Updated July 2022
If you love to travel, then you know when wanderlust hits you…
It hits you HARD.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to travel the world.
I remember I had always wanted to go to Cambridge University in England. (Why didn’t I do that again?)
In middle school, I went through the interview process for the People To People International Travel Program but couldn’t go in the end because, you know, money.
There’s just something so exciting about visiting a place that’s foreign to you.
I love learning about new cultures. I love trying different food. I even love that first feeling of culture shock that happens when you step off the plane.
My family and I never went on a lot of vacations when I was a kid.
We’d visit my aunt in Houston (I’m from Louisiana btw), or other nearby states like Mississippi, and that was about it.
So I compensated for that by:
1. Living vicariously through the shows and movies I watched on TV, like The Wild Thornberrys and Indiana Jones.
2. Googling all the places that I wanted to visit and saving the pictures.
Then it finally happened…
Fast-forward nearly ten years to March of 2015.
I was in my last year of undergrad at LSU and was taking a film class on French New Wave Cinema.
Our final project was to shoot a short film of our own…
…IN PARIS…
Ok, so mind you, I was HELLA broke at the time. Like, ‘too broke to pay attention’ broke.
I was working part-time, going to school full time, trying to pay rent each month, and as a result, didn’t have much money to go around.
But like I always say, the Universe will make it happen if you genuinely believe and put in the work.
Lo and behold, I had a MAJOR financial blessing from that same aunt I would visit in Texas as a kid (thanks, Auntie Jean!).
I also received donations from other family members!
Before I knew it, I was on my way to the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport for my VERY FIRST plane ride…
AND…
My first semi-solo international travel experience!
There were so many emotions that ran through me as I waved goodbye to my parents and walked to find my gate.
Fear. Anxiety. Empowerment. Excitement. Doubt.
So many thoughts were flowing through my head.
– “Why didn’t I fly from the New Orleans airport with everyone else?”
– “What if I miss my plane?”
– “What if something happens to the plane while we’re flying?”
– “What if the ‘airport people’ can’t understand my French?” (yeah…they definitely couldn’t)
After composing myself, I realized that this was everything that I ever wanted.
Another thing about the Universe is that when it does give you the things that you’ve been manifesting, you HAVE to be ready to accept it.
And that’s just wtf I did.
First, I made it onboard.
Then I experienced my first airplane takeoff (not as bad as I thought it would be).
After that, I caught my connecting flight.
And finally, I survived the hustle and bustle of the BIGGEST airport in France (Charles de Gaulle, I’m looking at you) with the help of some amazing Parisians who barely knew what I was saying.
Honestly, I barely even knew what I was saying.
Anyway, I SURVIVED and had an amazing time exploring one of the world’s most beautiful cities.
After my trip, I was HOOKED. From that point on, I was sure that I wanted a life of travel.
Since Paris, the only foreign country I’ve visited was the Dominican Republic in December 2018.
For 2022 and every year after, I am manifesting a life of constant travel, and I can’t wait to share those journeys with you, so stay tuned. 😊
Peace, love, and good vibrations.
