About Derek

Welcome! I am Derek, publisher of The Suburban Travelers and owner of Vespula Media. I live with my family and our German Shepherd in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA. I have a passion for all things travel, including modes of transportation; for me, how we get somewhere is often as thrilling as where we are going! My wife and I frequently travel domestically and internationally, enjoying first-class experiences on an economy-class budget, often thanks to travel reward points and miles and credit card perks.

I am a die-hard Georgia Tech football fan and have had season tickets since 2000. At one point I attended 112 consecutive games, home and away, which included game trips to Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas, Utah, and even Ireland! I was able to do a lot of traveling during those eight years, combining my two great passions! Other interests include Formula 1 racing, investing, reading, and home theater.

From the Southeastern U.S. to Europe

My love for travel began at a young age. My dad was a bus driver for both Trailways and Greyhound. I literally grew up on the road, riding buses with him as often as I could. By the time I graduated from high school, I had visited nearly every Southeastern state as well as my first international destination, the Bahamas. (We didn’t take a bus to the Bahamas; that was a high school trip that included a day cruise from Fort Lauderdale!) Upon college graduation my world expanded when I took my first flight from Atlanta to Washington-Dulles on Delta Air Lines. I still remember being absolutely amazed - I was flying! That quickly evolved to a general fascination with the commercial aviation industry. Planes joined buses as modes of transportation that captured my imagination! By 2013 I had visited all 48 of the continental United States.

The following year, when considering where to go on vacation, I was at a loss for a destination. I had hit most of the high points in the U.S., and those which I had not visited would be similar trips to ones I had recently completed. On a whim, I booked flights - partially paid with Delta SkyMiles - for a nine-day adventure to London and Paris. Not knowing anything about international travel, I had to plan the entire trip in three weeks. Despite watching numerous YouTube videos and reading a couple of travel guides, I had little idea of what to expect upon my arrival; I was a bit intimidated but very excited! I may never forget the surreal, but thrilling, feeling I had walking down the jetway to board my flight to London-Heathrow: I was about to cross the Atlantic and land in Europe the next morning!

Becoming the Suburban Travelers

On that first visit to London and Paris, I was captivated by cafés, museums, iconic sites, and, not least, high-speed passenger trains! I knew I had to return. Soon, I was planning a 2015 trip to Germany. That same year, I met my wife and was thrilled to learn that she also loved to travel. Having studied in Europe while in college, but not having returned since, she was excited to explore Europe with me. Since then, we have been blessed to have completed six European vacations. During a pandemic-induced lull in those trips, we journeyed to several states she had not previously visited. Hopefully, God willing, we will be able to continue these travels for years to come! When I decided to reboot this blog and rebrand it from Debrian Travels, a new, more meaningful title quickly became obvious. The Suburban Travelers captures our identity as typical American suburbanites who love travel in its many forms.

See where I’ve traveled in the United States! I’ve grouped places I’ve visited, including stadiums where I have attended Georgia Tech and James Madison football games and National Park Service sites I have seen. I’m also tracking every Buc-ee’s I’ve been to as I work toward my goal of visiting them all!

As an avgeek, I track the airports that I have flown from and to as well as the routes connecting those airports. Check those out in this Google Map!