Travel Diaries: The End of My Solo-Traveling Days?

As you move outside of your comfort zone, what was once the unknown and frightening becomes your new normal.” — Robin S. Sharma

FYI Just posted my Bali Villa Tour/ A Week in the Life on my channel 🙂

Feb. 25th/19

Soo originally, I had this whole sentimental blog post written out for you guys which I’ve been working on and editing for 3 and a half weeks talking about why I’m done with solo travel.

Anyways, I’m currently planning my next four or so trips so that’ll be fun… lol.

I had such a huge block preventing me from posting for the last few weeks because I’ve been so torn. I love traveling, but I’m also really tired of being on high-alert all the time, or being so responsible because of the situations I’m putting myself in, or paying double for accommodations because it’s only me, and spending so much money on food because I don’t have someone with my splitting my obnoxiously high bill. Okay, the last one could be preventable, but how on earth am I supposed to enjoy every vegan spot, PLUS everything on the menu if I don’t order everything?

My original blog post was essentially that I was going to give it all up blah blah blah, and find a home base (probably in Toronto or Costa Rica), and become a real adult. But then South Africa started calling me, and more so Colombia, then Mexico, and well… I’m weak.

Elements Bnb – Canggu, Bali @herbivorebeauty https://insdtagram.com/herbivorebeauty

For a little while, I had definitely grown accustomed to my new normal. A new city every week, flying, navigating airports, negotiating taxi prices without getting ripped off, communicating through language barriers, scouting for foreign vegan food, juggling reservations… all more familiar than the hustle and grind of getting to work, gyming, running errands, paying rent, and trying to stay afloat until the weekend rolls around.

One of the most important things I’ve read about traveling is that no matter where you go, how far you go, or how long you’re gone, you’re still bringing yourself with you. All the baggage– the good and the bad. Your issues don’t just magically disappear when you set off on your solo “Eat Pray Love” journey… well, they might (fun fact, I went to the healing center in Ubud that they filmed the Bali scene at). But, it does certainly broaden your perspective, if anything. It allows you to look at your issues in a different light. I’ve learned first hand that I can’t just run away from my life; all of the toxic patterns, successes, and downfalls I had at home, came with me here.

Although I wish it were all glamorous and novel-worthy (which the vast majority of the time it definitely is– hence the blog), sometimes I don’t know if the feeling of isolation ever goes away with longterm travel. Who knows, maybe I’m just not doing it right. I’ve made so many new friends, met so many really cool people, but the problem is that someone always leaves. Either I’m heading off to a new country/city, or they are. Some are in school abroad, or traveling for work, or completely, nomadic, or taking a gap year. Whatever the reason is, the time together is always short-lived. Then, there are the friends back home.

One of my friends from my hostel in Chiang, Mai @herb_beauty https://instagram.com/herbivorebeauty

It gets a bit difficult to keep track of everything and stay in touch with everyone you care about. Before you know it, it’s just a constant cycle of new friends every 3 days or so. Of course, technology makes it easier to stay connected, at a certain point you just lose touch. You meet so many new people; making new friends at each stop. It’s a beautiful way to live, especially since there’s an insane amount of solo-travelers in the world. But I don’t think that meeting people was the problem, it was more the aspect of keeping people around, which was the issue.

The main reason that I really wanted to take a break from at least solo-travel was just that I needed some stability in my life. If I found a really awesome friend who traveled the same way I did and had nothing really tying them down to one spot, then I wouldn’t even think twice about continuing the journey! Less responsibility, more fun (if that’s even possible), and a deeper sense of security. I also wanted to focus on my love life. I know, gross. But it’s something that I’ve neglected for so long, and I mean… I’m in my 20s, I think it’s time that I actually start to make some more meaningful connections as opposed to running in the opposite direction of every boy that looks at me.

Taking myself on another date for vegan lasagna at Peloton Supershop – Canggu, Bali. @herbivorebeauty https://instagram.com/herbivorebeauty

Dating and solo traveling can either be the most wonderful thing that could ever happen to a person or make them undateable.

Guess which one I’ve been?

Solo traveling is a whole new kind of independence– if you couldn’t already tell from the whole “being in a foreign country/ new city on your own,  knowing no one and nothing”- thing. With solo travelers, life is always go-go-go, because there’s a massive world out there just waiting to be explored. And although I do consider myself a solo-traveler, I’m also a digital nomad as opposed to the latter. So, everywhere I go, I do rely on WIFI, but I mean who doesn’t? That makes me a little less flexible (pretend that having to stay in Bali or cities dispersed around Thailand for long periods of time is inflexible), than the typical solo-traveler. This also makes me a little less spontaneous, and also less inclined to meet my Tinder match in Nusa Penida right after we both swipe right.

Hiking in Mount Batur, Bali @herbivorebeauty https://instagram.com/herbivorebeauty

I always try to put in into perspective when I weigh the pros and cons of me returning to Canada and starting the rest of my life vs continuing on with my nomadic life.

