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December 15, 2015

7 important things that travel teaches us


As November came to an end, Tony and I spent nine lovely days in Vancouver this year. He was there for work and I was fortunate to be able to tag along, thus getting to enjoy my only trip so far (and most likely, for all of) this year. I'd long made peace with the idea that I wouldn't be traveling at all in 2015, so the sudden surprise of this getaway and the ensuing days spent in Vancouver was really and truly one of the best (early) Christmas presents I could have possibly asked for.

Like most enjoyable trips, this one felt like it flew by about as quickly as it takes to zip up a suitcase. Yet over the course of those nine days, I had a chance to do a lot of deep thinking - something, a blessing really, that travel almost always affords me and which is actually one of my favourite elements of getting away from home for a while - and also to be presented with various reminders of why it's so incredibly important to venture forth from our usual locations and daily lives alike at least every once in a while.

While most of us might, objectively, already be aware of the following points, it can be humbling and poignant alike to be reminded of them when we travel. Each of the following seven life lessons arose from me and/or both of us on our recent trip to Vancouver and while they're still all bracingly fresh in my mind, I wanted to share them here with you.


1. The journey can be as important as the final destination: This is so, so true. Case in point in a rather literal sense of the meaning: en route to Vancouver our GPS got a bit confused in the small town of Hope (as it has in the past) and ended up suggesting we take the back route (well, more like the non-highway route as opposed to an actual off-the-beaten path road).

At first we worried this would slow down our arrival time, but in the end it did no such thing and was an exciting way to go through several small and medium sized towns that I hadn't seen since I was a youngster and which Tony had never even so much as driven through so far. Each one brought back its own fun memories from many (many!) years ago and made me realize just how much time had elapsed since I was last in the neck of the (urban) woods.


So don't fear if you get a little lost, side tracked or turned around. It's all good and chances are, it will all work out in the end. Enjoy, savour, and relish the journey, for it is often every bit as amazing (and memorable!) as the destination itself.


2. The more you travel, the more you grow as a person: Seriously, you do. You learn things about yourself, you think outside of the box (or suitcase!), you make compromises, you try new things, you put some of your fears on the back burner, you challenge your own perceptions, you are confronted by personal demons and angels alike, and often you come home wiser (and more sure of your future) than when you left.


3. There's no time like the present: When in Rome is scarcely more apt than on a trip - be it to Italy or elsewhere. Seize the moment, give that funky looking restaurant a try, go parasailing with the friends you just made two days ago, splurge on that vintage hat/record/mountain bike/etc that you know you'll likely never find the same one of you in town (or perhaps even anywhere!), take a million photos (and Instagram them all!), go night swimming - just have a blast, live in the moment, and really get to know the soul of your destination. Chances are, it will stay with your own for ages to come.


4. You can easily - and happily - get by for a long time (if not forever) with a substantially reduced number of possessions and/or a small living space: I've never lived in a particularly large house, however all but a couple of my homes have been a fair bigger than your average budget friendly hotel room, yet I'm often struck when in one (a hotel room, that is) how easily and happily I can manage with the basic creature comforts (bed, powder room, hopefully a kitchenette, a desk or table and chairs, etc) and not yearn for more. Ditto for whatever I packed in my suitcase(s).

It might not have seemed like a ton back home, but in the sun or man-made light streaming through a hotel window, it often seems like an abundance and I delight in the creative styling challenges that such a small (temporary) capsule wardrobe provides. Each time I travel, I feel the need for less and less back home and am ever more content with what I already have.


5. We all need to step away from our computers/phones/tablets more often: The irony of saying this on a blog is not lost on me, I promise you. The longer that society as a whole becomes ever more immersed in the digital world, the more I feel, incredibly strongly, that we truly need to take more time out of most days to ensure that we connect with the real world, too. Get out there. Smell the salt air, let the wind whip your scarf around, read in the park, walk the joyfully noisy streets of a big city, fall asleep under the stars.

By all means, we can certainly use and benefit from the web, but we also need the original spider webs tangled in Mother Nature garden, real smiles not just emoticons, hugs from people in person, not merely trivial likes on a glowing electronic screen.


6. You may very well hate and also love a great deal about yourself and your current life while you travel: Without fail, I experience this to some degree whenever I travel. It's become almost like a ritual of sorts for me, but just like an intense sauna session, I know that from it, I'll sweat out some proverbial toxins and emerge with a clearer head and a renewed glow about me, so I roll with the punches and let them help to - see point #2 above - become a happier/wiser/hopefully better person.

