There are moments in life when everything seems to come to a head and we are confronted with a singular question that stops us in our track. After almost three years (or has it been four?) of spear heading The Pin the Map Project, I have arrived at such a question: Did I truly create… [Read More]
Why I Spent My Honeymoon on a School Bus in Texas
The semi-functional bus AC roared loudly from the drivers seat; the vast expanse of nothing suggested we must be close to the Texas state line. “Shylah, sit down!” I wailed for the 14th time in an hour. I looked in the rear view mirror to check in on my groom, T.J. who was sitting with… [Read More]
The Dark Honeymoon: A Visit to the Paris Catacombs
After an hour spent taking cell phone pictures and taunting sparrows, my husband and I found ourselves at the front of the line to see the Paris Catacombs. We were on our belated honeymoon, more specifically on a three-day trip to the City of Love after tours of Frankfurt, Heidelberg, and Freiburg. Holding hands,… [Read More]
A Personal Story: The Ghost of Christmas Future
It’s Christmas Day in Chicago and my family and I have just finished unwrapping presents by the fireplace as the warm glow cast by the twinkling lights and jumping flames lights up our living room. We’ve exhausted my Christmas playlist as we happily carry our pile of opened gifts to our rooms. It’s a… [Read More]
An Open Letter to the Ghosts of Friends I’ve Traveled With
In many ways, the collapse of our friendship feels like a one night stand where I play the part of the overtly romantic person who seems to think our exchange meant the world and you play the role of the one who woke up early and simply walked away. I know it’s more complicated than… [Read More]
Why I’ll Eventually Leave New York City
I imagine leaving New York as a movie montage of an ending relationship flashing before one’s eyes-a kaleidoscope of all the wonderful and less than perfect moments strung together. There are the memories of falling in love with New York on sunny days spent strolling down Park Avenue with all the wonder in the… [Read More]
Love & Wanderlust: Should you Date a Traveler?
Writer Virgina Wolf once wrote that “across the broad continent of a woman’s life falls the shadow of a sword.” She argued that on one side of that sword rests convention, order and tradition where the ideals of a “normal life” as dictated by society are revered. On the other side of that sword is… [Read More]
Pre-Departure Travel Musings & Confessions
Most travel bloggers would have you think we sashay into the airport with our floppy hats and iPhones as we snap picture perfect passport photos. Me on the other hand, I tend to show up frazzled! As I get ready to head on my Topdeck tour of Morocco for ten days, let me take a moment to confess some of my pre-departure quirks.
Runaway Bride: Life After Calling Off My Wedding
It’s been almost a year now and time has given me the gift of perspective as I reflect back on my decision to not walk down the aisle. Like the calm after a storm, the dust has settled and today this 27 year old runaway bride has chased her dreams of travel writing from Colombia to France.