Going Home Pros:

1. Can stay at home with my family and save a ton
2. My parents are nice 🙂
3. Free food + my dad is a vegan chef, so everybody wins
4. Can also move to Toronto which is cool
5. Toronto is very vegan and yogi friendly which is also cool
6. Easier to teach yoga at a studio because I’m a citizen & have my certification
7. Can grow my community of veggies and yogis at my base
8. Get to cook and have tons of time to create and edit content

Going Home Cons

1. Canada is cold
2. Canada has snow
3. I become a hermit for half of the year because I don’t want to be cold outside
4. If I move to Toronto (which is the plan if I stay in Canada) I can’t save as much money, V expensive
5. Yoga classes are super expensive
6. I wouldn’t be traveling 😦

Botanical Gardens Nature Walk (UBI check them out on Trip Advisor) Ubud, Indonesia @herbivorebeauty https://instagram.com/herbivorebeauty

Nomad Life Cons

1. Lack of stability if I don’t do it right/ stay in a place long enough to build community
2. Don’t get to cook when I’m in most hostels 😦
3. Vegan airplane food is gross 80% of the time
4. Can be super unsustainable if I don’t plan ahead
5. Lose touch with home friends and my travel friends are always… traveling
6. On a different timezone than my family and friends
7. WiFi is essential to my life if I wanna pay my bills
8. Dating life = trash (but this is also a con in my home life so it must be me lol)

Nomad Life Pros

1. I get to travel the world. (Obviously, I could just stop here, but let’s continue)
2. Traveling yoga teachers are actually a thing, I just need to figure out how
3. It is possible to meet incredible people that I would not have access to if I stayed in Ottawa and Toronto
4. I don’t have to experience Winter if I don’t want to 🙂
5. I get to eat out every day and not feel guilty because a girl’s gotta eat
6. Beach, ocean?! Yes.
7. Soooo many new vegan options abroad
8. Try out new yoga studios and learn from amazing teachers
9. Technically, I’m saving money in most situations due to not having reoccurring $5 million rent prices like I would if I were living in Toronto (exaggeration, but hardly)
10. Gaining perspective, living the best Eat Pray Love life that I can
11. Get to volunteer at animal sanctuaries around the world and see my fav animal babies 🙂
12. Get lots of people interested in veganism when they find out I’m vegan!

It’s a rough life out there, I know.

Titi Batu, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia @herbivorebeauty https://instagram.com/herbivorebeauty

But, it basically feels like the things that are holding me back the most while traveling, are still the areas where I feel like I was lacking the most at home. Having a stable community, having a home base, my love life, growing in my yoga career. I feel like it’s possible to have it all, and without the financial burden at the moment, I am continuously grateful that these are the only tough decisions I have to make. However, I know that if I go home, saving money would be a real stress focus for me, but it may also make it easier for me to establish myself as a well-rounded yoga teacher. Who knows, maybe I’m just looking to deep in this, but I mean who else is going to?! It’s my life.

It’s probably the silliest thing I’ve written about to date, but if it’s was big enough for me to contemplate ending my solo adventures forever, then it’s definitely worth me taking a closer look. How does one find the balance between wanting stable connections, building a community, dating, AND continue to travel at the same time? Is it possible, or am I just being naive to think that I could maybe have it all?

Guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Hiking Mount Batur Bali, Indonesia – @herbivorebeauty https://instagram.com/herbivorebeauty

How to Choose Your 200hr Yoga Teacher Training Course

Many of you had questions, and I have answers. I have created a video to go along with this post so that you can receive a little bit more background knowledge before I dive into everything you should probably know before, during, and after your 200hr ytt (yoga teacher training).

I have just recently completed my 200hr ttc (teacher training course), for Hatha and Vinyasa yoga in Koh Phangan, Thailand. To ensure that I chose the right course from me, I went through quite a bit of research. Both online, and speaking with other teachers I knew.

One thing that I learned? As with anything, don’t rush the process. You will know which one is right for you. Keep your options open and look into what kind of intensity you need as a yoga student. Are you able to take a month off of work across the world to Thailand, or do you need to do it amongst a series of a few months and meet with your class every weekend? Which style do you want to focus on? Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Yin & Restorative, Hatha etc.? It’s definitely worth looking into taking your ttc in a style that you love to practice, as your passion for it will certainly shine through. However, it’s intelligent to keep your options open to all styles that interest you.

A photo of our YTT graduation ceremony. One Yoga Thailand. @herbivorebeauty https://instagram.com/herbivorebeauty

How to choose the right course for you

Look at all of your options! YTT is a big investment, and you want to make sure that the course you are selecting is good for your schedule, level of intensity you’re able to handle, style/ niche of yoga, location, and budget. I know it’s quite a few things to look into, but believe me, it matters. It’s also a good idea to check out the teachers that will be guiding you through the teacher training.

