I’ve been back in the Houston for about two weeks now. Welcomed by this hellish heat and a polarizing attitude to surging COVID19 cases, it took me a while to get adjusted to being home after spending a month in Mexico.
Part of me misses the routine I established during my month in México. Part of me is just overwhelmed with how wildly different home feels now that I’m back. As I settle back in to familiarity, I’m finding comfort in the fact that I had an AMAZING month in Mexico! Seriously, the journey was so special from the moment I landed. If you followed along on my Instagram, you know that I LIVED.
Delayed doesn’t mean denied.
2020 was supposed to be my year to travel – I had over a dozen trips planned for myself! Unfortunately, 2020 was… well, 2020. The pandemic turned the travel industry, including my travel concierge business, on its head. My days were so long and being cooped up in the house only made it worse.
After months of what seemed like never-ending wait times while processing cancellations, I temporarily stopped accepting new clients. It was a hard decision, but I took the time and invested in more industry training. I knew the pandemic was going to change travel in unimaginable ways, and I wanted to get in front of it. I even completed a Hospitality Management certificate program that made me hopeful for the year ahead!
To my disappointment, the beginning of 2021 managed to be even worse when COVID-19 hit my family hard. Watching my loved one fight to recover made me feel helpless, and it took me a while to regain any sense of normalcy. After getting “the jabs” I booked two short trips – a weekend in Denver and a weekend in Washington, D.C. – to see what traveling in a pandemic felt like for me. Once I gauged where my comfort levels were, I started making plans to give myself a hard travel reset. How was I going to become a full-time travel and food writer if I didn’t leave my home?
I needed this adventure.
I knew I wanted to take an extended solo trip, but I had to work through some serious anxiety. Even though this wasn’t my first solo trip, it was my first intentional international solo trip. Admittedly, I’ve never taken a vacation that was more than 4-5 days, so being gone for a month kind of stressed me out. After working through some of my concerns and fears with my therapist, I committed to doing all the work to get me to and through this adventure.
I wrote out a few goals of what I wanted to accomplish, both personally and professionally, while I was on my journey. Whenever I felt the anxiety creeping back in, I’d look over the list and tell myself everything was fine.
The theme was “did it scared, rewarded immediately.”
The day of my departure flight, I had a panic attack. While I rattled off all the reasons I shouldn’t go, my mother and two of my dearest friends offered me encouragement. In more or less words, they told me I was getting my ass on that flight! I wiped my tears, finished packing my bags (yeah I’m that person) and headed to airport. The moment I landed in Los Cabos, I was so grateful I took the leap! I knew the month ahead would be everything I needed and more.
Why Mexico?
One of the most frequent questions I received was, “why are you in Mexico for a month?” The answer is complicated, but the overall reason: for research. I planned, canceled, and rescheduled various parts of this trip for more than three years.
Visiting Oaxaca was supposed to be my 28th birthday trip that got canceled at the last minute. My best friend and I daydreamed about a girls getaway to Los Cabos to lounge on the beach and avoid our demanding jobs. I’ve also been obsessed with exploring Mexico City’s Museum of Anthropology and diving deep into their international food scene.
While I didn’t do everything I planned, I gave myself space to be in the moment and really appreciate the opportunity to chase one of my wildest dreams. I had so many moments where I just sat in a park or on the patio of a café and let the gratefulness wash over me. I’m looking forward to sharing all the details of this adventure here on the blog. Thanks for sticking with me on this journey!
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