If you want to live a beautiful life, full experiences and treasures you much travel. Without travel, one will never have the ability and honor to discover travel’s unexpected treasures.

It was late at night around 2:00 am and I had been thinking about it for days, when I heard that voice inside of me-you know the one-saying, “Just do it!” So I pushed enter! At that moment, my CC number went hurling through the stratosphere, informing the universe that I was to be counted as one of the 10 people on an exotic and creative trip to Marrakech. No take-backs! No OMG WHAT?’s! The journey was on, and I could not have been more exhilarated and terrified at the same time.

The next morning, I booked my flights with a short connection in Paris then on to Marrakech. Little did I know at the time that I would already receive the travel gift and treasure of new friendships on that flight to Paris. 

The journey was on, and I could not have been more exhilarated and terrified at the same time.

As the trip began, I sat next to a fascinating woman and we talked for hours. She told me about her life as the wife of an ambassador for the US, living all over the globe and her controversial days in the Middle East. She was now living in Tangier as a watercolor painter and spoke passionately about Tangier’s community, why she is drawn to the people, and why she loved living there. When we landed in Paris, we continued to hang out together until we each had to connect to our flights.

It was an unusually hot May in Marrakech, and I am not kidding–it was HOT. But Marrakech was everything I was hoping for and more. The sights and sounds were a sensory overload; everything about the city was intoxicating. The culture is so rich in tradition, ritual, and practice, and seeing that connection to the belief in daily motion made me feel humbled and privileged to be there. Not to mention the textiles, hand-thrown pottery, rugs, and glassware–OH MY! As an artful designing soul, I was in HEAVEN!

If you want to live a beautiful life, full of the rich trinkets and treasures that living that life can bring, then it is not a choice. It’s a must.

To top it all off, I was with a group of fearless, incredible, straight up BAD ASSES. The beautiful souls I was traveling with taught me so much. Mostly in their 30’s and 40’s, they were vulnerable, generous, loving, and creative, willing to leap headfirst into the life they were meant to live with courage, heart, and gusto. They reminded me that living your life’s purpose, no matter what that looks like, is not only for some–it’s for everyone. If you want to live a beautiful life, full of the rich trinkets and treasures that living that life can bring, then it is not a choice. It’s a must.

You see, this is what I love about travel. It is the unexpected jewels that you receive and people that you meet along the way that broaden your perspective and influence your decisions. It’s bringing home that trinket from your wanderings to add texture to your surroundings and creates insight into your soul. 

That depth is what living the beautiful life is all about. It doesn’t take exotic locations, although that’s good too. You can find the same kinship in all of your travels near and far, knowing that we are all connected and bringing a little bit of that heart home with you. The experience of the unexpected treasure–that is La Bella Vie!

I know that physical travel is on hold at the moment until it becomes safe again. But we can still plan and dream, finding those connections in our everyday life. Where is your heart longing to go when travel becomes possible again? Plan your journey now, and someday it will be a reality!

Much Love,

V