Traveling Near and Far

When I was 18 years old, I decided that my life goal was to travel the world. So I did like many 18 year olds before me and decided to join the armed forces to expedite seeing different parts of the world. In a lot of ways, I’m still that 18 year old kid from Richmond who loves exploring new places and new cultures. I continue to be inspired by travel enthusiasts like Jessica Nabongo, who recently visited every country in the world.

While I have no aspirations to visit every country in the world, I have tried to make it to every continent. I still have a couple left (namely Africa, Antarctica and Australia) and a lot of places on my bucket list but here are a few things I’ve learned in my travels.

Set Money Aside for Travels

Plan, plan, plan! Traveling near or far can be quite expensive. For me, the key is always to plan ahead and set aside a portion of my budget for travel (especially for a big trip!) Check out Dave Ramsey’s blog for ideas on how to save for a big trip. When my family had young children and a tight budget, we saved for months to take our family on a vacation during summer months to the beach.

Start Small, then Build

I frequently advocate for small steps for any new habit but starting with a small trip is a great way to build the travel bug within. I personally love international travel, but I recognize there is a lot of privilege in being able to pack up and go to a new place – I’m an empty nester who runs my own business after all!

A couple of days for a getaway trip to somewhere within driving distance is the perfect way to reenergize yourself. #selfcaregoals anyone? Look up ideas for places within four hours of your home to invigorate your research on the perfect place to travel. If you live in Atlanta, here’s a list of day trip ideas from Atlanta magazine to get you started!

My Favorite Places 😊

Okay, so my all-time favorite places are the following:

•  Málaga, Spain – my husband and I went to Málaga in 2008 for the first time and it was magical! The views of the sea and the beaches are amazing!
• Tokyo, Japan – for our 35^th wedding anniversary, we traveled to Tokyo and it is a must visit again. Go to the fish market!
• New York, New York - it’s the home of Jay-Z and cheesecake. What is there not to love?
• Valencia, Spain – clearly there’s a theme of my love of Spain on this list! Whenever you make it there, eat paella (Valencia is the home of this quintessential food after all) and have a vino tinto. Thank me later!
• Montevideo, Uruguay – Drink the tannat. Just trust me!