The Trip That Changed Everything: How a Global Shutdown Led Me Back to Travel

March 13, 2020.

Some dates stay with you forever.

For me, it wasn't because it was the last vacation before the world shut down. It was because it became the beginning of an entirely new chapter—one I never saw coming.

Stephen and I were wrapping up a vacation in South Carolina. The weather was beautiful, the pace was slower than home, and life felt normal...until it didn't.

As we made our way through the airport, our phones began buzzing.

News alerts.

Flight updates.

Breaking headlines.

The world was shutting down because of COVID-19.

People around us were glued to their phones. Conversations grew quieter. Every television in the airport seemed to be broadcasting the same story. There wasn't complete panic not yet but there was something almost more unsettling.

Uncertainty.

No one knew what was about to happen.

The airport wasn't the bustling place I was used to. It felt strangely empty, as if everyone was holding their breath. We boarded our flight home not knowing that it would be months before traveling would ever feel normal again.

Ironically, South Carolina still felt relatively relaxed compared to many other parts of the country. Restaurants were slower, but life hadn't completely stopped. Throughout much of the South, restrictions seemed less severe than what we would eventually experience back home.

Once we landed in Connecticut, everything changed.

The first lockdown had begun.

Like millions of people, I found myself confined to home.

But unlike many people, my home didn't feel like a sanctuary.

I was living with someone whose fear of germs became overwhelming. Every movement was scrutinized. Every trip outside was questioned. Every surface became another reason for confrontation. The constant anxiety created an environment where I felt like I was walking on eggshells.

Eventually, I did what seemed easiest.

I stayed in my room.

Day after day.

Week after week.

At first, it felt like life had simply been placed on pause.

I had built so much of my identity around movement.

I was an aerial artist.

A fitness instructor.

A dancer.

A performer.

An artist.

Nearly everything I loved required people gathering together.

Studios closed.

Performances disappeared.

Fitness classes stopped.

Events were canceled indefinitely.

The career I had spent years building suddenly had nowhere to exist.

It was difficult not to wonder what would come next.

Then one day I stopped asking myself what I had lost.

Instead, I asked myself:

"What can I build while the world is standing still?"

If I couldn't perform...

I could learn.

I began studying.

Hours every day.

I imagined a future that felt impossibly far away—a time when airports would once again be crowded with excited travelers instead of anxious passengers. A time when passports would come back out of drawers and people would dream about exploring the world again.

Back then, six years into the future felt almost unimaginable.

But I believed we'd get there.

So I prepared for it.

That's when I decided to study travel.

The more I learned about destinations, suppliers, itineraries, luxury hotels, cruises, and international travel planning, the more something unexpected happened.

I remembered.

I remembered how much I had always loved this industry.

Long before I became known for aerial arts or lifestyle content, I had studied hospitality in college.

Somewhere along the way, that part of me had quietly taken a back seat while I pursued creative careers.

COVID gave me the opportunity to reconnect with it.

Suddenly, all the pieces of my life began fitting together.

My love of storytelling.

My background in hospitality.

My passion for design.

Photography.

Food.

Luxury living.

Wellness.

Culture.

Adventure.

Travel wasn't separate from my lifestyle.

It was the thread connecting everything.

I also realized something else.

Travel had never been a luxury for me.

It was self-care.

Some people recharge by staying home.

I recharge by experiencing somewhere new.

Walking unfamiliar streets.

Listening to another language.

Trying food I've never tasted before.

Watching sunsets from places I once only saw in magazines.

Travel reminds me that the world is much bigger than my worries.

That realization inspired something even bigger.

I began building my lifestyle influencer brand around the idea that luxury isn't about spending the most money.

It's about living intentionally.

It's about creating beautiful experiences without waiting for "someday."

I started sharing my wish lists, travel dreams, affordable luxury finds, home inspiration, wellness routines, and the vision I had for a life filled with purpose and beauty all on a realistic budget.

Today, becoming a travel advisor feels less like changing careers and more like coming home.

I'm simply bringing together every chapter of my life into one meaningful journey.

As your travel advisor, I don't just want to book your flights or reserve your hotel.

I want to help you create memories you'll talk about for decades.

Whether it's your first passport stamp, your honeymoon, a girls' getaway, a wellness retreat, or the solo trip you've been putting off for years, I want to help make it happen.

Because if the pandemic taught me anything, it's this:

Don't wait.

Don't postpone joy.

Don't assume there will always be another opportunity.

See the world while you can.

Take the trip.

Celebrate the milestone.

Book the vacation.

Collect the memories.

Because while souvenirs eventually collect dust, experiences never lose their value.

They shape who we become.

They change our perspective.

And they continue paying us back long after we've returned home.

For me, that unexpected flight home on March 13, 2020, marked the end of one chapter.

But it also marked the beginning of another—one that ultimately led me back to the industry where I belonged all along.

And now, I'd be honored to help you write the next chapter of your own travel story.

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