Why I Took Three Vacations in Six Months

Here's what I learned after taking three international vacations in six months! This episode is NOT sponsored by Travel Noire or #TNExperiences--I’m just sharing the love. If you’re interested in my post college story, I want to let you know I’m sharing all my tips and tricks about job interviews, informational, and way more via my Bri Books Podcast newsletter. To get this content weeks and weeks before it goes online, just sign up for bribookspod.com/ newsletter. I’m prepared to give everything away, for you to make the first or second summer out of college really pop and you hit the ground running in September. Because you’re not going back to school! That’s bribookspod.com/newsletter.

1:23 - Hi! Welcome to Bri Books podcast.  It’s July 2, 2017, and I’m back home after being on
vacation. Again. I was on the Amalfi Coast in Italy for the last 7 or 8 days. 1:45 - I decided I wanted to do an episode that talks about the recent travel I’ve been experiencing. If you’ve consistently listened, you’ll know I spent a week in Ubud, Bali in February before going to Cuba at the top of March. I just completed my third vacation on the Amalfi Coast. 2:21 - The purpose of this episode is to give overview of what I’ve learned after taking 3 personal
trips in 6 months. 2:30 - A bit of background--I’m not a millionaire. I have a fulltime job at ABC News as Social Media Analyst. But last year, I decided that in 2017, I wanted to force myself to confront my work anxiety by purchasing 3 TN experiences I knew I didn't want to spend another year dreaming of all the places I wanted to go. I looked up and realized I had these vacation days, and money saved, and I knew when I travelled I wanted to do it very intentionally. And travel noire is a travel company that focuses on helping travelers have very intentional vacations. Everything from personal cooking classes in Bali, to yoga in a rice paddy to taking a hike up one of the steepest paths on Amalfi Coast to surfing in Indian Ocean to understanding point of views of Afro-Cubans in Cuba, my travels have been challenging and rewarding. 4:15 - In this epi, I want to talk about what I’ve learned and what each of my trips have taught me about myself, and the sort of person and team member I want to be in the world. 4:22 - The first vacation I took was February 9-15, I went to Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. I was encouraged to take the trip because I saw a girlfriend of mine take the same vacation a year before, and I knew the first time I invested in a #TNExperiences, I wanted to go somewhere I wouldn’t go otherwise. I wanted to have a relaxing experience. So, I figured, Ubud in February, what better way to spend Valentine's Day than eat pray loving it up in Ubud. 5:04 - 7:02 - The story of how I missed my international flight...by 12 hours. 8:41- Missing my flight to Bali taught me that it’s how you respond to mistakes and uncertainty that makes experiences better or worse for yourself. I chose to respond to a mistake I’d made, instead of beating myself up and cancelling the trip, I chose to be solution oriented in that moment. And that’s carried along with me in my trips so far. 9:20 -  When you’re traveling and on vacation, things happen you're paying to put yourself in an unfamiliar environment. And it's more about how you respond to the mistakes that you make, that affect how you're able to roll with the punches. 9:35 - Bali taught me that it’s about how you respond to uncertainty and mistakes you make while travelling that shape the overall experience you have. 9:50-  The second #TNExperiences I invested in was Cuba. I had 9 workdays in the office before I was jetting off again, this time to Cuba. We spent 4 days in Vinales, 3 in Havana. 10:10 - Whether or not you’ve traveled to Cuba yourself and you're an American and that privilege is still new, odds are you've heard of someone speak of their experiences in Cuba. 10:25 -  As tempting as it may be to romanticize or vilify a nation experience because it’s different, traveling to Cuba taught me how to give grace to situations, and how to soothe myself 10:40 - I went to Cuba with Travel Noire #TNExperiences because I’d decide that the first time I went I wanted it to be intentional--not just a quick “Miami Part II trip to ride around in classic cars.” 11:05 - I wanted it to be education based, and I wanted to leave knowing something that I’d only learn having a first-hand experience. 11:22 - Not everything went the way we expected--difficulty during travel, little glitches here and there. But after a while, you have to put your preconceived notions aside and give grace to the situation, and realize it is what it is. Which was an experience like no other. Yes, there were hiccups, but that’s to be expected. 11:32 - Traveling to Cuba with TN taught me how to give grace to the moment when things didn’t go according to plan, by learning to soothe myself. When things are choppy and uncertain, what do you do to ground yourself? 12:24-  I learned how to soothe myself by reading and journaling. If I needed a moment, or wanted to take a walk, I’d take a book and journal, and even if I didn't write, having those things with me to soothe myself was grounding and humbling. I like having a book with me and starting the day with journaling and reflection. 13:00 - When I’m in a foreign place, that's always the first thing to slip for me. But really trying to ground myself with that everyday helped me inject a part of my faith that became a nonnegotiable this would become part of my undeniable reality, no
matter what. It helped me learn to sooth to myself while travelling 13:35 – The third vacation with  is one I’m still low-key jetlagged from Amalfi Coast. 14:15 - What I learned while in Italy was learning how to let myself digest the moment. On the first
full day of the TN experience trip in Italy, I broke my cellphone. From the second day onwards, I didn’t have that distraction at my fingertips. I couldn't just click around in my inbox or snapchat or Instagram or take pictures. I didn't have my headphones to slip into my own world 15:20 – Being in Italy taught me that disconnecting a choice we have to make. Not having tech helped me remember that, if conversation lulls, that doesn't mean pull out your phone. It means enjoy silence. Italy helped me learn when I feel powerful or powerless. Notice when I feel like my value is depending on me performing something, whether that’s on social media or trying to get attention at a dinner. Not having my phone helped me be more in tune with reading the room and the flow of conversation and community, especially with new people. 16:15 - I notice how often I’d go to my phone for security. It was a distraction. But, as I learned in Cuba, I made sure to always have a notebook, pen, etc. with me. 16:45 - Italy taught me that it’s important to lean into the discomfort especially when it comes to meeting new people and being in a new place. Not to be so concerned with appearing cool, but being open, honest with myself and my feelings. 17:00 -  I’m so grateful I’ve been financially blessed to be able to carry 3 international trips. The next things in my radar are all work or friend related. We’re doing duffel bags and backpacks! I’ve enjoyed what I’ve learned about myself and what I’ve learned by travelling. 17:50-  I recommend you check out Travel Noire! Being in touch with the trip--Instagram, email, or trips. I highly recommend it. This podcast isn’t sponsored by TN, I just know that going on these vacations has helped me deal with my workplace anxiety. My vacation days are mine. There’s nothing wrong if the world doesn't fall apart. All these trips have made that a nonnegotiable for me, and it’s made me get clearer on the work I enjoy doing, which is what I’m doing! 18:45 - Thank you for listening! I'll be putting photos up on @brionnajay, and also on the Instagram for @bribookspod. As always, tell me what you're reading using #bribooks on Instagram. If you’re travelling, let me know! Send an email at [email protected], and leave a review. Let me know what you love and how I can be of service to you. Sign up for newsletter!

The episode featuring Cyndii Johnson, "The Defining Decade"

Travel Noire links: Travel Noire site, Instagram, #TNExperiences and CEO Zim’s Instagram