The Trip I Didn't Know My Soul Needed

15 hours later and I had arrived in the lap of luxury ready to take on the UAE fabulously! The minute I saw the itinerary for this amazing trip, my spirit decided that I needed to secure my spot to Dubai with women I’d never met. When I rationalized it, making the first deposit and committing to follow through with all subsequent payments really didn’t make sense. For starters, a month or so prior to learning of the trip, I had made the hard decision to take time off from my new career as an educator and start a master’s program. The sensible thing was to save my coins and focus. Only thing was, the travel bug and dreams deferred were gnawing at my spirit because I had suppressed them for as long as I could.

You see, the travel bug bit me way before I could dream big enough to envision a fabulously planned trip fit for queens on the other side of the globe. Sometimes you’re in a season where you have to keep your head down and keep putting one foot in front of the other without coming up for air. Just typing and acknowledging that exhausted me, but that’s real! So, like every other young woman determined to make something of herself after a major life change, I put on blinders to distractions that seemed unrealistic, far fetched, and quite frankly extraordinary.  This most certainly included any and all hopes and dreams of wanderlust from the travel bug. At that particular stage in my life, it was time to activate survival mode. This is also known as, get inside the box that society has built for you and stay there until someone else decides that you’ve accomplished your goals. What?? Terrible! But, a girl and Mother’s “gotta do what we gotta do”, said the “voices” sent to keep me basic. Mind you, this is only basic when you know that there is something more planted deep down within your soul and you are forced to suppress it.  Truth is, I had to suck up living in survival mode to gain the skills, mindset, appreciation, and zest needed to live an EXTRAordinary life! 

While the trip was booked and my bags were almost packed, I unexpectedly needed to facilitate getting my father (may he continue to rest in peace) off of the island of St. Thomas after he suffered a major stroke for inpatient rehabilitation here in the states. There was no time to waste and his medical team and family made it happen. Here I was, unemployed by choice with time and energy to be a partial caretaker for my ailing parent, and I was honored to do so. Two weeks before my fabulous and eagerly anticipated PGRW trip to Dubai, my father was discharged and returned to the arms of his wife, my Mom, to continue recovery. This happened just in time to support my one and only daughter through getting dolled up for her junior prom.

By the time I came up for air, I was able to look around me and fully appreciate over a decade of sacrifice, hard work, determination, growth, and learning.  There I was, emerged as a mother, wife, college graduate, a professional, and a matured woman with a renewed outlook on life and living. It was time.

This was no ordinary trip to Dubai; this trip was EXTRAordinary! The first thing that sucked me in was that there was a theme: Pink Girls Run The World (PGRW). I love a good themed anything and the level of fabulous jumping off the itinerary was more than enough to let me know that this was something special.  As I mentioned, this wasn’t a girl’s trip with a bunch of mutual friends teaming up to make memories. Nope, this was a trip for the grown, bold, and fabulous! Little did I know, my spirit was ready. I had no fear, little apprehension, and an abundance of excitement to create new memories and gain new experiences. I soon learned that this was an inaugural trip for Tashieka Brewer who was also living outside of the box with her bold, new idea of creating mind blowing trips with a pink vibe to LIVE for. 

The time leading up to the trip was filled with a fun level of excitement as we all learned more details about our accommodations and each other as we interacted in our private group on social media. Turns out, I was the only person on the trip who didn’t have a friend travelling with them. I always say that I don’t meet strangers, so I’m not surprised that I immediately connected with all the ladies once we met up.  Looking back, this was a huge risk for all of us because you never know what vibes you’ll encounter with a small group of people who don’t know each other and are traveling together for a week. There was no time for anything but good vibes because we mainly spent the majority of the trip in complete awe of our planned excursions and new experiences.  

I probably escaped a few times to pinch myself just to ensure that I wasn’t dreaming this. Sitting high above Dubai, atop the Burj Khalifa, dining in Atmosphere's private room it began to feel normal. It was almost as if my spirit was at rest because I was finally feuling it with the type of life that I am meant for. Not once did I feel awkward or out of place among the opulence and EXTRAordinariness that the restaurant or Dubai has to offer. Instead, waves of gratitude overcame me. This dinner, hosted by the amazing Suncera Johnson took place on our first night and it set a positive tone as we took turns gifting each other pink swag bags filled with thoughtful gifts to further enhance or trip experience.

The million dollar question I get asked frequently is, “What was the highlight of the trip?”. My answer is absolutely “everything”! How can I rank a private dinner with a world class chef, brunch fit for royalty, a yoga class in an aquarium, spa treatments that single-handedly defined self-care, riding on a camel in the desert as the sun set, visiting a mosque during Ramadan, a beautiful Dhow dinner cruise, and an afternoon boat tour? I simply can’t and I realize that I don’t need to. This trip that I didn’t know my soul needed taught me that it’s perfectly normal for everything to be EXTRAordinary!

The hardest thing about going on this trip was packing for it. Keeping my luggage underweight and remembering to pack clothing that was conservative, yet cool, certainly challenged me. I’m an island girl who is trained to wear less clothing in the blazing sun, not more. When they say that “travel is the best education”, these are some of the lessons that one can learn. Shopping and bartering the price of souvenirs in the Souk gave me an opportunity to hone that skill, which has served me well on all other trips abroad. Enjoying gourmet meals that were strictly gluten free (gf) blew my mind because at that time here in the states gf options were still limited, much less full gourmet meals.

I thought that I was boldly saying “Yes!” to a bomb itinerary, but what I really said “Yes!” to, was new connections; growth; ongoing opportunity; and confidence in myself as an international traveler. Three trips later, and I am now the 1st PGRW Brand Ambassador. The first trip I will be leading is to fabulous France in July 2020! Find out what being a “Pink Girl” means to me during my interview on Pink Couch Chronicles.   

Have you ever taken a trip that your soul needed? Share your experience(s) in the comments.