Traveling and food have ALWAYS had a huge impact on my personal pursuit of happiness. I’ve always been inspired by how different cultures experience our world. Be it from the extraordinary concoctions of flavors offered in such an array, or the emblematic arts, architecture, and fashion that each culture on this sphere has to offer. It’s the complexity and the individualistic beauty of every city to every nation that deeply motivates me to experience and honor everything that our world has to offer.
It took me a while to figure out exactly how I was going to venture out and experience more of our world. However, once I did, it lit a fire within me.
After my trip to Europe, I landed my first teaching job in Newark, NJ. I lived my first year as an “adult” with my parents, which allowed me to leverage my money to spend on traveling. I decided to go all out with my second SOLO trip. I used my momentum from Europe and planned a month in Japan. Completely alone. I started planning in February and departed for my journey in late June.
Just as I was gaining momentum with planning and executing larger and longer SOLO trips around the globe, I met someone who, I’d like to say, is pretty special to me. We met a few months before I departed for Japan, giving us just enough time to forge deep connections. While the excitement was bursting out every fiber of my being, I couldn’t help but feel like I left a little part of me behind.
A hike in Sedona, AZ 
Utah
When I came back from my trip to Japan, Walker and I continued to share our time together. Experiencing smaller cities and surrounding towns within a driving radius of NYC. For the time being, my commitment shifted from traveling at least 1 month out of the year to getting to know this new person in my life. It wasn’t until February of 2020 we went on our first true vacation together.
Our time in Phoenix sparked a love of traveling in Walker and reminded me that I have neglected this part of myself for almost 2 years. The part of me that loves and lives for the experience of traveling and trying different foods. It didn’t take us long to plan our second trip together. Immediately after our return our minds already started to wander to our next destination. Within a month, we held tickets for another Western vacation. This time we were to visit Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Northern California.
This trip only confirmed for us that we love the United States West and want to continue to explore it. Now, here we are, planning trips to Seattle, Puerto Rico, and even thinking of uprooting our NYC home to something a little…. less permanent. With COVID around, we have been inspired to continue to check out what our back yard has to offer. And thus, our traveling journey continues. Where too? Let’s find out!