Day 15 – Advice to Someone Who’s Thinking about Traveling

8 07 2011


Just. Do. It. 

Really, that’s my advice. I could end this post here. BUT since this is the last post of the ever-so-amazing travel challenge, I’m not going to leave you hanging like that. In all honesty, this entire blog is supposed to be advice to someone who’s thinking about traveling abroad. That’s why I named it “Vai Via.” It simply means “go away.” Just go. What are you waiting for?

You can’t afford it? Hands down the biggest and most common fallacy I encounter. Just like you make time for what you want in life, your spending habits say even more about what you want in life. Here’s a tip:  Put your saving on autopilot. But really, if you have a job and you have income, I don’t understand this excuse. Yes, it may require longer-term planning if your job is part-time or you have a ton of bills. But if you’ve wanted to go somewhere for over a year I can guarantee that you have made enough money to go on an international adventure. Stop playing yourself! Noone’s missing out but you. And you’re not getting any younger.

From April 2010 to now, I had a full-time job for about 5 of those months.  The rest of the time I was either not working, had a part-time job (or 2), or was in graduate school full-time. Also since April 2010, I have been to Amsterdam, Dominica in the Eastern Caribbean, Montreal, Vancouver, countless domestic trips to Miami, New York and Boston, and will be going to Brazil for three weeks. So if I can do it on 5 months of salary (plus savings from a previous position), I know you can do at least one trip with this full-time job you’ve had for years. If you have doubts hit me up, I’ll help you find flights, less expensive accommodations, and help determine a “payment plan.” Hell, I may even try to go on the trip with you! ;-)  Guys, you work too hard not to enjoy the fruits of your labor! So just like I started is how I’ll end it – Just. Do. It. 





Dealing With the Frustrations of Being Homesick

10 05 2010

I’m almost done reading Black Girl in Paris. Taking me long enough right? I have A.D.D. when it comes to books. I am currently reading about 5 books right now – 2 of them related to education (because I’m going to start teaching in the fall!).  Anywho, there was a passage in the book that struck me, and is the inspiration behind today’s post. Eden, the protagonist is pretty down and a lot of things aren’t going the way she had planned. She says, “I was beginning to wonder what sense it had made to leave the comfort of home,” which is just an eloquent way for her to describe the phenomenon of being homesick.

We’ve all experienced it. But the funny part is we never really start thinking about home unless we have time to think – which means we probably aren’t experiencing our new environment the way we should.  Think back to freshman year (for those of you that are out of school).  I don’t think I met a single homesick person during Freshman Week! Our parents couldn’t even get us to answer the phone – we were just too excited about meeting new people and seeing how “live” the next orientation week event was going to be. So that leads to my first way to deal with being homesick: Read the rest of this entry »








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