How My Love for Travel Began
As a child, I would request something as simple as a globe when asked what I would like as a present for either my Birthday or Christmas. I recall sitting for hours examining the continents, countries, etc. and simply being intrigued by the makeup of the world. I remember telling myself at such a young age, “I’m going to be a world traveler!” Little did I know, fate would have it as such and here I am now at the age of 28 having visited and lived in the following:
4 Continents– Asia, Europe, North America and South America.
13 Countries– Mexico, Greece, Peru, Turkey, China, Belgium, South Korea, France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Iceland and Germany (I lived and worked in Hannover, Germany for 6 months).
22 States (United States of America)– Mississippi (permanent place of residence), California (place of birth, lived there for 5 years), Illinois, Texas, Nevada, Missouri, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina (lived there for 6 months), Arkansas, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey and Wisconsin.
Most of the trips that took place out of the country were inspired by my interests. For example, my first international trip took place in March of 2008 when I was a senior in high school. My love for Mythology landed me in the Mythology course offered at the time and it just so happened that a trip was planned to Greece and Turkey to explore Greek Mythology. How could I skip out on that?
As far as the other trips are concerned, I’ll quickly share how those happened. The trip to Peru came about during the Spring semester of my Freshman year at Tougaloo College. During this trip, we studied the African American presence in Cuzco and surrounding cities. The trips to China, South Korea, Belgium, France, The Netherlands and Iceland, were all prompted through study abroad courses available during my time at Mississippi College School of Law.
The opportunity to live and work in Germany would then come through my current career. It is from living in Germany that I would then visit Switzerland and the United Kingdom along with other countries I had already visited due to the ease of travel throughout Europe. At the completion of my assignment in Germany, I’ll then start another work assignment in Portugal for 6 months.
If asked the question at 18 where I saw myself having traveled to within the next 10 years, I would have never imagined to have been to all the places listed. I am thankful for the opportunities that have presented themselves to me and turned my dream into a reality. Traveling has not only allowed me to see God’s beautiful creations, but it has also allowed me to learn about different cultures, encouraged me to take risks, try new things, learn new languages, navigate using public transportation, try new foods and learn more about myself along the way.
If you’re looking for motivation and inspiration regarding travel, tips and tricks for purchasing flights, booking transportation, navigating public transit systems, how to create itineraries for your trip, or simply trying to overcome your fear of traveling outside of your current place of living, then subscribing to my blog is the perfect start.
As you read my blog posts, it is my hope that you feel as though you’re traveling with me or that the spark to begin traveling is ignited within you. I also hope that from the information I provide, you’ll feel as though you’re equipped with the necessary travel tools even if it is your first time traveling abroad, to a new state or even a different city.
