I haven’t yet mastered the writing-traveling balancing act. I traveled much more than usual the past 7 months; although it was amazing, I’m happy to be home for a while. My most recent trip was to Cincinnati for an English conference. It’s always the highlight of my year. I come home refreshed and ready to […]
That Time I Drank Too Much Cough Syrup and a Stranger Prayed for Me
I had already taken multiple cold remedies when I got to the nearest Minute Clinic. I had spent the night ordering a Philly cheesesteak with extra Chinese food, watching How I Met Your Mother, and quickly going through the box of one-ply tissues in my budget hotel room. That morning, I had discovered tea in […]
#FBF: A Childhood Cruise

I’ve consistently written almost every day since 2nd grade, whether it was a horrible poem, an explanation of a day on a cruise ship, a random thought on scrap paper, or a note to myself on my phone. I didn’t realize this until today when I looked at my journals from the 2000s, which are […]
#FBF: New Orleans Reveling & Revelations

A woman dressed as an ice cream cone handed me a makeshift ribbon dancer, so I waved it to the tuba beat and walked with strangers down Bourbon Street. It was Women’s Travel Fest. And it was someone’s birthday. And someone’s wedding. We joined every parade that passed. Since I’m completely obsessed with Women’s Travel […]
Road Trip Tips: Just Brew It

Some of my favorite moments have been on the highway during road trips, watching other people dance in their cars. It adds to the appeal of driving somewhere rather than flying – the ability to witness other people’s embarrassing moments. And once you’ve been stuck in Peru for an extra week because of flight delays, […]
On the Road Again 🚗

Stay tuned for more blogs next week! This week has been filled with hours of car dancing and lots of coffee. A bunch of road trip posts are slated for 11/5-11/11.
How to Spend 24 Hours in Lima, Peru
I didn’t want to be that tourist and walk into KFC for wifi. A few doors down, some drunk guys stumbled into my path, fell onto a homeless man, and shouted at the sky in slurred Spanish. I needed an Uber back to my hostel, and I had no idea where I was. I went […]
How to Spend 24 Hours in Cusco, Part 2

I clutched the top of my cross-body bag as we were weaving through the crowd outside of San Pedro. Two police officers stopped us, “Watch your bag here.” I looked down at my hand to make sure it hadn’t moved. “We’re looking for the potato museum,” I responded. They looked at us, shrugged, and walked […]
How to Spend 24 Hours in Cusco, Part 1

“Baja, baja, baja.” The bus attendants in Cusco get aggressive. People piled onto the bus and scrambled for seats. I found one near the back when a woman smiled at me. I asked her in broken Spanish if the seat was available. We talked until the bus got to my stop about my travels and […]
What I Learned from Traveling During the Worst Atlantic Hurricane Season in History, Part 2

When you have to cope with unexpected travel changes: After an additional, unplanned week in Cusco stumbling over my Spanish, it was weird to hear people speak in English at the Toronto airport. I had this thought – sleep deprived, washing my hands, staring blankly into the mirror. “Excuse me,” one woman said. I turned […]