The last time I did a 10-day Vipassana silent meditation retreat was 12 years ago, after I had broken an engagement with a wonderful man. I was lost and confused about what I had wanted to do after essentially disappointing a person who loved me so much. But I knew it was the right thing to do as I knew we did not want the same things. 

Earlier this month, I did another Vipassana 10-day silent meditation retreat again, to restabilize my emotions after I had been left suddenly by a sweet human. Although I am greatly disappointed with how he left me, I understand the reasons that he left me. It was not because he was a bad person, nor was I a bad person or was it because of the stars, the moon or mercury retrograde.

I realized that the reason this relationship fell apart was the same reason all the other things in my life thus far have not worked out. I was not in integrity with myself.

Buying travel insurance might just be the least glamorous part of planning a trip. In fact, it’s so boring that countless travelers skip this step entirely. “It’s a waste of time — and a waste of money. I’ll probably be fine anyway!” And they probably will be. But they won’t know until it’s too late.

With the recent Full Moon signaling the start of Yi-Peng & Loy Krathong celebrations in Thailand, I’ve been missing my homeland a lot. Loads of friends have inquired about Thailand’s special long-staying tourist visa and you can find more information about that here. While it’s hard for me personally to write a short blog post about my home country, when blogger and traveler Jennifer Renner asked to do a guest post, I was happy to have her share what she thinks most first-time visitors need to know about Thailand. Although we’re not traveling too much these days, it’s good to plan ahead for when we can finally travel!

As a travel advisor, I absolutely advise that you do not travel at the moment unless you absolutely must, but I don’t advise against planning that next trip of yours.

Hopefully, we will be able to travel again as soon as the summer, but of course that could always be pushed back so let’s just make sure everything’s covered by your travel insurance. And for the love of god, please use a travel advisor. With government travel and shelter-at-home regulations in the world changing at a dizzying speed for an indeterminate amount of time, you could really use a travel specialist on your team.

Buenos Aires has always been a bucket-list destination for me and when Pauline asked to do a guest post I was all psyched up to hear what she had to say about her favorite city and how to see it in the least touristic way as possible.

Even though I was raised Catholic, I have never been a particularly religious person. My father was Buddhist and growing up in the Buddhist country of Thailand, I’ve only heard of Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha in stories and myths. In my mind it was a magical place that was portrayed in the many paintings inside the Buddhist temples in Thailand and it wasn’t a “real” place. So when I had this opportunity to pilgrimage to Lumbini (although I know didn’t actually set off with that intention), I found myself very humbled by the journey. 

Perhaps this is what this country compels us to do -  share slivers of our soul. 

There’s so much here that encourages us to do that. Whether it’s the trek in nature to the peace pagoda, seeing elephants and rhinos in Chitwan National Park, the many multi-day treks offered… each person can find a way to reconnect with a part of themselves that they may have forgotten - even in the most unexpected ways.

If there was any part of my trip to India with my mother that truly felt like I was immersed in a world that was completely different than anything that I’ve ever experienced in my life, it’s Varanasi (also known as Benares, Banaras or Kashi, a city located on the left bank of the Ganges.  One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, it is also one of the seven sacred cities of Hinduism. 

I'm very excited to speak at TravelCon, a travel conference in Austin, TX put together by Matt Kepnes of Nomadic Matt & Lynan Saperstein of Experience Experts about how how my blogging has led me to become an independent travel agent focused on selling sustainable travel. I'm going to share the lessons I've learned and also show you how you can do it too!  

Tucked away between Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary lies this hidden gem of a country. Greener than green and bluer than blue, it's easy to fall in love with the easy-going and peacefully bucolic yet jaw-dropping country side. And did I mention that the wines and the food are seriously delicious?

Prayers from the mosque’s loudspeakers meld with reggaeton blasting from multiple car windows and techno music that reveals a party taking place on the second floor of a nearby McDonald’s.  This is Casablanca.  And in this city—immortalized in a film by vintage Hollywood—one is affronted by a cacophonous yet complimentary swath of cultural influences that make up Morocco, a country directly south of Spain in Northern Africa. 

Video may have killed the radio star, but the online travel agencies such as Orbitz have definitely NOT killed the travel agent.

NYC is buzzing with up-and-coming fashion talent. As far as fashion in the North America is concerned, NYC is Mecca. And as part of New York Fashion Week, I had the privilege of attending The Set NYC's Fashion Benefit to raise money for a charity called Love 146, that fights child trafficking worldwide.

For the first time in almost 3 years, I'm actually in New York City for Fashion Week. I have been very blessed to have been invited to two very different types of fashion previews - the first was an intimate gathering for the newly launched Á Moi Atelier's Ready to Wear Autumn/Winter 2014 Preview at designer Alejandra Alonso's Soho apartment and the second, detailed later in this post, was an invitation by The Mobile Media Lab + Tommy Hilfiger to a New York Fashion Week Instameet.

There have been several articles circling the Internet that have been brought to my attention with various opinions regarding dating girls who travel, read and write. Definitely inspired by the  collection of articles (listed below) surrounding why one should/should not/do/do not date these types of free-spirted, free-thinking girls, I think it's time for me to write my own response.

There is nothing quite like the artistic energy that emanates from the heart of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, my favorite borough of New York City.

I spend one night at the Wythe Hotel, a boutique hotel with loft-converted rooms that feature original historic industrial detailing, pine ceilings, and exposed brick walls. My room overlooks the hauntingly peaceful snow-covered Manhattan.

I never knew that you could ski in Spain. I always equated skiing with the Alps and Spain with sunshine, beaches, flamenco and bull-fighting. But apparently, you can ski in Spain - up in the stunning Spanish Pyrenees in the Catalonia region of the country.

Stuck back at home for the holidays, or with the in-laws, and feeling overwhelmed?  Here's a quick 26 minute workout my good friend, pilates instructor Michelle Tash shared with me that you can quickly do to center your mind and your body.  Take some time for yourself in an empty room, lock your door and set up your yoga mat.

There is a certain initial aggression that permeates the air here in Israel. I'm not certain whether that is because of the harsh syllables of a language I cannot decipher (the raspy Hebrew "hat" and "raish" sounds that come from the back of one's throat), or the centuries of war and bloodshed that were fought over these lands, or the fact that it's mandatory for every Israeli to do military service for three years of their youth, that gives this country the impression of being "playfully aggressive".

I can't sleep. Although, I'm staying at Mount Zion, a beautiful boutique hotel in Jerusalem, I just can't sleep. Being at the Holocaust Memorial at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem earlier yesterday really struck an emotional chord deep inside of me.

Now that I have reached 30 years of age... here's the biggest question on my mind:  what am I working towards?

That's recently been the main topic of my internal thoughts, mulling and pondering over the purpose of my life and the projects I am working on.