About Us
Our Story At A Glance
Every journey has a beginning. Explore the chapters below to learn how Global Grit and Glam came together, the travelers behind the stories, and the mission guiding where we go next.
Who We Are
What happens when a lifelong world traveler meets a Disney Dad with a background in family travel?
You get very different travel interests — to say the least.
You get Global Grit and Glam.
We’re so glad you’re here.
We’re an empty-nest couple with distinct travel styles, now exploring the world side by side. Beck brings bold, independent adventure. Mike brings an appreciation for comfort, shared experiences, and intentional planning.
Together, we blend courage with ease — grit with glam — creating journeys that reflect both discovery and refinement.
Global Grit and Glam is an independent travel publication built on a lifetime of exploration. Created with empty nesters and like-minded travelers in mind, we share thoughtful destination guides, personal insights, and carefully chosen recommendations — blending comfort with adventure as we discover meaningful places around the world together.
How It All Came Together
Beck’s global travels began long before this publication existed. Over the years, she independently explored more than 140 countries, living and working in nine along the way.
Mike’s travel story grew differently — shaped first by family life, career, and traditions closer to home, before expanding outward in unexpected ways.
We met later in life, when both of our journeys were already well underway.
Global Grit and Glam wasn’t a lifelong business plan. It was a natural evolution — the merging of two perspectives and a shared desire to explore this next season of life together.
While the experiences span decades, this publication reflects the destinations we intentionally explore as a couple today. It’s growing thoughtfully — one meaningful journey at a time.
A Lifetime of Travel
Countries Visited
Countries of Residence
Combined Years of Travel
Beck – “Grit”
Beck – “Grit”
I’ve never really been one to stand still and watch life simply pass me by. From a young age, life has presented an opportunity for me to do things, see things, feel things – and with that came a desire to be a larger part of this amazing, magical world in which we find ourselves, lapping it up like a thirsty camel, always wanting more. Chasing the dragon, I believe is the term to which some people refer?
I left my home country of Australia in June 1999, and headed to the U.S. to pursue my dream of coaching basketball at an elite level. Whilst that part of my journey didn’t quite pan out as planned, the people I met on that initial 3-month journey completely changed my life … and over the following 10 years, I chose to learn as much as I could about other people, other cultures. In December 2011 I visited my 100th country and didn’t plan to stop there. I’ve now visited over 140 countries and lived and worked in nine of those. Today I call the U.S. home and am excited to share many of my once-solo adventures with my life partner by my side.
This desire to see as much of the world as possible (and in doing so to live life to the fullest) has always sparked a passion within me to encourage others to do much the same: an eagerness to share with those around me what I’ve had the fortune to discover, and in turn hope they too find the passion and excitement that keeps them getting out of bed every day.
Welcome to Global Grit and Glam, fellow wanderers! I hope you find a small piece of your journey – and an immense amount of passion and excitement along the way – right here in these wee pages of ours.
Mike – “Glam”
Mike – “Glam”
Yea, that’s right. I’m “Glam”. Perhaps it’s more like glam-wannabe. Truth be told, it’s a process of elimination because I certainly don’t qualify as grit when it comes to travel.
Courage and resolve; strength of character – the definition of grit – applies to Beck, without question. She is a tough act to follow, but follow I will!
My passion for travel emanates from a completely different perspective. My childhood was from a lower middle class manufacturing town jokingly referred to as “the center of the universe”. The opportunity to visit family across the same country for a summer was a life changing experience. The thought of traveling to the other side of the globe was mere fantasy.
As an adult, my travel experience centered around raising my two children. A recent Travel & Leisure article “The 15 Best US Resorts for Families” provides a hint to our preferences. Six of the 15 resorts belong to the Disney Vacation Club family. Needless to say we became members and I still belong today. While my children are now adults themselves, we still enjoy family time together at these resorts – just with a different focus.
You never know when the people you meet and the places you go will fuel a passion that changes your life forever. My visits to family across the country instilled a desire within this small town sheltered kid to see as many states as possible within the beautiful U.S. And that I did. Meeting Beck years later did much the same for my passion to see the rest of the world!
Welcome to Global Grit and Glam. I hope you too find inspiration within our pages that may motivate you to take a trip that you may not have considered prior to visiting us here.
Who knows. Maybe it will change your life too.
Our Mission
We believe travel doesn’t have to slow down after the kids grow up. In many ways, it becomes richer.
This season of life offers freedom — to explore more deeply, travel more intentionally, and blend comfort with meaningful adventure.
Our hope is that these pages encourage you to step just a little further beyond what feels familiar — whether that means boarding a long-haul flight, booking that small boutique hotel, or simply seeing a well-loved destination in a new way.
There’s room in this world for both grit and glam.
And the best journeys often live somewhere in between.