About Me
Hey! I’m Dann Castillo. I’m a Mexican born girl with a piece of her heart still in England. I’m a somewhat recent graduate with a BA in Communications. My résumé says I’m a writer, graphic designer and community manager, but don’t let it deceive you, I’m really a chocolate addict, full-time daydreamer, occasional do-it-yourselfer, wanna-be foodie, professional shower singer (songs upon request) and a very newbie blogger.
I’m in love with more fictional characters I’d like to admit, with street food, chai latte in big cups, British children books and those teaser trailers they show before the movie. I like long trips and short stories, late night conversations, illustration books and vintage inspired outfits.
I’ve had the chance to travel around in the past. I’ve lived in Guadalajara, Los Angeles and London. I’ve also visited some other EU and USA cities, but this is the first time I’m embarking in a real backpacking trip through Europe and I’m thrilled to share it with all of you!
About TheDreamPacker.com
The DreamPacker is a place for all kinds of stories. Fiction stories, road trip stories, my poor attempts to replicate my mom’s food abroad stories (also, you know, amazing local food and such).
Yeah, it is a solo female travel blog. You will find amazing destinations posts, travel tips and local art info, but I’m also a fiction writer, so I will share some of my short stories and illustrations inspired by the cities I visit. It’s a one city, one story deal!
Why The DreamPacker? Because all the other domain names were already taken. No, really, it’s because dreams always are an important part of my luggage. No matter in which part of the world you are, a dream will always take you somewhere. Besides, “The Dreampackers” was the name of a short story I wrote a some time ago (soon to be published) and since it was about a globetrotter in search of himself it seemed only suitable to share the name with my travel blog!
How was the blog born?
If you want the short version of how The DreamPacker was born, you can check out the video intro. But if you have some spare time… Take a seat and have some tea, my friend.
I guess it all started when I decided I wanted to study a Master’s degree in the UK. I spent a semester in London while I was still at uni and I immediately fell in love with the country. So I applied to a bunch of British universities and got acceptance letters for several Creative Writing programs across the country. Not bad, right? However, dreams (specially advanced degree dreams) cost money. I didn’t want to get into a massive debt and not even my two-year savings were enough to cover tuition fees, so I didn’t have any other choice but to apply for a scholarship.
Fun fact about Creative Writing scholarships: there aren’t as many as I expected. But I took the shot. Right after I applied for the scholarship, I bought a one-way ticket to Scotland. If I got the bursary, I’d be on my way to my advanced degree next September, If I didn’t… I’d still take the plane and write, only it would be a travel blog and not a dissertation.
I guess you can imagine which one won. I love traveling and I love writing, why couldn’t I do both? So I took my two-year savings, quit my job and started The DreamPacker.
I really hope we can discover the world together and that you can get a peek inside my mind through my stories and illustrations. You can check my portfolio or contact me to work together. Thanks for stopping by! Guess I’ll see you on the road.
Love,
