The Journey to Me

When I started traveling it was because I was feeding the adventurous adrenaline junky in me, little did I know that these departures and arrivals would teach me more about myself than I ever imagined. Below are the things I learned on this unknown journey to me.

To step out of my comfort zone

Nothing good happens there, right? Isn’t that we are always taught? It’s a new culture, new people, and a new country… I am forced to try new cuisines, talk to strangers, struggle to speak a new language, and more importantly learn to enjoy life without my core group of friends and family.

That I enjoy experiences over things

I am a shoe-a-holic, whew! I mean I have it bad. However, what I have realized buying shoes, clothes, bags, or any other expensive items have never gave me the LASTING joy that traveling has. I have experienced life on a level I never imagined in my wildest dreams.

That my purpose is to help children

Traveling helped me find my passion and purpose, to mentor young women and give them the gift of travel. Arise Travel and Mentor was birthed because I wanted to expose young underprivileged women to the world, show them things to help imprint change in hope in a world that seems hopeless.

Life doesn’t have to progress the way everyone tells you it should

We are told you must get an education, get a job, married, have children, put God first, and die… there is so much to life and it doesn’t have to be lived in the traditional format. That concept is limiting and quit depressing honestly. I am the author of my own life! I don’t have to be ashamed that while me friends are attending their kids’ dance recitals, I am jumping out of planes, playing with tigers, or being carefree floating in the middle of the ocean.

“Enjoy the ride and stop worrying where you are; you will get to where you need to be. Every detour and shortcut is there for a reason.”

Be more appreciative

There are so many luxuries that we have in the United States, literally everything is at our fingertips. Traveling to different countries you are forced to make do with the things around you. Often times no air, limited food choices, no transportation, and language barriers. I promise it will make you appreciate all the things you have back home. Traveling allows you to experience living conditions you never thought you would survive nor appreciate.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

I learned to not sweat the small stuff and enjoy the beauty all around me. So what you phone stops working in the middle of you trip to Tanzania, right? Lol speaking from personal experience and allowing myself to nearly ruin my trip. So what it rains the entire trip, the locals rip you off… trust me they will, or you wait an hour in the cold and rain for the lights on the Eiffel Tower to come on and they never do! None of those things matter, I have never remembered a trip by the tragedies only the amazing experiences and people.

More importantly, I learned to be me… UNAPOLOGETICALLY ME! I care not to be a people pleaser and I don’t care as much what people think about me on social media or in real life. I only desire relationships and friendships that fully feed my soul, equally supportive, and people who force me to level up. I desire to teach people and show people the world through my pictures, stories, and experiences.

The entire time I thought the journey was the plane rides, the experiences, the people… unbeknownst to me the journey was to me this entire time.