WHY TRAVEL?

I’m sure some of you might be wondering why I don’t just sit still, find a therapist, and start looking for a new job at home. I probably could do that, but ultimately the past pandemic years and my nonstop work habits have left me feeling numb and apathetic to almost everything. I have this undeniable urge to push past my comfort zone and discover life again with all five senses. I also have the good fortune of being relatively untethered at this juncture in my life.

When you travel, especially to new and far flung places, your senses are more alert. To me, there’s something spectacularly thrilling about getting lost on European cobblestone streets and uncovering the best (or sometimes the worst) meal of your life. I inadvertently had the most delicious greek salad with the brightest, most pungent feta at a hole-in-the-wall taverna one night in Athens. I also ended up driving down a pedestrian only roadway during a very sleep deprived work trip to Bordeaux. I discovered a charmingly odd bed and breakfast in a tiny Florida fishing village called St. Marks, where my Dad and I spent a night hobnobbing with a ragtag group of local fisherfolk. These are the memories that stick with you – not another day in front of your laptop at your house. 

Maybe it’s my Sagittarius spirit, but I’ve always loved the escapism of travel. When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait for my parents to drop me off at summer camp and then later college, where they would be the ones with tears in their eyes as they left me bright eyed and anticipatory of what was to come. My sister gets the same thrill from a weekend by herself at home; the idea of getting on an airplane sends my brother into complete and total hibernation mode. The middle child in me just can’t be content in one place. It’s ultimately what led me down the path of working in the travel space.

So off I go on this six week journey. I fly to London tonight to spend some quality time with my best friend Megan and her family. At present, my biggest fear is that my dad won’t keep Scarlett alive, so I’m snuggling her extra close today.