2024 marked a year of exceptional expedition. I traveled extensively...74,589 miles across four continents and 9 countries. I launched Globe-Trotting Addicts, a travel blog and memoir, which is the perfect moniker as I reflect on the year. My passion for exploration launched a side hustle as a travel advisor, and I am thrilled at the memories and experiences I helped craft for my clients.
The more I travel, the more I need to see. Travel is the ultimate equalizer. The ultimate teacher. Regardless of coordinates on the Earth, regardless of culture, human beings are the same everywhere. They are inherently kind and inquisitive. They want to live a good life, care for their families, and be the best version of themselves. A tired child will throw themselves down on the ground of an airport whether their parents are wearing a Lululemon tracksuit, an abaya, niqab, or ghutra. The din of a classroom sounds EXACTLY the same from the west side of Las Vegas to an island off of the east coast of Sub-Saharan Africa. Experiencing the way of life of other people while visiting their country is the only way to see this. I read countless travel blogs daily, follow trends in travel and aviation, and can attest that only genuinely being somewhere shows you what it is really like. My trip to Tokyo this summer was a reminder that no matter how much research you do, a destination always has the power to surprise you—sometimes in wonderful ways, and other times with unexpected disappointments.
Travel is also about mindset. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. Every day isn't a fantasy; in fact, it's far from it. There are so many ways to hack travel to make it affordable, approachable, and, yes, even free. Capitalizing on time and opportunity, seeing as much of the world as I can while I can is my compass and guiding point for midlife travel. Hans Christian Anderson said it best,
“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, to gain all while you give, to roam the roads of lands remote, to travel is to live.”
As I reflect on day 365 of 2024, I know that I am blessed to do what I love and have the health to do it. As long as I am able, I will continue to explore, to roam, to photograph this enormous world and the beautiful humans I meet along the way.
Where will 2025 take you?
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