Cruising through the streets of Havana, Cuba in a classic convertible.
This year I was determined to travel more. I finally got over my travel anxiety and made it happen. Nike was right…sometimes you have to “just do it!” I am so glad that I not only booked the two trips that I took this year to New Mexico and Cuba, but that I followed through and actually went on the trips! Both experiences have been life affirming and the timing was perfect for the transitions that are happening in my life.
Next year will be a milestone birthday for me. I have been waiting for this birthday because I figured by the time I reached this point in my life I would have it all together. Well, life has a funny way of throwing curve balls at us to keep us on our toes and I am ready for my new chapter. I pray that it involves as much travel as possible.
Upward and onward!
What are your travel goals for 2018? Share them in the comments section. Remember to like, share, and subscribe for more travel related content.
Six years ago I obtained my first adult passport, however it wasn’t my first passport. I got my first passport when I was a child. Tomorrow I will finally use my passport to travel out of the country. Everywhere you look on social media it seems as if friends are flashing their passports. The US passport gives you access to so many different countries, so Americans often consider their passport a status symbol of softs.
In 2012 I stumbled upon the Passport Party Project, a grassroots effort led by fellow California native Tracey Friley. Tracey put out a call for bloggers to attend the annual Passport Day in New York. At the time I was publishing a blog called Uptownflavor and I thought that it would be for my readers to learn how to go about obtaining a passport. I attended the tour on March 10 and applied for my passport on the same day. I had my passport in my hand within a week. It was processed in 3 days! One of my recommendations is to get your passport during what is considered the slow season. If you wait until right before summer break or the holidays when most people travel you are setting yourself up for frustration. I wrote about my experience touring the passport facility and getting my passport on Black Atlas and Examiner.com (both now defunct online publications).
By participating in the Passport Party Project and Passport Day, I learned that the number of Americans traveling internationally was significantly lower than citizens of other countries like the UK and Canada. Over the past six years the number of Americans holding a valid passport has increased and the numbers continue to steadily climb each year. However, the number of African Americans with a passport is still low.
You’re probably wondering now how you can you get your first passport. Well, you can attend one of the many acceptance events in your area. Find one near you by clicking on the link below.
Proof of identity (valid driver’s license, government employee ID, military ID).
Photocopies of U.S. citizenship and identification documents (these will be sent with the application, but bring originals for proof documentation).
Appropriate payment. Acceptable forms of payment can be found on the Department of State website. (Please note that neither debit nor credit cards are acceptable forms of payment by the Department of State).
Appropriate passport photo, if passport photo services are not available at the selected Post Office location.
Passport applications for children under 16 have special requirements. Visit travel.state.gov for more information.
When and how did you get your first passport? Share your passport story in the comments section. Remember to like, share, and subscribe for more travel related content.
Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. If you decide to purchase something from one of the links clicked on I will receive a small percentage which will then be used to support this site.
OK, let’s admit it, being a dad can be a thankless job. As a result fathers often get the short end of the stick when it comes to holidays. Every Father’s Day dads around the country lament that they get the same ole’ tired gifts…shirts, ties, or tools. I’m sure dear old dad will appreciate having something different this year, and if you happen to be dear old dad then you can take advantage of some of the special Father’s Day discounts below to enjoy all year round.
Take your dad to Ripley’s and receive 25% off all locations (excludes Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada and Ripley’s Red and Ghost Trains in St. Augustine). Use promo code: DAD from 6/12-6/17
Is your dad an avid coffee drinker? This Father’s Day, Driftaway Coffee is offering a limited-time promotion on all coffee gift subscriptions. Customers can save 10% by using the coupon code DAD10 during checkout.
The gift that keeps on giving is access to thousands of airport lounges around the world. Get your dad Priority Pass so he can relax between flights when traveling for business or pleasure. Take advantage of the Father’s Day special below.
Washington, D.C. is an international destination year-round. The city is constantly overrun by tourists who attend conventions, political affairs, and vacations. The DMV area is very fortunate to have 3 major airports: DCA/Reagan National, Dulles, and BWI/Baltimore-Washington International. BWI is actually closer to Baltimore which is a 45 minute drive north of D.C. The other two airports are in Virginia. Dulles is the farthest out and is about 45 minutes outside of D.C. to the south. My preferred airport is DCA which is directly accessible by Metro. Below I will give you the pros and cons of each mode of transportation to and from Dulles and National. You can read about my unfortunate travel snafu where I had to change airports on the fly by clicking here.
Uber
While there are several different ride share companies in the market the two most popular ones in DMV area are Uber and Lyft. As a matter of fact, most drivers are signed up to work for both companies in tandem. I happened to sign up for Uber first so that is the company that I use most when I need to use a ride sharing service. I used Uber to go out to Dulles airport when I was traveling to New Mexico last month and was able to secure a SUV using the new express pool for $35.00. The express pool requires you to walk to a nearby location to get picked up. Fortunately my pick up area is right in front of my building so I still got door to door service for a lower price. We also did not need to make additional stops for other passengers. The con is that my driver took all of the back roads as he waited to see if he could pick up more passengers. We could have been to the airport sooner if he had taken the direct route and I probably wouldn’t have missed my flight.
My recommendation: If you take Uber to the airport you should definitely find the option that works best for you. You can get a free Uber ride and I will automatically get a ride for free! Use my code damaabui.