In the same vein, I find it's important to remember that the person you are when you're away from your home environment - be it hiking the Alps, shopping in NYC, or touring a castle in Scotland - is not necessarily the same individual that you may be when you're at your usual house, living your daily life, working your usual job, and dealing with the all of the pressures big and small of home. So just because you may experience such a roller coaster of thoughts and emotions, it doesn't mean that you're doing a complete 180 for good - though sometimes it does and that can be incredible unto itself.


7. Traveling can help you be bolder and or more confident and/or outgoing: Hard as it may be for those who have never known me in person to believe, I am quite often ridiculously shy, I'm the poster child for introverts everywhere, and I am not exactly world famous for being the most outgoing of people. I don't see these as negatives per se (especially not being an introvert, I adore that I am the way that I am on that front), but sometimes I'm the first to admit that it would be great to be less shy/timid and interestingly, I am often more fearless and apt to "put myself out there" when I travel.

I think the excitement, happiness and adrenaline of traveling all play a huge roll there, but it could also be the fact that I know, I may never get a chance to seize said moment (aka, point #4) again and don't want to miss it just because I have a swarm of butterflies in my stomach.

No matter where you usually fall on shy to turbo outgoing scale, travel gives us the chance to push the boulders that are our comfort zones and discover new sides of ourselves in the process, which can definitely better our lives once we're home (sweet home) again.





{Travel can be awash with important lessons of all sizes. These are but seven of them, each of which I was recently reminded of. What are some of the things you've learned and/or been reminded of thanks to taking trips? Stylish vintage lady traveler/adventurer image source.}


♥ ♥ ♥



I don't think that I've ever travelled, even just for a long weekend, away from my usual corner of the world and not had thoughts that went on to alter my future, be it on a small or a grand scale. When I travel, I often feel like I could let go of almost everything (save for our pets and my closest relationships) at home and be completely, 100% happy - and who knows, maybe I could be, but that isn't realistic and it certainly isn't apt to happen anytime soon (if ever).

For me, that desire goes back to points number 4 and 6 above in particular. I firmly believe that we're not always the same people when we travel and while a few days, weeks, or even months away from our usual existence can be a true godsend/very helpful/healing/cathartic experience, after a while, most of us would still want to return to at least some elements of the world, career and set of goals that we've worked so hard to create up until this point.

Instead of parting ways entirely with our lives, often the far smarter and more rational approach is to keep thinking about those important thoughts that we had while we were away and use them to build, better, change, and improve our worlds once we've returned home, unpacked the last item from our toiletries bag, and uploaded our travel snaps to our computers. So often we - very understandably - forget that we have the power to just that - to alter our lives in ways big and small - and that we can, and should, do just that on a very regular basis.

Some things are set in stone or unable to really be altered, but others often can be. Doing so might be scary, risky, expensive, or unknown, but those are not reasons to let our desire to grow and to be happier beings hold us back for one red second.

On the drive home, snow covered mountains flanking each side of the steep mountain roads we were traversing, Tony and I talked about this very point and decided that the actions we'll take from here on out - some presently known, others to be discovered as time goes on - in the pursuit of such will be called our Happiness Project.

We'll be looking for ways to concretely make our days even happier and to focus, realistically, on more of what we truly - in our heart of hearts - want out of life. For the greatest journey any of us will ever take is life itself and on that trip, there is always more to learn and see and do, which hopefully will include plenty more actual travelling to destinations near and far alike – lessons aplenty no doubt served up along the way.

46 comments:

  1. As a traveller myself I have to agree with every one of you points :) When I went to Vietnam 2 years ago that was the most of out of my comfort I had ever been in my whole life. I was forced to only bring a backpack, leave all my pretty vintage items at home and just spend 2 weeks in a country where nothing was like my home and I loved every moment. I did not miss my bakelite (even though i was happy when I could wear it again), or my pretty dresses (see before comment) or even worried about my hair. I was relaxed, happy and just enjoying what life was giving me at that moment. This is a lesson that I have tried to live by since I got home (even though it so darn hard).

    Travel is very important for everyone (even if it's only to that city next door) because it does change you (even for a moment).

