Travel isn’t about checking off all the cities or countries in
the world, or how many times you’ve been on a plane this month.
How I see travel and the experience (blessing) of travel has changed a
lot over the years.
All my stories revolved around travelling for so many years because I used it as a form of escapism to deal with my depression and anxiety- feeling depressed? buy a plane ticket to Cyprus, feeling anxious buy a plane ticket to Prague, feeling anxious AND depressed go to China.
Since learning to love myself and focusing on teaching that to other women, and entrepreneurs so they can run more successful businesses; I had the opportunity to travel in a different way. To grow, To connect, To love.
Los Angeles was an opportunity to meet and learn from other entrepreneurs, to reconnect with old friends, to celebrate firsts, to uplevel and shift the focus of my life.
Italy was an opportunity to rebuild a loving relationship with my mom- never hurts to dine on delicious food too ;).
Jerusalem was the opportunity to find and heal a part of myself that I thought I had lost there years before.
Whether I travelled alone or with someone else there is always an emotional undertone to the trip. To celebrate love, to get over heartbreak, or to "find yourself".
Rushing from tourist trap to tourist trap misses the point (there are zero pics of me jumping up in front of the eiffel tower). It’s a chance to breathe, to relax, to experience adventure, to CONNECT, connect, connect, connect.
I’ve learned to let my intuition guide me to where I need to go, or to sit just a little longer at the cafe, or to turn left or right down narrow streets, or to talk with people at the table next to me.
I’m grateful my intuition led me...
- To sit with Fadil for 3 hours in his tiny shop in the busy Grand Bazaar of Istanbul wishing I could spend more time with him; and then spending all night talking over dinner.
- To use my best hand gestures in Rhodes to explain to the lovely old lady beside me on the bus I don’t speak Greek (she didn’t care and continued to talk anyways).
- To J., and S., and J.....Who all taught me that your heart finds who it needs to find no matter where you are.
This is what makes my life seem so fulfilled, because it is. These memories are what make me smile and get excited for my next destination.
It’s the opportunity to be reminded of how human I am, and everyone else is too.
It’s a privilege to move through and explore different countries, one I don’t take lightly.
Still I always get people telling me they would love to travel with me because of these stories. It adds a bit more depth and individuality to the whole "travelers lifestyle".
I hope you get to write your own love letter to travel.
Much Love,