Supershuttle
Years ago SuperShuttle was the best way to get to the airport, but over the years their rates have increased and their competition has grown. My return flight from New Mexico was going to land after midnight so rather than call an Uber I opted to schedule a SuperShuttle. Like Uber Pool, SuperShuttle is a shared ride service. The pro was that I would be able to secure a confirmed rate which was pretty much the same as what my Uber was getting to the airport. The con was that we had to wait for all of the other passengers to arrive before we leave the airport. And, since it is a pool you have to drop off other passengers before you finally get home. I was fortunate that I was the second passenger dropped off but I still didn’t arrive home until close to 2:00 A.M. on a work day.
My recommendation: Use only if you are not in a hurry to get to your destination. One of the reasons that I prefer to not use ride sharing pools is because I like to go straight from point A to point B.
Metro
One of the most cost effective ways to travel to and from the airport is by using Metro. The main reason that DCA is my favorite airport to fly out of is the close proximity to D.C. The Metro literally stops right at the airport. Once you exit the Metro station you are pretty much in the airport.
However, taking the Metro to Dulles is a bit more complimented. If you are taking the Metro from the airport you will need to purchase a $5.00 ticket for a shuttle bus that will take you to the Reston Metro station. You will then need to walk from the drop off location to the station to catch the Silver line.
My recommendation: Unless you are going to DCA I would skip the Metro option. Taking Metro from D.C. into Dulles requires too much time and energy.
Taxi
I intentionally listed taxi’s last. They are probably the worst possible way to travel in D.C. When I first moved to D.C. to attend graduate school they weren’t even metered so the drivers would charge you by the zone. It always felt like we were getting ripped off. Now the cabs are metered and you can use one of the online taxi calculators to estimate your fare at Taxi Wiz or Taxi Calculator.
What are the best ways to get to and from the airport in your city? Share below in the comments section.
Private pool at Ojo Caliente Resort and Spa in New Mexico
We live in a society that tells us things like ‘go hard or go home’ or ‘you can sleep when you’re dead.’ These beliefs are what create the superwoman complex that keep American women on a hamster wheel of always being busy. It is no wonder that 1 in 4 women in our country suffers from heart disease, and that we are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression and anxiety.
All of it doesn’t really hit home until you find yourself directly impacted by it. This year has been one of the most challenging for me in a long time. The majority is my stress is work related because I bought into the work harder achieve more work ethic. I felt guilty when I needed to take a wellness day and I would grind away until I was completely burned out. My justification was that I could rest on my laurels once I finally reached my end goal. Well, let me tell you that was a big mistake. I was very close to reaching my goal when I had the rug pulled out from under me. I won’t go into details here, but it created a lot of anxiety, anger, and resentment. I slowly began to sink into a depressed state and I felt stuck. I needed a hard reboot if I was going to claw my way out of depression.
I tried to work it away
But that just made me even sadder
I tried to keep myself busy
I ran around circles
Think I made myself dizzy
~Solange Knowles – Cranes in the Sky
For what’s it’s worth, the fact that I am an earth sign means that spending time in nature has a positive impact on my mind, body, and spirit. While I am a city girl by default, nature is always the magic elixir when I need to push my way out of a deep funk. As an educator, I get long summer breaks. However, my mental state was in such a state that I needed to do something sooner rather than later. I was imploding. I felt like Solange Knowles in her song, Cranes in the Sky. Nothing that I was doing was having a long term impact on restoring my sense of joy.
As I mentioned in another post, I had a distorted view of travel. But I had to overcome the travel anxiety. I had to ‘get my mind right’ so I booked a trip to the desert. It was just what the doctor ordered. I came back home with a fresh mindset, renewed and reinvigorated. It was as if someone had flipped a switch in my mind.
Mud bathing at Ojo Caliente in New Mexico
What really got me thinking about the question of travel as a form of self-care was when I shared my New Mexico experience with a new friend who is also an educator. She responded with, “Wow, you really take care of yourself.” It caught me off guard because I consider myself a caregiver. It all started when my mother was in the end stages of renal cancer and I was her primary caregiver. A few years after she died I started teaching. It is the hardest job I’ve ever had and one that requires the spirit of stewardship. I invested all of my energy into being the best daggone teacher that I could be for the next decade and a half. But somewhere along the way I lost myself.
Time to save the world
Where in the world is all the time
So many things I still don’t know
So many times I’ve changed my mind
Guess I was born to make mistakes
But I ain’t scared to take the weight
So when I stumble off the path
I know my heart will guide me back
~Erykah Badu – Didn’t Cha Know
It also made me think back to a few months prior while sitting in a meeting we were asked what we do for self-care. I stated things like, manicures and pedicures, meditation, and massages while other people listed things like going on vacation. At the time that option seemed so far out of reach to me. I guess the universe has a way of bringing things into alignment at exactly the right time.
Self-care is not selfish
In hindsight, I realize that travel is probably the ultimate self-care. It is an intentional way of saying to yourself and others that you matter enough to take time out of your busy life to stop and smell the roses. It is a recommitment to loving yourself. Some people look at travel as selfish. Some people might even call you brave for leaving your comfort zone. I call it necessary. The change of pace, the change of scenario, and the exposure to new people and energy is powerful. It helped me remember that I matter, and that is the best self-care that anyone can experience.
What do you do for self-care? How do you make travel a form of self-care in your life? Share in the comment section.
