difficulty of my mom's cancer treatment on her body. And really, that's the truth for everyone - if we wait and wait and wait, who knows what will happen tomorrow? I could lose my abilities or even my life suddenly and without notice. Wouldn't I regret not doing everything I could to live my life during whatever time I had?
From My Wedding to My Business
My husband and I got engaged at the end of 2021, and quickly set our date for the end of 2022. With one year to get everything ready, I started my planning immediately. We wanted to do a fandom-themed wedding focused on the fandoms/stories that helped bring us together and inspired me and my husband in our relationship and lives. With my background in production management, I found the wedding planning not only easy, but SUPER fun. I got to be not only organized and logistically minded, but also creative and unique - I planned and designed or sourced every detail myself, from the flower arrangements to the centerpieces to the playlists. It was during this time that I also saw how lacking the events and wedding industry can be, despite having plentiful vendors to choose from - you would think it would be easy to find vendors and planners who would tailor to your unique vision and to your relationship with your partner, but I found that was not always the case, especially when your vision is outside normal convention.
We had once again crossed the country by car for the wedding, this time taking a different route through Colorado and Utah rather than through Arizona and New Mexico. Once again, I saw incredible beauty and splendor in every place I adventured through. We decided on our way back to Los Angeles to take a longer trip, taking stops to the places we had always wanted to see or returning to wonders we had seen before. We saw places like the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, the Meteor Crater Natural Landmark, the Petrified Forest Natural Park, and more. After my fifth drive cross country, I knew I wanted to be able to create experiences like this for others.
So, it was then and there that I started seriously pondering my business idea - to create a nerdy, fantastical event & travel planning company focused on fandoms, geekiness, and themed experiences, a business that operates solely OUTSIDE of convention and fills a niche mostly untouched.
Two years later, I'm finally realizing this idea. It's one that I've worked extensively on for the past few years, in training and classes and my career, and now, I'm ready to share my experience, knowledge, and skills with you.
The Future of this Blog
I hope to use this blog to write about my travel experiences, events and experiences I attend, my best and favorite tips & tricks for event & travel planning, and more! Essentially, it will be a mix of advice / planning ideas, personal experiences and things that I've loved recently, and sharing news from the travel and events industry and sharing my insight on such. Hopefully with this information and experience, I can help make your next grand adventure, whatever it may be, more fantastical than it started!
Book Now with Fantastical Adventures
With all of this in mind, I ask you to please consider booking with my company, Fantastical Adventures, for your next party, event, or travel adventure. I sincerely hope that my story has inspired you to go out there and live your life, and that you accept my help in making your magical dreams come true!
You can book a FREE consultation with me using the following link:
Thanks for reading!
-Jill
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