Growing up, Debbie Wright’s father noticed that his family never traveled. He decided that when he had a family, he would take them everywhere. So, at a very young age, Wright began to explore the world.
“You can only learn so much from Pinterest,” said Wright, who has visited 42 states thus far. “Each place is different, and I love it for a different reason.”
Wright has traveled domestically and abroad, including Europe, Asia and the entirety of North America.
London receives Wright’s highest recommendation due to its accessibility – it benefits from the absence of a language barrier.
“As I got older and started making my own money,” Wright said, “a lot of friends from college live across US and Canada, so I wanted to start exploring as much as I could. When you stay with friends where they live, you get a completely different experience because you’ve got a local guide.”
When we caught up with Wright, she’d just returned from visiting a friend who lives in Alaska.
“We did a lot of hiking,” Wright said. “Alaska is gorgeous. You walk outside and you’re surrounded by mountains. I’d never been to such a pretty place!”
Although Wright enjoys hiking, she’s really more of a glamper. “I like adventure, but I need running water and a bed,” Wright said. “There’s no place like home. I love to travel, but then I love to come home.”
Wright’s home is in the Town of Pines. She is active with the children’s programs at Fairhaven Baptist in Chesterton. She studied Marketing at Purdue University Northwest, and is really enjoying her relatively new job as Director of Marketing and Community Development at the Portage Chamber.
“Portage is a really down-to-earth community, and I’ve loved meeting so many people here through the Chamber events I organize,” Wright said. “When I first started, I was surprised by how much the city does in the summer. There’s always something going on.”
Wright’s passion is social media marketing, and she hopes to one day run her own marketing company. “With social media, you can reach so many people.”
Wright appreciates the simplicity of social media, and the ability to distill a message for a local audience while casting a wide net. “People are already using Facebook like Google. If they want to check out a restaurant, they can find specials just by searching Facebook. It’s a small step, but it’s powerful.”