Travel Diaries: Leaving Home

There are some places in life where you can only go alone. Embrace the beauty of your solo journey. — Mandy Hale

Entry One.                        Monday, November 19th, 2018

I catch myself reminiscing about my first (and only) year of college; scrolling through YouTube, looking at people my age traveling the world, making money as they went along, eating amazing vegan food, exploring incredible, exotic cities. All I could think was wow, why is this not my life? How do I get there? How can I become the girl who just wakes up and decides that she’s going to travel the world, just because?

And 2 years later, I find myself exploring Thailand.

Somewhere in Chiang Mai

Solo-traveling really molds you. Forces you out of your shell. No matter how introverted, or “socially awkward”, or anxious, or shy. There are so many moments that I already look back and smile about because I am not the same person who left to begin this journey. Which is insane to me, because although my past solo-trips were great, none of my affected me quite this much. Perhaps it’s because, in the past, I had a set returned date and knew that it wasn’t permanent.

One thing I’ve noticed is that there is absolutely no pressure to be who you’re not. You’re able to re-develop your self-awareness and attract people into your life who are on the same path. You make these dream-like connections with people all over the world. Deep connections with people who barely even know your first name. And you wonder how that’s even possible until you realize that the how doesn’t even matter.

It really makes home seem so small.

But, that’s one of the reasons why I decided I should travel in the first place. Home is comfort– easy to return to– safe. That’s why I find the idea of exploring the world so captivating; embarking on this journey alone? Exhilarating.

Chiang Mai, Thailand. @herbivorebeauty https://instagram.com/herbivorebeauty

There is such a big world out there, waiting to be explored. It makes the thoughts of returning home when there are so many places left to visit, people to meet, cultures to learn from, love to share, seem like it’s never gonna happen. Or at least not for a very long time. How could I possibly move backward when I’m already so far ahead?

It doesn’t make sense to stay in one place forever. Learn from one group of people, forever. Never extending outside of your own city your entire life? How can we grow this way? It truly feels like a trap. At least to me. A plan created specifically to fabricate my own failure. And of course, everyone has their own battles to overcome, as I’ve definitely had my fair share– but I was so determined to re-write my story, that I was able to create my dreams into my own reality.

Being able to say that I’ve done more for myself on my first 3 days of travel than I have in the past 3 years is crazy to think about. At home, I never could have justified getting a massage and pad thai from a street vendor at midnight (not that it was just a regular thing for anyone to do in Ottawa, dead of winter), or buying chopped mangoes on the side of the road at 2 am in the middle of a foreign city, or spending the entire afternoon in the water with new friends and stranger playing volleyball and taking poolside shots just because? Like… I mean, I don’t even drink, but how am I gonna say no to anything free, and vegan?

It’s amazing how many meaningful connections you can make when you just take your journey into your own hands, let go of expectations, and allow yourself to be unapologetically, compassionately, you. The fact that I’m able to do this while keeping on top of my work, and finally giving myself the time I need to sit and expand my creativity and grow my brand is such a good feeling.

Restaurant passing through Chiang Mai Sunday Walking Street, Thailand. @herbivorebeauty https://instagram.com/herbivorebeauty

You meet so many people who are living their best lives, so full of love. Whatever that means to them. Many come from regular lives or broken homes and left to try and break the cycle of the typical go to school, get a job, get married, have kids, retire paradigm. Realizing that there is too much to see, to only stay in your hometown. Instead, they’ve decided to drop everything, quit their job (or begin to freelance/ work remotely), and begin to travel the world. While in many cases, so many travelers of whom I’ve already met are being paid to just live. Be their amazing selves. Incredible. Could you imagine if everyone just decided, you know what, now is my time? To travel, to take on a new adventure, to quit your job and move to the other side of the world for a little while. I feel like if I have this much to say about my experience meeting so many beautiful souls in one night, I’m definitely moving in the right direction.

(make sure you watch my new travel diary video here)

When I was home, I felt stuck. Not moving forward, but at the same time, it made me feel almost worst than moving backward. At least then there would have been some sort of tangible or explainable reason, to the setback. But it was truly just me keeping myself from doing what I knew I could. While I do understand that it is important to have a good bit of savings to fall back on while traveling, there was no need for me to isolate myself as much as I did.

