Annie Bartholomew

March 2025 Issue

by Lesley Kyle
Photography (top) by Cassidy Dunn Photography

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” —Helen Keller.

No one can say Hilton Head Island native Annie Bartholomew’s life is nothing, because she has already lived a life filled with adventures and entrepreneurship, and she has no intention of stopping now.

This small-town island girl transformed into a world traveler at the nudging of her mother, who had studied abroad when she was in college. Now, Annie has traveled across the US to 36 states and around the world to 47 different countries—some more than once!

A little girl (and now an adult) who was more the outdoorsy type, Annie loved growing up on Hilton Head, relishing in beach days and fun activities such as bike riding and boating. “It was a special place to grow up,” she said. “Hilton Head is a strong, supportive community, and that’s hard to find.”

The oldest of three siblings, Annie and her family embarked on regular family trips. Her dad traveled a lot for work, and from a very young age, she was always excited to experience the wanderlust of jumping on an airplane if the family got to tag along. Ironically, Annie caught the travel bug on a childhood trip to Walt Disney World, when the entire family caught another “bug”—the chicken pox. The family still enjoys traveling together and recently embarked on a two-week intracoastal trip to the Bahamas. Joined by friends, the group steered their caravan of three boats down that leisurely and memorable trek, stopping to explore along the way.

After high school graduation, Annie enrolled at the University of South Carolina (Columbia) and double majored in marketing and management with a minor in hospitality. Annie said her parents lovingly pushed her beyond her comfort zone, which actually resulted in jump-starting her passion for world travel. Remember her Mom studied abroad? She had a wonderful experience studying in London, and strongly encouraged her hesitant daughter to follow suit. After much hemming and hawing, Annie reluctantly enrolled to study in Florence, Italy, during her junior year. After a rocky start, right when she thought she could tell her mother I told you so, Annie began meeting friends which she still has today, and stepping out to explore the country and its culture. This experience later inspired her to apply for a work visa in New Zealand, where she worked in a bakery with two other young girls from France and Germany while living with three New Zealanders. “Living with Kiwis totally immerses you in the country’s culture!” said Annie.

Annie’s excursions have resulted in magnificent experiences of a lifetime. She has viewed the Northern Lights from an igloo in Lapland, Finland, and cruised down the Nile River in Egypt. She hiked Mount Fitzroy in Patagonia and watched the most amazing New Year’sfireworks show on Copacabana Beach in Rio. She has ridden camels in the Sahara Desert and elephants at a sanctuary in Thailand. She drove a 1992 Datsun hatchback with a stick on the wrong side of the road while exploring New Zealand. Traveling often by herself helped her become comfortable being alone on the road wherever she may be in the world. Her travels have become her happy escape and source of inspiration. “These trips have brought great meaning and joy to my life. The world is a beautiful place intended to be explored!” she exclaimed.

However, her travels must be sustained, and this is another source of one of Annie’s great adventures. Three years ago, she launched her own wedding and event planning company— Annie Scott Events (Scott is her middle name). As an impressionable 12-year-old, Annie watched the movie, The Wedding Planner and was hooked. She began keeping “Annie’s pretend wedding notebook” and even shadowed an event planner from Spencer’s Special Events as a young teen. She also worked for them for 10 years prior to going out on her own. “Every wedding or event is different,” Annie explained. “Bringing someone’s vision to life or making something extra special for a couple is meaningful and rewarding work.” As a bonus in getting to make a living working her passion, her professional pursuits also enable her to continue to chase her travel passions.

“No matter how much planning goes into a trip, things change,” said Annie. “You have to be open to experiencing different cultures, and do your research beforehand, but most importantly, be flexible!” She also suggests travelers collect something unique from each country they visit. But perhaps her biggest travel tip is this: “When in doubt, buy yourself something special; you won’t regret it!”


Up Close:

Up Next: A bachelorette trip to the Dominican Republic

Future Adventures: Canada, Japan, South Africa, and India are on her bucket list

Favorite Places to Visit: Italy and New Zealand

Giving Back: Annie’s family helped start Pockets Full of Sunshine 
(www.pocketsfullofsun.org), a nonprofit serving adults with disabilities