About

Meet Stef

Hi! I’m Stefania Guglielmi, but everyone calls me Stef or Steph. I’m an Italian travel blogger from Bologna, with over 85 countries visited and a travel wish list that somehow keeps getting longer.

Every Steph is where I share my travels, along with practical guides to help you plan yours.

Stef standing on a lifeguard tower ramp at Venice Beach in Los Angeles.

How it all started

My love of travel began with family road trips around Italy and Europe with my parents and brother.

At 15, I joined a summer exchange program in Australia. At 16, I moved to Paso Robles, California, for a year as a high school exchange student. That experience left me wanting to see a whole lot more of the world.

I later returned to California to study at UCLA for a year, then lived in Barcelona after finishing my master’s degree. Along the way, I also did an internship in London.

I have a bachelor’s degree in International Studies, a master’s in Communications, and a degree in Digital Marketing. A corporate career would have been an obvious next step, but I wanted work that gave me the freedom to keep exploring.

I launched Every Steph in 2014 and put my energy into the blog and freelance work. In 2018, blogging became my full-time job.

My kind of travel

I love adventure and unusual destinations. I’m the sort of person who goes to Turkmenistan and ends up cooking a marshmallow at the Gates of Hell.

Some of my favorite travel memories include exploring the Great Wall of China for hours without another person in sight and overlanding from Kenya to South Africa, with safaris and local experiences along the way.

But I’m also very happy lounging in an overwater villa in the Maldives. And I love visiting places that are touristy for a reason. Popularity doesn’t make a beautiful place any less worth seeing.

Stef and Fran relaxing beside their overwater villa’s private pool at Angsana Velavaru in the Maldives
Stef holding a toasted marshmallow beside the burning Gates of Hell crater in Turkmenistan

My travel style is adaptable. I’ll splurge on a fancy bamboo villa in Bali, then stay somewhere very basic when I’m traveling in a remote area. It depends on where I am and what I’ve gone there to experience.

My love of beautiful hotels and thoughtful design is part of the blog’s eco and luxury travel focus. I also care about the impact of travel. Those interests shape my choices, alongside a curiosity that takes me to all sorts of places.

What you’ll find on Every Steph

Italy and Mexico are at the heart of Every Steph, but you’ll also find guides to Japan, Thailand, Portugal, and the United Arab Emirates, plus other destinations my adventures have taken me to.

Stef standing beside traditional trulli houses in Alberobello, Italy.

Italy is home. I lived there until I was 25, and I still return every year to visit family and discover new places. Growing up in Bologna also gave me a lifelong appreciation for good food, and some fairly strong opinions about it.

Mexico is a country I keep coming back to. I’ve visited multiple times, often for months at a time. I know Quintana Roo and Yucatán especially well, along with Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta.

Stef climbing the wooden ladder at Cenote Calavera in Tulum, Mexico.

Dubai and Thailand have also been home. I was a Dubai resident for a while, and I’ve lived in Thailand on five separate occasions, spending several months there each time. Those longer stays have given me a different perspective from visiting on vacation, and that experience feeds into my guides.

Stef standing at the base of Wat Arun temple in Bangkok, Thailand.
Stef on the glass slide at Sky Views Observatory in Dubai, with the Burj Khalifa behind her.

Here you’ll find itineraries, things-to-do guides, hotel reviews, and tour recommendations. I share the details that help you decide where to go, what deserves your time, and which experiences are worth booking.

For my tour guides, I read itineraries closely, check what’s included, and go through traveler reviews. Whenever I can, I try the tours myself. When a recommendation comes from personal experience, I tell you in the guide. Other recommendations come from detailed research.

Life beyond the suitcase

One of the best things travel has brought into my life is my husband, Fran. We met on a trip for content creators. He’s Argentinian, I’m Italian, and somehow Romania was where our paths crossed.

Fran is a YouTuber who creates content about finance and investments. We later got married in a castle in Spain, surrounded by family and friends from all over the world. Having everyone together in one place made it even more special.

Stef and Fran on stone steps at their castle wedding in Spain.

These days, we split our time between a few bases, mostly in Georgia, Thailand, and Argentina, while still traveling a lot.

Having a home to return to has given me somewhere to indulge another love: interior design. I buy pieces for my apartment all over the world, so a little of each trip comes home with me. Some people collect fridge magnets. I have slightly more ambitious luggage problems.

I also love documentaries, true crime, and DIY art projects. Give me something to watch or something to make, and I’m pretty happy.

Thanks for getting to know me! You can follow my travels on Instagram or find more inspiration on Pinterest.