Once upon a time, I had never traveled anywhere that wasn't work-related. I always wanted to but it seemed so overwhelming to go the places I wanted to go.
What if I got lost? What if I can't speak the language? I was just filled with questions and fear. Then one day, I saw a fellow colleague (Cynthia) post that after our conference in the UK, she was going to go to Ireland for a day and if anyone wanted to join, they should. I do not know what came over me that day but I messaged this complete stranger and said I wanted to go!
As fate would have it, she missed her flight due to crazy London traffic and she gave me her AirBnB info to check-in before she did. So I was forced to walk around the area all by myself and get a very small taste of what it would be like to travel for fun.
First lesson, things can and do go wrong and the best thing to do is embrace it. Cynthia arrived a few hours later, we sat down at a local pub, ordered two Guinness and the biggest piece of fried fish you ever saw and got to chatting.
Immediately, we got along so well it was crazy! The conversations were so easy, and we were always on the same page. We talked late into the night. I had never had so much fun.
And so began my life with a "travel buddy." At least once a year, we plan a trip somewhere, sometimes for work, sometimes for fun.
Cynthia always researches and compiles a very detailed itinerary and I basically show up with my credit card. She says I bring the "vibes." But little by little I learned from her. How to plan, how to pack light, how to research, how to stay (semi) organized.
I started making video reels and planning content around our travels and recreating recipes we love along the way. She recreates food and drinks and I mostly stick to baking. Cynthia posts her recipes on "summers in white" and I post my recipes on "sugar geek show".
Now we hardly travel without each other. I call her my soul sister because the universe brought us together.