There was a time in my life when survival was the goal. Getting through the day felt like enough. Between heartbreak, motherhood, responsibilities, and simply trying to keep my head above water, I lost touch with the version of myself that felt alive.
The curious version.
The adventurous version.
The version that dreamed bigger than her circumstances.
After a nearly two-year journey through divorce, I finally found myself on the other side of one of the hardest seasons of my life. As I began putting the pieces back together, I returned to something that had always made me feel most like myself: travel.
Not to run away from my life, but to reconnect with it.
Before marriage and motherhood, exploring the world was a huge part of who I was. Twenty-five countries later, I can say with complete certainty that travel has shaped me in ways I never could have imagined. It has given me perspective when my world felt small, courage when I doubted myself, and a renewed sense of wonder when life felt heavy.
Most importantly, it reminded me that there is still so much beauty, joy, and possibility waiting for u, even after heartbreak. With every trip, I wasn’t just discovering new places; I was rediscovering myself.
Travel became more than vacations and passport stamps. It became healing. Growth. Reflection. A reminder that life is meant to be experienced, not just survived.
For the first time in a long time, I feel like I am actively building a life that feels aligned with who I truly am. A life filled with meaning, connection, purpose, and memories that make me feel deeply alive.
Because at the end of my life, I don’t want to say I simply existed.
I want to say I lived.
Three Lessons Travel Has Taught Me
1. We are just a small part of a very large world
Travel has humbled me more than anything else.
Standing beneath the glaciers in Alaska, wandering the ancient ruins of Rome, watching sunsets in places I once only saw online or in movies. It reminds me how vast this world really is. Our routines, worries, and timelines can feel all-consuming until you step outside of them and realize there is so much more beyond your little corner of the world.
There are billions of people living completely different lives, carrying different traditions, perspectives, struggles, and dreams. That realization feels freeing. It reminds me not to take life so seriously. To stay curious. To keep exploring. To stop waiting for “someday.”
2. Food brings people together no matter the language or beliefs
Some of my favorite travel memories happened around a table.
Fresh pasta in Italy.
Street food in crowded markets in China.
Coffee shared with strangers.
Late-night conversations over wine and dessert.
Food has the incredible ability to connect people without needing perfect words. You don’t have to speak the same language to understand warmth, hospitality, laughter, or the joy of sharing a meal together.
No matter where I go, food tells a story. It reflects culture, history, family, tradition, and love.
Some of the happiest moments of my life have been sitting at a table with strangers, fully present, fully connected, with nowhere else to be.
3. Happiness is found in experiences, not perfection
For a long time, I thought happiness would come when life finally looked “right.”
When everything was stable.
When I had all the answers.
When I became the perfect version of myself.
But travel taught me that happiness usually lives inside imperfect moments.
Missed trains.
Rainy days.
Getting lost in unfamiliar cities.
Laughing until your stomach hurts.
Trying something new even when it scares you.
The most meaningful parts of life are rarely polished or perfect. They are messy, spontaneous, emotional, and real.
That’s where the magic is.
And maybe that’s what Happiness in the Mess really means.
Not waiting for life to become flawless before allowing yourself to feel joy. But choosing to experience it fully — exactly as it is.
25+ Countries later…
I still have so much of the world left to see.
But more importantly, I still have so much of myself left to discover.
Travel reminded me that I am allowed to evolve. Allowed to dream bigger. Allowed to create a life that feels fulfilling to me, not just one that looks good from the outside.
So here’s to 25 countries and counting.
To healing through experiences.
To collecting memories instead of things.
To finding purpose in the journey.
And to building a life that feels deeply, unapologetically alive.
Because in the end, I don’t think we remember the emails, the deadlines, or the perfectly clean houses.
We remember the moments that made us feel something.
And I plan to keep chasing those moments for the rest of my life.