If you got a call to attend an international yoga retreat, but you only had 8 days to plan and book. Would you go? I did just that this summer and I’m so glad I did. Portuguese tarts and yoga really brought me back to life.
2020 was the year that we all became experts at trying to find silver linings. Making the best of bad situations. The year of the pivot. There was a lot of turmoil around the world but I was still able to find a lot of happiness and even some fantastic travel moments this year. They might look a little different than past years but they were memorable all the same. Here are my favourite travel moments of 2020.
Pandemic gardening, with its wholesome hominess and its promise of food independence, was the thing to do, in those weird early days of the pandemic. I was there for it. We would do it on the cheap and if we grew enough for a salad, it would be a win.
It’s been a hot minute since I shared a new travel story here hasn’t it? So what have I been up to the last four months while I can’t be travelling?
It’s a favourite gripe of travellers. Why do people stand in the aisle as soon as the seatbelt light goes off? Turns out there are several reasons, and some of them may actually help you deplane faster.
The end of the year is always a time for reflection it seems. Maybe it’s the long, dark nights that make us ruminative, but I always find myself thinking back to the year that was, and especially the travelling that I did.
Have you ever heard the sound of 8,000 sneakers hitting the pavement? It was a sound I wasn’t prepared for and was perhaps one of the coolest unexpected sounds. The dull slap slap that you barely notice when you’re logging solo training miles but when multiplied by 4,000 other runners it becomes a symphony of rubber and pavement.
What do you do when you’re in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language but you’ve decided that you absolutely need to get your hair cut? When this happened to me, it all came down to hand gestures and a driver’s license.
In my ongoing quest to show you the full spectrum of travel, I wanted to share another, more recent travel fail of mine. One that saw me miss a river cruise to see bats in favour of a visit to urgent care. The day I got a bit cocky and fell off a Lime in Austin.
If you want to travel but it intimidates you, maybe some of these stories will make you think, “well, hell if she can do it, so can I!” And if so, then my job here is done. For this story I’m going to take you back to Barcelona in 2014 when I was still a relatively new solo traveller. Fakin’ it ’til I makin’ it…
I sat at the kitchen table, staring at a small paper bag, filled with dried purple seaweed. This time I would try it. The briny smell of the ocean floor wafted from the bag. You could smell it from six feet away, easy. But it was time. No more excuses. At the age of 39, it was high time that I tried dulse for the first time.
There are many things that could stop me from travelling. Age. Being solo. Fear. Money. But I’m doing my best to not let any of them put a stop to my travels. The world is wide and I want to make some memories. I won’t stop traveling until I’ve seen the sun set on every coast.
“I’m an Islander. I am an Islander. I’m an Islander. I am an Islander.” Not 90 seconds into the show and I was already wiping my eyes and choking back tears. I wasn’t sad though. Instead it was pride leaking out of my eyes. I was home in the middle of Manhattan.
Have you ever had body image issues plague you while on a beach vacation? It happened to me in Costa Rica. For a few days I had arguments with myself when I couldn’t seem to shake the negative thoughts. I’m sharing now how I went about getting back to feeling like myself.
Costa Rica is a great place to relax. It encourages you to slow down and appreciate your surroundings. To enjoy the little things. To go with the flow. But Santa Teresa takes it to a whole other level. For me, it was the town that was all flow, no go.
Costa Rica was the scene of my first international solo trip back in 2012. With my imminent return I started thinking a lot about that trip. I was such a baby traveller back then. Everyone has some misconceptions and makes some silly travel mistakes when they first start travelling. I was no exception.
Do you find yourself changing how you speak when you travel? Do you use simpler words? Avoid slang? Do you pick up local words and phrases and bring them home? Five travel bloggers share how travel changes their language.
Globally, 2017 has been a bit of a dumpster fire but personally it’s been a pretty good year. Especially when it comes to travel. I got to visit four new countries, met great new people, and had some amazing experiences I’ll never forget. So I thought I’d share some of my favourite moments with you.
“I’m trying to get to Comino.” “You can get there from Gozo.” “I don’t have a ticket. I need a ticket.” “It’s ok. Just go, the gate is closing. Go.” I was still half asleep from the hour long morning bus ride so I just followed the crowd. I followed the crowd off the bus. I followed the crowd into the terminal. I followed the crowd onto the ferry. I followed the crowd to Gozo. And that’s how I found myself accidentally island hopping in Malta.
I’m sitting on a bean bag chair in one of the hostel’s common areas trying desperately not to scratch any of the 20+ itchy bug bites I’ve picked up in two days and listening to the thunder outside grow closer, putting a damper on my activity planning. Malta, we’ve gotten off to a rocky start.
For the past couple of months masses of people have descended on a small farming community just outside of St. John’s, hoping to change their lives at the local parish hall. They’re not religious fanatics on a pilgrimage. They’re chasing the ace.