For months, I would stay at home, and deny myself the right to socialize and enjoy life because I was “saving for travel”. Getting too comfortable with being comfortable. I definitely used to be very much a mix between my introverted and extroverted tendencies, but I pushed myself over the edge to the point of complete isolation. It wasn’t healthy and certainly wasn’t fair to myself, having the desire to grow.

Thapae Gate – Chiang Mai, Thailand @herbivorebeauty https://instagram.com/herbivorebeauty

Like yeah, I was eating good, practicing yoga every day, journaling regularly, and making an income, which is definitely something to be proud of myself for. But, I also didn’t leave the house unless it was for food, or to *maybe* attend a local yoga class. I was so caught up at trying to “fix myself” and save money before traveling, that I forgot to appreciate and create more meaningful connections with people outside of my own personal bubble. I got too comfortable with being comfortable.

Who knows, maybe I needed to see what isolation was so that I could truly appreciate new company while traveling. Because, of course, you do realize how important it is to enjoy who you are, as no matter how far you travel, you’ll still be taking yourself with you. But, when it comes down to it, it doesn’t mean you’re never supposed to enjoy anyone else’s company at all.

Temples in Chiang Mai, Thailand @herbivorebeauty https://instagram.com/herbivorebeauty

Perhaps it’s because I’ve tried so hard to attract a tribe that I could vibe with, and was so tired of meeting people that didn’t I didn’t share any of the same values with, that I just gave up on the whole city entirely. But abroad? In a new country on the other side of the world? I’ve met more people in the span of 48 hours than I have in years. The connections weren’t forced, I didn’t have to be selective. It just happened.

I found myself falling in love all over again with the idea of being me. Feeling the desire to actually want to know people. It was so liberating.

There is so much to come from this trip, and I’m so excited to share it all with you. Breaking my tendencies to retreat to my corner in order to make new friends, and meet new people. Introducing myself first. Taking more risks. Make sure you check out my brand new Travel Diary One video! So much more to come very soon.

xoxo Herbivore Beauty

Redirecting My Focus: New Beginnings

Feeling refreshed, highly motivated, and so happy to be back to doing what I love.

This blog post is LONG overdo, but I am absolutely ready to move onto bigger and better things with this website. Brand new ideas, experiences, and a whole new focus. So many exciting things to share with you all.

Where do to even begin?

If you’ve been keeping up with me on my YouTube Channel, you would know I’ve been doing a little bit of traveling, preparing for some trips, completing a few Yoga Challenges, and in the midst of all of this, I have also been completely redirecting my career path to fit my life purpose.  Originally, I created this website to help re-light the spark within me, for what I had gone to school for. And, for a little while, I thought if I focused hard enough, I could somehow be able to make it return. That I could maybe force myself to love it a little more.

It did not return.

Photo by Nathalie LV on Unsplash

The thing is, is that I knew I was unhappy with the direction I was originally going in; the career that I had dreamed of myself doing for more than half my life— all along, I was actually being steered elsewhere. When I came to the realization that I could turn my passion for yoga into a profession, that’s all I could think about. Nothing else really mattered nearly as much anymore. The problem was that, I had already begun making plans for my future. One that didn’t really have much to do with yoga.

No matter which way I looked at it, I needed to make a choice. Sooner rather than later because the more I brushed it off, supressed it, and down right ignored it, the more anxious and frustrated I would feel. Eventually, I decided that this change was absolutely necessary. If I wanted to be the best me I could be, it was time to speak up.

And now?

I’m on the path to becoming a yoga instructor! My 200 RYT (registered yoga teacher) course is booked, and I am so ready to learn from incredible, international yoga instructors while I spend two months in Thailand.

Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

Thailand was always a dream destination for me, so naturally, my training had to take place there. There is something so magical about South-East Asia. It was just calling on me to to be explored. Now it is finally time for me to answer those calls. If you read one of my earlier posts about a few weeks after I came home from Costa Rica, Melanin Vegans Who Travel, I definitely wanted to make sure that this time around I would explore with a few buddies! Although, if I do end up solo traveling again, I’ll still be more than thrilled. There is just so much to see.

Going against what most of the people around me are doing, is something that I had to find the strength in me to push through. Apparently, dropping out of college wasn’t something that most people would brag about. But, the fact that I got to drop out of school in order to do pursue a career that I am in love with, travel the world, experience new vegan food and cultures, along with documenting it all through my website and YouTube channel, it definitely makes any disapproving looks beyond worth it. Just reminding myself that I am the only one who truly has to live with these kinds of decisions for my life, career, and future makes these choices so much easier to make. I have control over only myself. Once I realized this, it honestly didn’t matter what others thought about my new path. Next, it was just up to me to… ya know, get to it!

