SIN PRISA TURNS ONE! 🎂🎈

3 ways travel shaped my life over the last year...

Feb 18, 2024

My baby is a toddler in the digital world yall’, walking, talking, stumbling, and finding our footing. Shoutout to the developmental era!

I give GOD all the glory and praise for a beautiful year full of travel memories. From Los Cabos to Los Angeles, to outdoor trips, trekking through the rainforest and the mountains. None of it would be possible without The Source of all creation.

Outside of this monthly newsletter, I’ve simotaneously spent the last year making the descent back into the good ol’ Western world. Yes, I am still in ‘Merica and below is a glimpse of how it’s going…

*basically Americans need a seven figure salary to live, it’s fine*

I will not go down that rabbit hole though, this is not the point of this month’s newsletter. You can read about my fundamental issues with ‘Merica some other time.

Today is a celebration of all that was made possible through a year of travel. Travel continues to be my best earth-side teacher for slow living.

Travel helps me live a slower pace of life on a day-to-basis. It shakes up my routines and injects flow into my life. It is a welcomed disruption from the hustle and bustle and rise and grind mentality.

Travel strengthens my faith in GOD and helps me see the bigger picture of life. I get to experience life outside of my comfort zone and in other cases visit places that make me feel right at home.

I could give a TEDtalk on the benefits of travel and why it is a fundamental human right. But for now, I’ll share 3 ways travel shaped my life in the last year.

A DEEPER CONNECTION TO THE OUTDOORS

Since the launch of this newsletter exactly one year ago today, I’ve spent more time in the natural world than at any point in my life. Exploring the outdoors through travel was an unplanned (but welcomed) theme of my trips. From the warm sea, to the mountains, forest, and back, I found joy and peace in various outdoor environments.

The outdoors also raised my awareness of environmental justice issues and urgent climate crises we are facing. It lit a fire under my a** to do my part and take better care of the lands we occupy.

From right to left: A photo of a hiking trail overlooking dark green lush tree. A photo of a black woman smiling dressed in a black zip up jacket with her hands in the air celebrating reaching the top of a peak — R to L: Novato, California and a victory photo of reaching the top of Mission Peak

EXPERIENCING REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK

Yes, even after 365 days, I still experience reverse culture shock on a daily basis. The state of some regions in the Bay Area are in apocalyptic and unliveable conditions. As to not drain my joy, I’ve had to find ways to cope and flip the narrative.

Reverse culture shock, as unnerving as it can be, reminds me we are all deserving of a better quality of life and it is not something we need to earn. Most importantly, I cannot normalize the current conditions of this region. As an avid traveler I have the responsibility to raise awareness of other places (with far less resources) that have figured this out.

Left to right: Two photos overlooking green landscapes with a cloudy grey sky. The photo was captured near Banos de Agua Santa in Ecuador — En route to Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador

INTERNAL PEACE AND SPACE TO HEAL

I may sound cliché and cheesy but travel healed a piece of my heart this year and as a result, I experienced a noticeable amount of internal peace. This year was heavy and taxing on my mental health. Yet, different corners of the world held space for me to fall apart, grieve, and restore my heart.

I am by no means 100% healed (we never are) but this last year of travel helped me through major life events and some of my darkest days.

Right to left: An image overlooking the costal California sea capture in between green pine tree. A photo of a light blue sea and light brown sand captured in front of a green fruit tree — R to L: Carmel, California and BBC Beach, Grenada

It is wild to reflect on the life moments that led up to this one year milestone. The journey was everything it needed to be, even though nothing went as planned. Somehow I still pursued my passion for travel and shared it with all 200 of you.

So what's next? More storytelling and travel in 2024. I look forward to welcoming new voices including travelers and travel writers. If this sounds like you, don’t hesitate to reach out, collaboration is my jam.

I also feel called to host slow travel events and trips to nature-based destinations. If you have ideas or know of existing work in this space, I am all ears, let me know in the comments.

Last but never the least, thank you all for the support over the last year. The internet is a noisy place and content is shoved down our throats every second so I don’t take your presence for granted and appreciate the engagement.

Until next time, take it slow 🦥

SIN PRISA TRAVEL

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