Why do we travel? I’m sure for each one of us the answer will be different. Many travel to escape life and its stressors, some travel for pleasure to relax, some of us make this our lifestyle. I am the latter obviously. I travel because I value experiences and adventure, yes over owning a home, in this current space in my life. Traveling requires sacrifice and discipline, because guess what, traveling isn’t cheap! All of that, to say this; If you know the right tips and tricks it’s absolutely something you can fit into any lifestyle.

The common misconception about traveling is usually cost and time. A trip to Connecticut from NYC cost $27 round trip and a possible Uber ride to your final stop. A weekend trip to Philadelphia, to try all the cheesesteaks, can either be 1 tank of gas round trip ($30-50), a cheap bus ticket ($35), or a possible train ride ($89). All under $100, which is less than a night of drinks and dinner. Skipping out on 1 or 2 outings with friends can leave you with extra money to use for traveling. Poppin bottles in the club? Let’s not this month and spend that money on flights. New bundles? Bundles can be upwards of $300. That’s more than my entire trip to lake Erie for 6 days. Wear your natural hair and book a flight. There are ways to make it happen!

Personally, most times I have no idea where I am going next. . I am open to travel, destination not always predetermined. I generally wait until I get the travel alerts that say “fly as low as….” and then I see what options are available and depending if it makes sense or not I will book a trip that way. I once booked a trip to Guadeloupe simply because it was $47 going and $62 coming back. That’s less than my cellphone bill!

*Petite Bourg, Guadeloupe

The world is a large place, I want to see as much of it as possible in the time I have here on earth. I love learning about cultures, the people and their way of life, the food, music, nature, conversing and meeting other travelers and creating bonds with like-minded travelers.

10 years later of consistent travel, 3 of which I traveled more than stayed still, I would not have my life any other way. Documenting via Instagram [@defineme_Curly] has allowed me to update friends of family of what the world has to offer and what my place in it looks like. With the current movement around the “Black travel movement” and “black girls travel too” I have joined other black bloggers in telling my story. Welcome to the next chapter of Trace my journee. You have followed my lifestyle and my growth and now I welcome you to completely dive deep and learn how I manage to travel, discover the places I have been, or will go, ask advice. Here I will also showcase some of my tips and tricks on how I have managed to do this for so long.