What Fuels Your Drive to Escape?

You know there’s that saying, “Live a life you don’t need a vacation from.” Well, much easier said than done. I too, don’t dream of labor. However, the reality is day to day life comes with a matching set of challenges and trials. It’s natural to want to go away and grab some air sometimes. Suspend reality for even just a day.

Me enjoying the beautiful pink sand beaches of Bermuda!

Now some folks go about that a variety of different ways. Sometimes it’s hobbies, could be foods/substances (be real careful with that) or even just reality tv marathons. We all have our things. Mine happen to be travel, brunch, Target and sitting by bodies of water. Travel reigns supreme.

When I travel, I get to pull myself out of my environment. I’m someone who fixates on what’s right in front of me (school, work, business, friends/family, etc), and I’m still working on creating stronger boundaries in those realms to maintain my serenity and energy. Until then, hopping on a plane to pause my anxiety works for me. Travel is an activity that’s substantial enough for me to actually become fully distracted to tap into the things that are innately in me: creativity, exploration, risk and so on. It tends to pull me out of the fog I’m in to look at the beauty of new scenery, new people, new ways of being. And I love learning! Every trip is a study tour for me. I’m hitting museums, chatting up locals, listening to local music, you name it. That’s given me a deeper skillset and appreciation for my very people-based work, and it shoots a dose of humanity in my veins.

Watching the bakers make turtle shaped bread at Boudin Sourdough Bakery & Cafe in San Francisco.

What I especially love about international travel is it allows me greater opportunity to completely unplug. No wifi, no problems. Now, that was definitely an adjustment at first. My best friend chastised me often for how much I was trying to find a signal to see IG, but I’m getting better. There is beauty in no cell service. I wish I could throw my phone in the White River today and never look back. I don’t dream of constant accessibility for contact, but it’s so much harder to practice at home. Won’t be reached and can’t be reached send two very different messages.

Travel and these other escapism practices suspend the momentum of our lives. So many of us live in breakneck pace environments. It feels good to just jump out of that and just be. And that matters even more when we’re not pleased about the direction the momentum is currently going. I love going into a reflective space on my travels to help me do a mindset reset before I return. It sets the perfect stage to cancel the noise of the hustle and bustle. I needed to get away for some reason or another, so how can I make sure I tackle it when I get back? That’s a powerful way to flex your moments of escape. Doesn’t always have to be that way, but if you’re constantly escaping without checking in with yourself you likely aren’t facing what’s wrong with your actual life. That’s when sweet escapes can turn into something more destructive.

Me blissfully protecting my peace on the peaceful Tulum Beach.

So here are some questions I recommend the next time you want to get away:

Check out the masterclass! Follow both of us on IG to learn about future sessions!

• What am I trying to escape or avoid?

• How can I create better boundaries in my everyday life?

• Do I like the pace/direction my life is going? What would a shift look like?

• What does a life I don’t need a escape from look life?

• Are there things I can do to make my everyday experience more enjoyable?

Do you know where your next escape will be? Asking for myself! lol

If you are looking for your next escape, I recommend checking out the replay of the masterclass session I sponsored in partnership with Brittany Stewart from The Social Chef. We talk how to find flights on a budget domestically and internationally. This can be found here for purchase at a low rate. You’ll definitely make it back in all the savings!

Escape Responsibly,

Britt

Wanderlust: Going International in a Pandemic Pt. 1

DISCLAIMER: COVID TRAVEL TALES
I appreciate the concern and passion, but understand this post is not to push people to travel who are uncomfortable or to debate whether or not to go. I already researched, deliberated and battled within myself and I’ll continue to make that decision on trip by trip basis because I believe COVID concerns aren’t leaving us soon. I really believe this is our reality for the next two years even with a lockdown. And the reality I’ve seen is there are places STRUGGLING without tourism because their regions didn’t bother to diversify their economy long ago.

Ok, now on to the tea. I broke out y’all. I’ve realized that I do not live in a climate that’s congruent with my mental wellness. Most of the pandemic I was cool. I mean hallelujah the stay at home began during the Midwestern spring because y’all…I probably would have taken out a personal loan to be remote somewhere through the entire fall and winter season. Sis needs sunshine and water like a plant.

Now, we did do a road trip last summer which was really nice, but that sole purpose was to safely check on older loved ones while work schedules allowed. No hotels, no planes. In December, I tested out my normal travel MO, beaches by plane. First up was Cozumel with my best friend. Mexico has always treated me well, so why not start with what I know? One thing I did know, I wasn’t stepping out to Tulum and Cancun. Y’all were wildin’ over there.

I wanted the road less traveled. All I was looking for was sand, seafood and sun. (Plus, some authentic tacos.) We found an Airbnb so we didn’t have to deal with any crowded resorts. For flights we aimed for no more than one layover—airlines really did my city dirty by cutting the nonstops. We quarantined away from folks before we left and packed plenty of sanitizer and masks.

The Flight

Before take off, I was appalled at how people were carrying themselves in these airports. Social distancing, what is that? Not covering their nose. Just nonsense. I’m not loving the flying experience either, especially on certain airlines that have since abandoned precautions like seating people in the middle. I had my face shield on deck with the mask. I think I almost hyperventilated three times, but I kept making myself go to sleep to ease the panic. As of right now, my maximum flight time is two and a half hours. I already got stir crazy after three hours before COVID.

The Lodging

Our Airbnb was cute! Clean from what we could see and in the owner’s description, they also had laundry on site. Very spacious and we could see the water from our corner balcony. We were also walking distance from several restaurants, shops and markets.

