Rachel-Jean Firchau

• Rachel is the founder of Rachel Off Duty, a travel website that empowers women to explore the world, encouraging readers to find remote work that allows for the flexibility to travel the world without compromising their careers.
• She got rid of her apartment to spend 3 years traveling while working full-time, and now fully champions the idea of taking a "workation" while spending time abroad.
• She is on track to become a Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME), a credential that demonstrates her ongoing expertise in and commitment to shaping a more sustainable future for tourism storytelling.

Experience

Rachel brings more than a decade of travel storytelling expertise to Islands, with experience in both advertising and travel-related content creation. In addition to founding her own travel website, she has also contributed to reputable brands like Tripadvisor, Intrepid Travel, and various other destination marketing organizations. Her efforts at changing the narrative for how women prioritize work and travel has earned her a Bessie Award nomination as a 2026 Trailblazer. Rachel has visited a total of 39 countries so far and has lived in three. When she's not connected to WiFi, you can probably find her at the beach, freediving, or exploring yet another local coffee shop somewhere in the world.

Education

Rachel has a two bachelor's degrees in communication studies and public relations/advertising from Chapman University.