About Katie
A psychologist studying travel, connection, and who we become along the way.
I'm Katie Blake — a social and cultural psychologist, writer, travel consultant, and the founder of The Postcard Société.
I hold a PhD in social and cultural psychology and have been teaching college-level psychology for nearly two decades. My curiosity has always lived at the intersection of culture and identity — how the places we inhabit, the rituals we keep, and the connections we tend shape who we become. Over time, I realized that travel was the most alive expression of that same curiosity: not studying culture at a distance, but stepping into it. That's what eventually led me to bring psychology directly into the way I plan travel and write about it.
Everything I do flows from one idea: that who we become is shaped by the choices we make — where we go, how we go, and who we go with.
The work is grounded in real research.
For nearly two decades I've studied how culture, place, and identity intersect — the field that explains why a trip can shift how you see yourself, why certain places feel like recognition rather than discovery, and why who you travel with changes what the journey means. Travel isn't an escape from ordinary life. It's one of the most powerful tools we have for becoming someone new.
I bring that research directly into the way I plan travel and write about it. Alongside my consulting work, I publish Psychologie — a publication on travel psychology, analogue life, and the art of moving through the world with intention. It lives here in two forms: The Journal of Travel Psychology, where I write research-backed essays on the science of travel, and Field Notes, where I write about the slower, more tactile practices that make ordinary life feel more beautiful. I also host The Places We Become, a Travel Psychologie podcast, and write a companion newsletter on Substack.
This website is home to my most enduring ideas — the pieces designed to be returned to, not scrolled past.
Credentials + Focus
- 01PhD in Social and Cultural Psychology
- 02College-Level Psychology Instructor — nearly two decades in the classroom
- 03Editor and Publisher of Psychologie — The Journal of Travel Psychology and Field Notes
- 04Host of The Places We Become, a Travel Psychologie podcast
- 05Quoted as a travel psychology expert in The Telegraph
- 06Travel Consultant specializing in psychology-informed, bespoke travel planning — Certified Disney Travel Specialist and Universal Orlando Resort Specialist
- 07Collaborator on psychology-driven brand campaigns — including a travel personality quiz and bylined editorial for Independent Collection Hotels
- 08Founder of The Postcard Société — a curated correspondence box for analogue connection
Beyond the work
A little more about me.
When I'm not writing or planning someone's next journey, you'll find me roller-skating to whatever is on my playlist, growing flowers in my garden, or strumming T. Swift on my ukulele. I'm also a certified master's-level yoga and meditation instructor — which means I think a lot about stillness as much as movement.
Favorite food
Lemon Melts from Mull's Island Bakery
Currently reading
We'll Prescribe You Another Cat — Syou Ishida
Dream destination
Reconnecting with my Scottish Highlander roots
Always in my bag
A fountain pen and a stack of postcards
Favorite color
Mustard and pink
Currently watching
Twilight — again
"People don't remember the itinerary. They remember how a place made them feel. That's what psychology brings to the work."
Get in touch