So, expect to see so many more posts relating to yoga, travel, and of course all of the wonderful things that come along with veganism, sustainability, and minimalism! This new change is so exciting, yet peaceful at the same time. And I am SO looking forward to taking on this journey with all of you.

Thank you so much for being patient with me while I was figuring all of this out. Tons of new posts on the way! Also, as a thank you to everyone, I have JUST announced a new Vegan Giveaway on my YouTube channel! The details for how to entire my contest will be found in my video here 🙂

 

Photo by Robin Noguier on Unsplash

 

 

Black Vegans Who Travel

I can’t pinpoint an exact time where I realized that traveling was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It could have been my first airplane ride when I was 5, visiting family in Trinidad & Tobago, cruising through the exhilarating streets, bursting with colour during carnival. Or, possibly the paradise that is Jamaica; when I was 8, exploring my dad’s old stomping grounds, and realizing that not every country has to deal with stifling cold for half the year. Perhaps it could have even been very early adulthood, seeing how un-nervewracking solo travel actually was, while taking on new adventures of my own. Or maybe it was that every single time I found myself getting too comfortable, in a city, I’d begin to notice something wasn’t right. I wasn’t growing, expanding my horizons, seeing what I ought to be seeing. There was more to the world, I just wasn’t exposing myself to the beauty she offered.

I am so excited to share this new project that I’ve been working on with you all. If any of you have been following me through my YouTube Channel, you may know that I left college in order to travel the world, give me a different perspective which strayed away from my public school teachings; learning more first-hand knowledge of different cultures, and to also establish my own business, is what I needed to do for myself. From the moment I completed my first year of college, I decided to leave for California.

Before I really started traveling, it was just the routine, visiting family in the Caribbean (which I do absolutely love, and am grateful for every second of), but we never really used to expand too much away from just that. I knew there was more to traveling, but it was a matter of getting someone to go with me, to venture out into the beyond that I struggled with.

Eventually, I just said, screw it. This is my time, and my money, let’s make the most of it and go where I want. And thus began my solo traveling.

I love solo travel. And, to be quite honest, I want to spend as many years as I can, taking on the challenges the world of exploring throws at me. But, I want to see more of us taking on the world together, too. When nobody in your life travels the way you want to, it’s hard to picture yourself doing it, but at the same time, it gives me such a strong push to change the narrative.

La Jolla Coves, San Diego, CA

To see a few of my Travel Vlogs, check out my YouTube Channel Herbivore Beauty, here.

The first time I ever traveled out of the country on my own was to San Diego, California. I later took the bus to Los Angeles to check out Vegfest LA and meet up with my internet friends… We’ll discuss this later.

The feeling of solo traveling, not just as a woman, but a melanin person is so liberating– freeing to know that there is an entire planet out here for discovery, and I’ve been wasting most of it going to the same places, consistently. I feel like I have done more to embrace my independence in this past year than I have in my entire life.

Being able to go anywhere you want, when you want, is definitely exciting, but you’re also able to think and also attract things on another level. When you approach the journey as another exciting adventure to take on, it’s mind-blowing how many incredible situations you’re able to manifest for yourself. For example, what are the odds that my Airbnb hosts in San Diego are not only the most lovely people I have ever met, but also vegans, and super health-conscious and flowing with beautiful energy? Okay, maybe it’s a given that most hosts should probably be half-decent people, but for them to be my age and this well-rounded? I guess it could have been a coincidence, but I like to think that it was because I was on the right path.

To see a few of my Travel Vlogs, check out my YouTube Channel Herbivore Beauty, here.

 

My second solo trip was to Costa Rica. I escaped the Canadian winters of -40C (yes, you read that correctly), in order to embark on this new and exciting journey of further self-discovery, and engulfing myself into this brand new culture. Although I spent the majority of my trip in Puerto Viejo, which has a very steady population of Jamaican descents (we’re everywhere apparently), the small beach town is a mix of predominantly English &/or Patois and Spanish speakers. I lived in the middle of the jungle. No, seriously.

Being immersed in unspoiled nature, seeing the lush, green, never-ending rainforests, and waking up to the peaceful sounds of exotic birds, monkeys, and sloths (which can surprisingly be quite noisy), was such a surreal experience. Being able to feel the suns warmth on my skin, or spend all day lounging on the beach, encompassed by the sea and a good book, with no other commitments, and a backpack full of fresh fruit— this is a feeling I want everyone to have at least once in their life.