The Location

Cozumel is not packed at all. The island is very dependent on cruise traffic, and with those on pause you can really see how deserted it was. Vendors were more forward than I’m used to in getting us to check out wares and come to restaurants, but I don’t blame them. It’s survival. Even with the ferry still in operation from Playa del Carmen, we still didn’t see a huge influx of visitors. Several locals we talked to who worked around the area explained how eager and hopeful they are for cruises to return to help bring business back to the area. Cozumel is pretty touristy, we recognized plenty of “American” chains. I had never seen a 7/11 in Mexico until this trip. We tried to stick with mainly beachfront restaurants and bars for food. We also bought groceries to cook at the apartment.

The beaches were also fairly light in visitors (looked nothing like other footage I had seen throughout Quintana Roo. Loungers were spaced out well for social distancing and it was easy to avoid getting close to folks while frolicking in the ocean as well. I can’t speak for the areas in the southern most part of Cozumel since we didn’t make it that far, but the western coast was quiet. Taxis also were plentiful, they often sanitized and had all the windows open, which made me feel more comfortable while getting around.

Safety

As I hinted at throughout, Cozumel is doing many of the normal precautions. Social distancing, sanitizing before entry, temperature checks. A lot of businesses also had the sani-mats to clean your shoes as well. And of course, masks everywhere. Which I will say masking looked like it was going way better here than in the city/state I currently reside with double the current temperatures. Should you still be extra careful? Yes. It’s a pandemic. Make sure you’re taking necessary supplements. Monitor how you’re feeling. Rotate hand washing in the midst of sanitizing. Rest. Don’t over indulge with alcohol while you’re out. Eat outside/open air (so easy to do here). Avoid any crowded bars or club situations. Lastly, make sure you use travel insurance. You never know what can go down and you should be covered.

The Return

I voluntarily quarantined once I returned to keep my folx safe. I also did test, which was thankfully negative which based on how short my trip length was it’s safe to assume I wasn’t positive while away either.

Again, I’m not going to tell you whether or not to travel abroad. Whatever you decide don’t blow off the easy things you can do to keep yourself and others safe when venturing out near or far. Also, if you’re not taking precautions at home, you for darn sure don’t need to be venturing out.

Stay tuned for part two!

Britt

Wanderlust: Navigating a Tristate Tour in a Pandemic (Part One)

I finally broke out and went across state lines! This is the first time since February, and for some that may not be a big deal but for me—this is HUGE. I’m someone who was used to greeting my city’s TSA staff on a monthly basis, if not biweekly during some seasons. I have to say the pandemic did raise fear in me about traveling, so my apprehension was stronger than my withdrawal. I mean this year I had planned to go to new states, countries, continents, but oh well! Rona had other plans for me… Anyway, my BF and I took a trip to check on some family and friends which led us to traverse the Bible Belt, and I thought I’d share with you a few sites we saw and local eats we enjoyed.

First to kick things off, what’s a travel recap without a mishap story? When it comes to road trips, I’m someone who prefers to move in the moonlight/daybreak hours. Miss me with rush hour traffic and the other late-risers heading a little too slowly to their destination clogging up the lanes. But due to a full day of celebrations prior, we weren’t so fortunate in making that early rise happen. I got over it, but our delays were only beginning. I mentioned in a previous post that I bought a new car in quarantine (Yay!), so far it’s yielded over $2500 in repairs (Boo!). Thankfully, all things covered under warranty (God is GREAT). I had just taken my car out of the shop to fix an A/C issue not even a full week before our departure. Y’all, can you believe we barely made it to the next county and oh girl started rattling! Luckily, we were able to safely pull off to an exit to see what’s going on and we find this:

My raggedy ___ serpentine belt shredding in my car.

For those of you not mechanically inclined this is NO BUENO. Like, the car could die and other catastrophic events. Again, God came through with the assist and the belt is not completely gone and we can get it back home safely to Indy. By this time I was BIG mad, but what would we do without loving partners who know how to restore some peace to rage? He reminded me that these things happen for reason and we got on the road when we were meant to. We probably avoided a potentially more calamitous situation because of it. So with half of a returned smile and repacked bags, we hopped in his car and off we went!

A quick family pick for the road! (No mask just for the photo!)

Stop 1: Grandma’s House (TN)

I’m fortunate to still have a living grandparent. She’s in her 90s and the threat of the pandemic definitely kept her on my mind. It was so good to see her and one of my uncles. I cherish every time I get to see her and spend time physically with her. The greatest part of all was being able to use technology and have her FaceTime with several of our folks back here who aren’t able to come down. Phone calls are great, but laying your eyes on somebody hits different.

Stop #2: “Sweet Home Alabama”

After that quick stop, our journey continued into the evening to Alabama. I’ve been all over the state in my childhood and teens. In fact, one of my late uncles used to teach at the HBCU Alabama A&M University (a role model for why I pursued college and a psychology degree). Never in all my years had I taken a photo with the “spaceship.” I probably slept right past it in most of my journeys down there. Plus, my family was never that big stopping along the way for sight-seeing pictures. It was either a rest stop, food stop, gas stop or the destination. My BF on the other hand was excited to see it, and I obliged to stop for the stretch and photograph. We’d also just traveled 20 miles through backroad no signal TN and I could use a grounding moment for my anxiety. Nonetheless, it was a cool hop on hop off site to see. See the picture below.

It’s a spaceship! (Ignore my need for a fill.)

The end of day one we safely arrived at our first overnight destination of Birmingham, AL. I’ll recap our sites there in the next blog. But before I do, I leave you with some symbolic words of wisdom:

• Don’t lose your cool when plans are interrupted. Trust the timing of your life and its events.

• Always take time for family (blood or chosen). Don’t take those opportunities for granted.

• Don’t be afraid to go off-the beaten path, it can be some beautiful sites there.

• Be alert and spontaneous, take in the opportunities that pop up on your journey.

See you in part two!

Britt