    Fantastic post Jessica!

    Happy Tuesday :)

    Liz

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    1. Yes, exactly! We quickly adjust to being happy - sometimes even happier - in our new settings with less, because, often, our days are filled with more. More experiences, more new flavours, more sights we've never seen before, just more in general and that is such an amazing, joyful aspect to travel.

      Thank you so much for your wonderful, wise comment, dear Liz. Here's to the hope that 2016 houses lots of travel for both of us.

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  2. These important lessons are what I learned through motorcycling. Traveling teaches us so much. I'm impressed you learned this wisdom on four-wheels but that's because you're extra-smart and paid attention. This post should be required reading for all adults. So sage!

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    1. You're all together too kind, Ally. Thank you very much for your touchingly kind words. I love that your motorcycling experiences have help you appreciate these points all the more, too. I hope we both get a chance to hit the open road often in the coming year.

      Joyful Christmas countdown wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  3. 100% agree agree agree! This post is great. I know you've pretty much said everything, but I think travel is probably the best counteractivity for stagnation in one way of thought. It's always so stimulating for the brain to go see another region or country and realize how much the world and its people vary, and how many different ways of human and natural existence there are.

    My mom and I are going to Iceland in May, which I'm super excited about. I've been to Europe before, but never Iceland/Scandinavia. The biggest thing I'm hoping for is my eyes to be opened and my horizons broadened!

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    1. Excellent point! It really, really is. I often feel like traveling turns my thoughts into a being like if they were viewed through the most vibrant and beautiful of kaleidoscopes with new perspectives around every turn and angle.

      How fabulously exciting! I hope that you guys have an awesome, fun filled, and very enjoyable time in Iceland. It's a country that both Tony and I have always wanted to see, too.

      Happy travels, sweet dear!
      ♥ Jessica

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  4. Lovely post. And most definitely true. Well done!

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    1. Thank you very much, Kelly. I'm happy to know that you enjoyed today's fun travel themed post.

      Have a beautiful holiday season!
      ♥ Jessica

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  5. Very thought-provoking post, Jessica! I don't think I've viewed travel as the break away from normal life it should be, as funny as that sounds. Which means I'm never properly stepping away to get some perspective. I do often find I have great ideas on long car journeys though - and some of the best conversations! I am definitely hoping to take a step back over the following fortnight though, travelling or no. I guess it can be just as important to switch off all screens even if you're still within reaching distance of them all! xx

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    1. Goodness, do I understand what you mean, sweet CiCi. It can be incredibly hard to separate our daily lives from our vacation time, especially if we bring our phones and/or computers (or tablets) with us. Sometimes we want to/have no choice, but it can be dangerous (so to speak), if we do, because we're all the more tied to our work and home lives if we do.

      I really hope that you're able to enjoy some serene, detached (for lack of a better word :)) travel in the coming year and that oodles of great new ideas come your way in the process.

      Big hugs & happy travels!
      ♥ Jessica

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  6. So true. You learn so much about yourself. How REALLY independent or NOT you are - if you take risks, if you're adventurous.. what you'll do if nobody is watching ;)

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    1. Well said, Lorena! Absolutely! I've always been a fiercely independent person (even as a very small child) and I think that's part of the reason travel has such a powerful pull for me.

      Big hugs & happy Christmas countdown wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  7. Beautiful post, Jessica. All of your posts are well-written, but I find this one to be exceptionally well-written (especially the piece about Mother Nature). Great points, too!

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    1. That is deeply touching, sweet Jessie. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

      Have a truly beautiful holiday season,
      ♥ Jessica

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  8. I really loved reading this post! As someone who has travelled a lot, both with other people and by myself, all your points are 100% true. It's a lot easier to live with less and make do with what you have and still be happy with it all while you're away. And you definitely learn a lot about yourself while you're away too - you take more chances and open yourself to new experiences and you are more likely to push yourself to do things like that because you know you're somewhere special and you may not get the opportunity when you're back home so you seize it. And I think when you're own your own, which perhaps you were for a lot of your trip since your husband was working while you were there, it means you have to rely on yourself and push yourself out of your comfort zone more because you know you'll probably miss out on wonderful things if you don't. :) I'm really happy for you that you got to go along with Tony on his work trip so you got to spend some time away from home, even if it's within the same country it's so nice to be able to get away from home and experience something new. xx

    jessica - littlehenrylee.com

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    1. Thank you very much for your terrific comment, sweet lady. I love hearing the perspective of those who have traveled far more and/or further afield than I have and really appreciate your insight on this wonderful topic.

