Celebrating somewhere different hits differently 🌍✨ As we move into the next stretch of the year — with holidays, long weekends, and “marker moments” coming up — I’ve been thinking about how celebrations feel when they’re not at home. Not the usual routine. Not the same table, same people, same traditions. Travel has a way of gently shaking up what we consider normal: - How other places mark holidays - What they gather around - What feels meaningful to them - The small cultural details you’d never notice otherwise Sometimes it feels strange at first. Sometimes it feels unexpectedly freeing. And sometimes it becomes one of those memories that sticks with you longer than the holiday itself. So I’m curious — and there’s no right or impressive answer here: 👉 Have you ever celebrated a holiday, milestone, or special occasion while traveling? It could be: - a holiday - a birthday - New Year - an anniversary - or just a meaningful moment that happened away from home Where were you? And did it feel different in a good way… or just different? (And if you haven’t yet — is there a kind of celebration you’d want to experience somewhere else someday?)

Headline: Is your "Someday" bucket getting a little too full? I’ve been looking at my own travel notes lately, and I realized something. Most of us don't have a "lack of ideas" problem. We have a "Clarity Gap." It’s that space between having a beautiful destination in mind and actually feeling ready to hit the "Confirm" button. We collect the brochures, we join the groups (like this one!), and we look at the photos... but when it comes to taking that next inch of progress, something makes us pause. I see this all the time, and I've felt it too. Sometimes the pause is because: - The thought of navigating a new place solo feels heavier than it did yesterday. - The "logistics noise" (flights, insurance, safety) starts to drown out the excitement. - Or, honestly, it’s just the fear of finally committing to a dream and worrying it won't be what we hoped. In our paid community, The Collective, we spend our time closing that gap—moving from "thinking about it" to "ready for it" with actual systems and vetted trips. It’s where we move past the hesitation. But before we even talk about steps, I want to hold up a mirror to that hesitation. Because you can’t move past a barrier until you name it. 👇 The "One Step" Question: If you had to put a name to it, what is the one thing that holds you back from moving a trip from your "Someday" list to your "Calendar"? (Is it the solo factor? The safety "what-ifs"? Or just not knowing where to start? No right or wrong answers here—just looking for clarity.)

Most of my life, I’ve been running groups and helping people in customer service–type roles. I’ve always been good at supporting others, solving problems, and making things easier for the people around me. Last year, though, I had a quiet realization: somewhere along the way, I got so focused on helping everyone else that I forgot to help myself. People who know me would probably describe me as pretty happy-go-lucky. I don’t take life too seriously, and I usually try to keep things light. That’s part of who I am. But it also meant I didn’t always stop to ask whether I was moving in a direction that actually felt right. Travel has always been the thing that wakes me up. Not the flashy, checklist kind, but the kind where you’re somewhere new, surrounded by different rhythms, different conversations, different ways of living. Seeing a new place, experiencing another culture, or just sitting across from someone whose life looks nothing like mine gives me energy. It reminds me how big the world really is. That feeling: curiosity, excitement, possibility is what keeps pulling me forward. It’s why my goal is to travel full-time within the next year. Not to escape life, but to live it more fully. What matters to me now, especially when it comes to travel, is feeling steady instead of rushed. Not cramming everything in. Not proving anything. Just moving with intention and enjoying the experience as it unfolds. If any part of that sounds familiar, you’re probably why I built this space.

One of the biggest reasons people feel disappointed after a trip isn’t the destination it’s misalignment. Travel hits differently depending on things like: how much structure you want how much decision-making energy you have– whether this trip is about rest, exploration, or a reset When those pieces aren’t clear upfront, people often blame the location .. when really, the trip just wasn’t designed for where they were at the time. There’s no “wrong” way to travel, but there is a wrong fit for the moment you’re in.

Travel has this magical way of shaking the dust off your brain. One minute you’re staring at your own navel, the next you’re wide‑eyed, curious, and remembering there’s a whole world out there that doesn’t revolve around your to‑do list. When I was a teenager, I was obsessed with Reader’s Digest—mainly the humour pages. I clipped the best bits and glued them into a scrapbook like some people collect stamps. Eventually my business Filofax became the grown‑up version: part diary, part comedy notebook, part “what on earth just happened on that fam trip” log. One day, a few colleagues got hold of it. They decided my observations were far too funny to stay hidden in the leather binder. Their laughter ended up nudging me into a sales manager role… which then opened the door to becoming the UK director for a major travel consortium. All from a Filofax full of travel‑fuelled nonsense. Proof that in this industry, curiosity—and a good sense of humour—can take you a very long way.