“I’ve made a huge mistake,” I thought to myself as I walked into my hotel room in New Orleans only to find earplugs on the nightstand with a note warning me that things get loud. The thought of not being able to catch up on sleep after a 7 hour flight while my stomach grumbled … More Beignets and Birthdays
It’s no secret that my primary motivation for working so much is to save money so I can travel. But sometimes I get sidetracked and blow my money on clothes and shoes. And not even practical shoes. I don’t need another pair of shoes, and I used to have a rule that if I bought … More Cinderella Slippers
The overwhelming desire to throw a cookie in someone’s face was a new one for me, but I was quickly able to talk myself down as I needed a roof over my head for the night, and I knew full well I was acting exactly like some kind of entitled asshole. I had arrived in … More Johnny Jabber
I prepared to leave Seattle for Indianapolis in the manner that I normally do: not planning my time out properly, doing one thousand loads of laundry, scrubbing down my entire apartment like it had been a crime scene, and getting about two hours of sleep. I woke up the morning of my flight when it … More Holiday Hallucinations
On occasion something happens that really forces me to take a step back and evaluate where I’m at in life. I had one of those moments last week–a “come to Jesus” moment if you will. Nothing makes me genuinely have to reassess my life choices like having to do laundry for the sole purpose of … More Resting Grinch Face
In my brain, Austin was a land of tacos, bbq, and blues, so I figured there was no way I wouldn’t love it. Plus leaving the cold and rainy temperatures of Seattle to soak up some sunshine is always a plus for me. When I arrived, I wondered how I was in Texas–a state that … More Keep Austin Weird
I frequently use analogies with cities that stick out in my brain as if they are people to try and make the feeling more relatable to other people who may not understand what I feel when I travel. Paris was my first love, flawed but beautiful, and I fell fast and hard at the age … More Sydney: A Love Story
I dumped my bags in a back room of my hotel in Brisbane while they prepared my room, and then stopped into a coffee shop around the corner, re-energized by being back in Australia. My heart was full, being back in this country that is so important to me, and I ordered a coffee from a … More It’s Just What You Do
I say it all of the time, but I really do hate flying. I hit a moment of terror before jetting off on my trip to Australia where I got scared shitless and my heart started racing and I had to talk myself down. It isn’t the fear of the unknown either. I was excited … More 13 Hours
Packing should be something that I have down to a science at this point in my life. I’ve taken hundreds of flights, and yet somehow this is one of those things I loathe and still can’t wrap my head around. Don’t get me wrong: I have a drawer of travel-sized liquids to throw in my … More The Art of Packing
Transient Transplant 