      Here's to the hope that we both get to venture out into the world, be it to a far flung local or a whole lot closer to home, next year.

      Tons of hugs & joyful holiday season wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  9. I have only ever been to England and Wales but would like one day to go to Copenhagen but only if I can go by boat :) my fear of airplanes prevents travel for me x

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    1. That sounds like it would be a blast! I'd love to see Denmark one day, too. I have some (online) friends, as well as a second cousin, who live there, and it would be awesome to spend time with all of them (I did meet the second cousin at least a couple of times when I was a small child - she was already an adult then - but haven't seen her in probably 23 - 25 years at this point). I really hope that you're able to take a boat there, sweet Melanie. Denmark looks like such a beautiful, inviting, historically rich country and strikes me as a place that most vintage folks would enjoy.

      Big hugs & blissful Christmas season wishes!
      ♥ Jessica

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  10. Point 3 is so, so important. I've known people who planned to travel when they retired, and then were too ill to do so. Get up and go when you can. Better to travel now and have memories later than never travel at all.

    Pete and I put aside money for our travel each month, because our holidays are important to us. We don't really need any more things, but we do love to travel. (Though both having fulltime jobs, the tricky part is prioritising which places to go to. There are so many places we want to see, and so little time for seeing them.)

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    1. Indeed!!! I think that even if someone had all the money in the world, time would still prevent you from truly seeing the whole world, but in a way that's okay. There's something really appealing about being selective in where we venture and in how those destinations so often turn out to exceed our expectations.

      I love that travel is so important to you guys and really admire that you're able to put some funds aside each month to go towards yours next getaway. Awesome job, you two!

      Have a fabulous weekend and super happy Christmas countdown!
      ♥ Jessica

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  11. What a great post, all super points. For me, the biggest thing is that it shakes things up a bit, giving you distance, space and perspective. Even if it's not restful for the body it can do wonders for the mind xx

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    1. Excellently said, dear Porcelina. I couldn't agree more. I often come home completely "dead" on the health front when we travel, but my mind is alive, refreshed and bursting with new perspectives, so I rarely mind the physical ramifications in the slightest (especially since I usually travel so infrequently). Thank you for raising that great point!

      Tons of hugs and happy future travel wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  12. Hello dear Jessica,

    I L-O-V-E LOVE to travel! And I agree, the journey IS as important/exciting as the final destination. I especially love road trips BECAUSE of the journey - all the fascinating places to see and to experience along the way. Many people do not like driving because they think that it takes too much time, but I love being behind the wheel, or in the passenger seat and enjoying the view. And I love the breaks - getting out to stretch my legs, maybe take a few photos, or get a bite to eat.

    I am so happy for you that you and Tony had a chance to get away, even if it was a working vacation. It sounds like you made it into a memorable time together.

    The real reason I stopped in today is that I wanted to tell you that I got a special package in the mail yesterday. Wow, you did such a pretty job with those pink boxes and pretty ribbons! And you can believe that I was truly surprised, amazed, and BLESSED by the extra gift inside! AND what a sweet card you enclosed as well! You are so incredibly kind and thoughtful!

    The pin is as lovely as I expected it to be. The earrings go so beautifully well with the pin. They are exactly perfect, and I really WANTED a pair of earrings! THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!

    I almost did not want to throw away the packaging - thinking how your precious hands had handled it. Of course, I am keeping the little ribbon wrapped boxes.

    I decided that these items are too marvelous, that I am going to have my daughter wrap them for me for Christmas. I am very excited about wearing them. I will wear them Christmas Day.


    Thank you, my dear Jessica!

    A big hug for your darling little giving soul,
    ♥Hope

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    1. Hello sweet Hope, thank you ever so much for your immensely lovely comment and for letting me know that your order from my Etsy shop reached you in good time even in the midst of the holiday season mail rush. I'm truly happy to know that you're pleased with everything, including how I wrap my orders and the surprise gift that I tucked in for you. It matched your brooch so perfectly - how could I not, especially to a very dear friend such as yourself. Thank you again for your terrific order and support of my shop. I appreciate it with all my heart and am beyond touched to know that they'll be playing a special roll in your Christmas Day attire this year.

