Alyssa Ochs

Alyssa L. Ochs has been writing about exciting travel topics for Trips to Discover since 2013. Born and raised in rural Illinois, she dreamed of exploring life far beyond the Midwestern U.S. and living a life of adventure out among the beauty of nature. After living the big city life in Chicago, Washington, DC, and Atlanta, Alyssa sold the bulk of her possessions and became a digital nomad, living full-time in her camper and working from wherever she could find an outlet and an internet connection for her laptop. Among her favorite camping destinations from over three years of camper life are British Columbia (Canada), the Oregon Coast, New Mexico, North Carolina, Baja California (Mexico), and the many national and state parks along the way. Before, after, and between camping trips, Alyssa also fell in love with international travel, thanks to unforgettable trips in Japan, Spain, Costa Rica, Amsterdam, and beyond. However, New Mexico is the place that truly stole her heart, and she bought a house in an unincorporated mountain town here in 2019. Since then, Alyssa gave birth to a son during the early pandemic and splits her time between raising a little world traveler, working remotely, and keeping up with her hobbies of hiking, rock climbing, camping, visiting breweries, and collecting gnomes. Alyssa has been a full-time freelance writer since starting her own business in 2013. Trips to Discover was one of her very first gigs, and she is thrilled to have such an outstanding and supportive team to work with here. Alyssa considers herself a "Jill of all trades" and has written for many other websites, blogs, print magazines, books, and social media platforms too. In addition to travel, her other areas of professional writing expertise include philanthropy and nonprofits, the craft beverage industry, natural health, environmental conservation, fitness and nutrition, and technical writing. Before launching her writing career, Alyssa worked in the legal industry and specialized in medical product liability cases. During Alyssa’s undergraduate years, she studied journalism and public relations before earning her bachelor’s degree in political science. She holds a post-graduate certification in civil litigation and legal research and writing. To broaden her writing background, Alyssa has since taken various courses in travel writing, fiction, short stories, poetry, comedy writing, and improv.