Manzanillo National Park, Costa Rica

So, anyway. What’s this big, exciting project I’ve been working on? A Vegan Travel Club. Similar to a meet-up, but this will take place internationally! This is definitely not the first time I’ve gotten together with friends I’ve connected with on the internet to meet-up in another country (hence my meet-up with my vegan friends in LA), and it certainly will not be the last! Since I will be heading to Thailand for a month this summer, I thought about how much fun it would be to experience the trip with people I’m able to relate to on a similar level; provide a way to connect, which is not always available to many of us- at least where we live. To feel even more empowered, knowing that we’re not alone in this lack of representation, by our beautiful, travel-hungry, melanin, vegan community.

But, why a black vegans travel group? Empowerment, representation,  inspiration, a sense of belonging. Growing up in an area where I could count the number of people I personally knew, with melanin skin, on one hand, oftentimes I felt so out of place. After going on my second full-fledged adventure, I was in the Air Canada line, returning home from my travels. As I looked around to the sea of people waiting in that same line– hundreds of vacationers, there was only one person with brown skin. Me. It was just an odd feeling, not seeing others who looked like me, especially since I had just returned from traveling, feeling so at home with the diversity that surrounded me.

But the thing is, it’s not that we aren’t traveling at all. I know we are. If I search hard enough, I know we’re there. I know we’re growing, too. What doesn’t help, is that there is not much of the media even documenting that we are here to stay, and will continue to rapidly grow as travelers, every single year. It’s time to break the stigma that we don’t, can’t or won’t travel.

At the Cuban Vegan, Los Angeles, CA with my vegan friends

So, I decided that I wanted to do something about it– another “trial” run if you will, seeing how many of us would actually be able to come together on this adventure.

I have created a Facebook Group which will help us all communicate with each other in the months leading up to the kick-off for these meet-ups beginning in Thailand, and continuing on through Brooklyn, NY for Afro Punk Fest for another veggie meet-up! This will give so many, an opportunity to network with each other, build strong connections and relationships with people, which may not have otherwise been possible under different circumstances. Create a safe space for Melanin Vegans everywhere!

Too often, I have my fellow vegans message me on social media, saying that they feel so out of place, or lonely in a world that doesn’t always display much of who they are, and if it does, it’s certainly not always in the most positive light. People constantly want to push the same narrative over and over, that the plant-based community lacks diversity (which it doesn’t), and that it’s only built to suit one group of people- which it’s not.

Day after day hearing, that it’s disrespectful to promote veganism because,

“blacks can’t afford to go vegan..”

Huh?

Or the, “isn’t that a rich, white people thing?”

What is? Our health, or having compassion for animals?

Or, one of my favorites, “you can’t be (Caribbean, African, etc.) and be vegan, it’s erasing your culture”.

All of this nonsense for simply changing our perspective on what we think about the world and animal exploitation. Then, there is the very recognizable discrediting of anything successful just based on the color of our skin. And finally, we have the lack of representation of us traveling, which automatically deems any exploration of any kind, outside of our own bubble, inaccessible to our communities.

The thing about veganism and culture is that the delicious, plant-based, cultural food was actually one of the major motivators contributing to my vegan travel journey. To think that being compassionate towards animals, can in some way erase our ethnicity or our culture, is as crazy an idea as it sounds.

As you’ll see on my YouTube Channel, vegan cuisine from around the world is an absolute GAME CHANGER. So many unique flavors and dishes, and a variety of high-quality exotic fruit that I would never be able to find in Canada– summer or not! I had to show y’all two pics of the same dish because DAMN, is Ital ever delicious.

 

This is from a Soda (little local restaurant) in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica called “Ghetto Girl”

It’s amazing how far-seeing people who look like us, doing what we want to do, can go in terms of inspiration for travel. With the lack of diversity being portrayed in the media, I think it’s safe to say that when there is less representation, there’s little interest in going out to the unknown, especially alone/ with people you are unable to resonate with.

So, I created this group, not for the purpose of discriminating or excluding other members of the vegan community, but to uplift the people that often are erased, and to advocate for the diversity within our circle of youth passionate about veganism and travel.

To keep up with us and our project, make sure to stay connected through my website, Twitter, Instagram, and the Facebook Group: Melanin Vegans Who Travel!