      Huge hugs & endless happy holiday season wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  13. What a lovely post, and such true insights! I love traveling, and much of the traveling I've done has been by myself. It's a self-confidence booster, for sure. ;-)

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    1. That it definitely is!

      Thank you very much for your lovely comment, dear Grace. Have a stellar holiday season!

      ♥ Jessica

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  14. I really agree! I definitely feel like each time I travel, no matter where it is too - near or far - I find out something new about myself!

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    1. Majorly so and I just adore that. It's painfully easy to get so wrapped up in our daily lives and thoughts that we forget that there's more to see of the world and far more to learn about ourselves just waiting around the corner for us. Travel is by far one of the best ways to grow and better ourselves and is something that I look forward to with each trip that I take ever bit as much as the actual destination itself.

      Big hugs & many thanks for your great comment,
      ♥ Jessica

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  15. this is wonderful my dear!!!
    i want to sign this! although i know some people who travel 2-3 times a year, far destinations, famous places - but never learned the lesson. i should send them your post! :-)
    i think one needs a "talent for traveling" - an open mind and a explorer heart. you have this for sure!!
    i still dream of living in a van and traveling around the world in it..... did i told you that we took only a pocket camera with us to venice - 8 days without phone and internet - we missed nothing!
    funnily i aired a post about city trips this morning :-)))
    hugs&kisses for you my friend!!!! xxxxxx

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    1. Thank you deeply, lovely Beate. It's sad indeed that there are some amongst us who seem to learn or grow (on a personal level) little, if at all, from traveling. Of course it doesn't have to a super profound impact on everyone, but one would hope that each soul who travels comes back enriched in at least some way, if not several. Perhaps such will be the case for them eventually, as they've matured more in general and their minds are better open to the gifts and lessons that travel holds in store for us all. One can hope!

      That sounds like an awesome dream and I hope that it is able to happen for you.

      It's definitely cool that we both had travel on the brain this week and opted to post about it. Great minds, great minds! :)

      Tons of hugs & joyful weekend wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  16. Hello Jessica!

    Finally, I return here on your blog and I find this post very intelligent and pleasant to read ... I love traveling, and you're right, the journey itself is important, the final goal is often just an excuse to discover and rediscover places , memories, stories of others and of themselves ...
    Must be beautiful forests of Canada, I believe that cry of happiness if I could cross one!
    The last trip made in Corsica for me was very important, it was like traveling in a Tuscany archaic, there are many of our roots and we speak the same language, but we belong to two different nations! This has led me to retrace the history, it was very charming ..
    I salute you, my dear traveler, another day of running around and full of surprises and I still so sleepy! ehehhe

    kisses, see you soon

    serena

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    1. Hi lovely Serena, thank you so much for your immensely nice comment and kinds words about this post. I had a feeling that it would resonate deeply with you, a fellow travel lover. I always sense in your getaway posts that you've gleaned much from your own adventures and knew that you would relate to my points here.

      I really look forward to seeing all of the exciting places that you may visit in 2016 and hopefully to bringing more travel related posts of my own your way here next year, too.

      Many hugs & joyful holiday season wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  17. Such a thought provoking post. I find travel so humbling. I feel so small and insignificant and yet at the same time I feel like the centre of the universe. Such an important thing to do. No matter if you are far away or just a short distance from your home it really does change your outlook.

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    1. That is a really cool way to look at how traveling can make you feel sometimes. I read your words and was nodding my head off. Yes! One feels both small and humbled and like they're queen/king of the universe in a sense when they travel. Excellent point, my sweet friend - seriously, excellent.

      Big hugs & joyful holiday season wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  18. All so true. The first one is so important to me, especially if I'm the driver. I have often planned out a slower, more scenic route on a long trip, because I'd rather not spend the whole time on the motorway (yuck!). And indeed I like road-trips for their own sake too!

    The struggle with the more life-analysing points though, is to do something about those lessons when you get home. I sometimes am sad to be coming back to all my stuff, which feels like it is weighing me down, but then I don't do anything about it! (Actually I'm trying to do a clean out at the moment, which reminds me why I usually don't - it is such hard work!)

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    1. Very, very true. A realization, new perspective, or emerging goal/dream is an amazing thing for sure, but it's a bit like having the seeds and no garden in which to plant them if you don't try to put it into some form of tangible action once you're home.

