“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

A few months back when I went on a two day excursion to San Diego for my friend’s 30th birthday. It was my first visit there and I had such a good time. I ate some of the best ramen EVER with ox tail dumplings (YES, HELLA GOOD), swam with the sea lions in my underwear but most of all, I had a very meaningful conversation with one of my friends that made me make a “fourth quarter” resolution for the rest of 2015 that I have committed to carrying over into 2016.

The gist of the conversation was that at this point in life, investing in experiences is more valuable to me than spending money on clothes that just sit in my closet. The same electrifying feeling that I get from finding a Supreme x Champion sweatshirt or a  pair of sneakers that I have been stalking for weeks, could also be found from hopping on a plane and changing my environment. Even if it’s just for a short time and not that far from home.

In deeper thought about the conversation I had, it reminded me of my first big trip out of the country when I was in high school to Greece with my aunt Judy. Could you believe I was pissed I was going and fought tooth and nail NOT to go?! The reasoning is even worse …because I didn’t want to be away from my trashy boyfriend Or be out of my comfort zone. However, once I got there, my attitude quickly changed once I realized  I was basically allowed to roam the island of Hydra solo for a month because my aunt was in law school during the day. I think about this experience to this day. I remember sitting by the water at an outdoor cafe watching the world cup with Hydra natives. I recall the walk I took around town one day where I met an 80 year old woman who made beeswax candles out of her house. I sat in her shop for hours trading stories. She about Greek culture and I about my experience as an American teenager. This and many other conversations  brought me to this moment where I have the desire to continue to connect with people in other environments.

So fast forward, after I came back from San Diego I decided to stop buying clothes and instead save that money so that each month until the end of the year I would take a trip (long or short) anywhere my budget would allow. Here I am, three trips later and planning the 4th for next month.

Now don’t get it twisted, I’m not totally breaking up with fashion nor shopping. I will still do it because it’s art, it makes me happy, and it’s apart of who I am. However instead of just hopping online when I’m bored or feeling less than happy about myself and buying crap. I will include my love for fashion as my art form into my experiences (that’s how you find the good shit anyway). That does not mean I’m shutting down this blog, it just means that I’m widening the perspective. My world is bigger by having these experiences and inspires me to take risks and pushes my growth as a woman. So welcome to my bigger world and I hope you join me along the way 🙂 .