About

Girl and her dog on bridge
The cutie pictured above with me is my very happy pup and favorite hiking partner, Louie.

Hiya! I’m Sydney (aka the “Syd” in Syd Bakes Travels), thanks for stopping by!

I’m a travel and lifestyle writer from Seattle who got my first taste of travel in 2011 on a trip to visit my great aunt in the sunny land down under — Australia. I used to work in international education as an immigration/admissions advisor at a community college (à la “Community” with Joel McHale for non-Americans).

Then 2020 happened and amidst all that “stay-at-home” time I decided to try my hand at freelance writing, a dream of mine for years that had been shoved aside for more “practical” goals.

Here we are a few years later and I continue to add to my bylines. I’ve been published in Fodor’s Travel, Good Housekeeping, Travel + Leisure, Betches, Young Adventuress, and more. See all my published clips here.

I’m a regular contributor to Explore and Yard Barker and am also an editor/proofreader for GerMarketing and their travel site, Welcome2Jordan.

If you’ve already heard enough and are keen to connect, email me at baker(dot)m(dot)sydney@gmail(dot)com

On the farm with a former host family in Ireland. I believe this is what they call a “personality pic.”

What I Can Do For You

I am primarily a travel and lifestyle writer and am open to any assignment that falls under those two broad categories. In addition to my hometown, Seattle, I’ve lived in Sydney, Montréal, and Luxembourg. I am familiar with and comfortable with writing about all four, as well as the surrounding regions. More details are below.

Content I Write

  • Reported essays & features
  • Personal narratives
  • Destination guides
  • Short & long-form blogs
  • Website copy
  • Social media posts

That said, if you have something in mind that isn’t listed above, do still get in touch!

Girl in front of lake and mountains
In the French Alps, aka my preferred terrain — mountains + water!

Where I’ve Been

As a travel writer, I’m a huge proponent of expertise. Below are all the places I’ve lived and the countries and regions I’ve explored extensively, should you need a destination expert.

Where I’ve Lived

  • Seattle (as well as nearby Mukilteo & Kirkland), WA, USA
  • Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • Montréal, QC, Canada
  • Luxembourg & Niederkorn, Luxembourg

Regional Expertise

I’ve lived in or traveled extensively in the following areas —

The Pacific Northwest, Québec, France, Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands & Luxembourg), Greece, and Australia.

Girl with her Dog on Mountain
On a sunrise hike with Louise, my favorite weekend activity.

Does It Sound Like I Can Help You?

Great! Send me an email at baker(dot)m(dot)sydney@gmail(dot)com

Connect with Me

Follow my adventures on Instagram!

Read my rambles on Twitter!

Stalk my LinkedIn!

More About Me

This site originally started out as a blog, as I had big dreams to be the next Alex in Wanderland or Adventurous Kate. However, I realized that’s not really what I’m into (see below for my disdain for social channels…which are almost more important than blogs attached to them these days). I just want to write and once I focused on that, I became much happier and more successful in my creative endeavors! You can read all my old blog posts here.

The author at an outdoor cafe, holding a Baby Yoda wearing a red beret.

A few other things to know about me:

  • A true PNW girl I’m big into hiking, the outdoors and coffee.
  • I love animals, especially horses and was a major Equestrian growing up.
  • I have a big disdain for any “smart” tech (didn’t get my first iPhone until 2016) and social media (didn’t have any until 2019).
  • I’m happiest when near the water and/or mountains, preferably both.
  • I’m obsessed with Baby Yoda (see pic above).