      I know exactly what you mean and have felt that way at times, too. Honestly, the older I get the less I feel like I need/want in my life in terms of possessions - and those that I do own, I want to have as much meaning and/or practical purpose as possible. I keep consciously downsizing/selling/giving away more things as I get older and only find my happiness/sense of serenity growing in the process. I hope that things are going positively with your current clean out. The dawning of a new year is such a great, logical time for such.

      Many hugs & joyful holiday season wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  19. Dearest Jessica, seems you and I have been "traveling" down the same path in terms of our thoughts on travel and on expanding our perspective. There is something about traveling and stepping out of your little corner of the world that opens you up to new ideas, possibilities and gives you a new perspective on life, people and the world as a whole. I think we miss out on something when we stay in one space and never step outside our comfort zone. Stepping back away from the country I have known and looking at it from a different perspective is an invaluable experience. The world doesn't seem so big anymore and you start to develop this understanding that things can be done differently and even perhaps better. Your world expands and includes new concepts, ideas and awareness. You begin to embrace difference as opposed to being reluctant to try new things.

    A friend recently ask me if I was ever homesick for the place I grew up in and if I longed to return. Perhaps from time to time but for the most part I don't and of all the things I value in life, people being the highest on my list, my travel is the most valuable and most rewarding thing in my life.

    Dress are beautiful, food is good but travel is the most valuable!!! Aside from the people I love and miss, it is travel that I value most.

    Merry Christmas and warmest gentle hugs to you my friend, Beverly

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    1. Thank you very much for your wonderfully lovely comment, sweet Beverly. I know what you mean. I lived abroad for two years at the start of my twenties and was constantly struck by what I did and didn't (at that point in time at least) miss/yearn for. Even though my time outside of Canada wasn't always "sunshine and roses", so to speak, I learned a great deal, grew in countless ways, and wouldn't trade that experience for a moment.

      I was really struck by what you said regarding how you begin to embrace differences as opposed to being reluctant to try new things when you travel or live outside of your own country. That is powerfully true. That broadening of one's horizons is an incredible thing and one of the best gifts venturing worth into the world can give us.

      You are a wise, wonderful woman, my dear friend. Thank again for sharing your insight with all of us here.

      Tons of gentle hugs & marvelously merry Christmas wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  20. These are all great reasons why I love traveling. I've noticed that sometimes I can get bogged down in frustration when things don't go my way while traveling - running through the airport trying to make a tight connection, or dealing with a rude person trying to check into my hostel. Lately when I've been traveling, though, I've tried to take a deep breath and concentrate on all the good things it involves. Just being in a different place, experiencing a different way to life, getting away from your every day existence - it's amazing how much of a different perspective it can offer you.

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    1. That it is such a great, healthy, helpful way of looking at things. In life we can either smile or frown when troubles hit us, but either way, what's done is done and the smile will go a whole lot further in propelling you forward with getting past it.

      Thank you very for your wonderful comment, sweet lady. Have a great weekend!

      ♥ Jessica

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  21. This is such an interesting, thought provoking post and is so well written. Your Happiness Project sounds beautiful, I hope you really enjoy it.

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    1. Thank you sweetly, my dear friend - not only for you wonderfully nice compliments here, but for each and every terrific comment you've enriched my blog with this year. I love our comment (and email) chats and really look forward to many more in the coming year.

      Have a joyous holiday season!
      ♥ Jessica

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    2. Same here, I do love chatting with you and I will be upping my email game which, frankly, has been pretty poor this year. Please do know that that doesn't mean I don't think about you though! I enjoy your blog so very much, looking forward to another super year of it!

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    3. Hi lovely Kate, that is very sweet of you to say. Please don't worry for a moment. I promise that never thought that about you. You're an awesome friend and I always love hearing from you, be it via email or here on my blog.

      Have a beautiful tail end of December!

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  22. Yes yes yes. I am literally addicted (in a good way) to traveling! There is nothing that makes me so excited as a little music tour or just a simple weekend away. I love my hometown, but i have a wanderer's heart. Here's to these wonderful, perfect lessons that i connect with deeply!

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    1. Same here and what a marvelous, life enriching "addiction" to have.

      Here's to the deeply rooted hope that 2016 delivers an abundance of travel both of ours way.

      Many hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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