Book Yoga Retreats

I used Book Yoga Retreats to find my course, and they gave me the best deal! It was even better than the one I had found on the training programs site, so definitely use it as a resource.

What’s really great about their site, is they make it so easy to narrow down what you are looking for. Do you want a Yin/Restorative Training, or maybe a strong Ashtanga or Hatha program? Tons of Vinyasa courses, and many continuing education certifications, as well!

You can search for programs based off of the location– a local program or one abroad? It also allows you to narrow down the time-frame of a course. Keep in mind that if you are trying to do a YTT in under 20 days, it will be extremely compact. I absolutely recommend aiming to go to courses for the 200hr certification with no shorter than 4 weeks (21-28 days worth of training) if possible.

There are so many choices, but everyone has different needs when it comes to yoga, and this is a great way to help you narrow down your search.

Koh Phangan, Thailand. @herbivorebeauty https://instagram.com/herbivorebeauty

Read the reviews.

Many times I found myself 100% ready to book a program, only to find some not so good comments in the review section. So PLEASE be sure that you’re thoroughly going through reviews. In my case, the program was quite new (had only opened up 6 months before my training began). And you. know what? They still had a ton of reviews! Positive ones. Not only through Book Yoga Retreats, but on Facebook, as well as testimonials from students (and now teachers), on their site.

If you’re having a hard time finding training with a lot of reviews, you can either narrow down your Book Yoga Retreat search to only show results with a good amount of reviews, or take the name of the ytt you are curious about, and head to FaceBook or even their own site. If they don’t have any testimonials or reviews at all, then maybe tread lightly.

Once the search has been narrowed down, what’s next?

Questions, research, and more questions! Send an email to the director of the training before you book. A lot of the best programs answer the big questions right there on their main site, like where it is located, who the teachers are, what the curriculum is, the general day to day schedule, the prices, if accommodations and food are included and what it consists of– most teacher trainings follow a strict plant-based diet (which everyone can enjoy, vegan), but it’s a good idea to take note of what they offer.

Here are a few of the things that I asked:

• What is their yoga philosophy? (priorities of the course, teachers, etc.)
• What is the graduation rate?
• Is there a final written exam and practicum?
• (if food is included) are you able to accommodate people with dietary restrictions? (eg. allergies, vegan, celiac or gluten intolerances, etc.)
• What do recent graduates have to say about the course? Reviews, testimonials, etc.
• Is it certified with Yoga Alliance (the universal standard of ytt’s– make sure you double check with them if being a registered yoga teacher is a priority to you)
• Is this course meant to prepare me for real life teaching eg. yoga business, how to find a career in yoga after, what is taught in order for us to feel comfortable teaching, essentially?

For me, I did ask a few more questions, as I did have to work the entire way through my program, so I asked about wifi, our daily breaks and the length of them, homework, etc., just to get a better idea for how I could prepare for an intensive training while simultaneously survive the holiday season with work. Having said this, feel free to add in whatever you need to ask to tailor it to your needs as a yoga student and future teacher.

Happy Beach, Koh Phangan, Thailand. @herbivorebeauty https://instagram.com/herbivorebeauty

Discounts and Deals

If cost is an issue, keep an eye out for programs that offer early-bird specials, 10-20% off if you join their mailing list, training scholarships, etc. It’s definitely worth reaching out to the director of the programs you’re really interested in, about. In most if not all cases, when you book early enough, the programs offer a payment plan, and usually only require a deposit, plus, they give you a few more months before the final payment is due.

While I was searching for a course abroad, the most affordable locations were all in India. They included 2-3 meals a day with the price listed, along with private accommodations. Thailand was generally the mid-range. There were more affordable ones in Nothern Thailand and slightly more expensive courses on the islands. Bali, Indonesia had some of the pricier ones, at least when I was looking. Originally, I had planned on doing a course down there, however, I didn’t end up finding any that fit both my budget, and included everything I needed, however, this may be different for you and your needs!

It’s a lot easier to choose the perfect course when you are very open to the location. Since I was going to be in Asia already, there were a lot of courses that may have been really fantastic for me, but located on the opposite side of the world. If you are open to more flexible locations, definitely check out Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain, New Zealand, and even spots in your home country. Tons of beautiful spots with an incredible curriculum.

Often times if you do join a mailing list for a website like Book Yoga Retreats (not affiliated, just love them), they’ll send you awesome offers all the time for ttc’s, which is perfect if your schedule and location are flexible.

Final Thoughts

You can actually still teach yoga without becoming a ryt (only about 25% of yoga teachers in the U.S are RYT!), but well-structured teacher training will provide you with the essential skills needed to help you and your students flourish when you are guiding their class. If you’re looking to teach at a specific studio, make yoga teaching your career, or even open up your own studio, I totally recommend taking a YTT course. For personal development, and if you have the time to, I would also even recommend taking your training down south or abroad, to make the most of the intensive learning, somewhere beautiful if your time allows for it.

So, choose wisely, don’t rush, trust your gut, and most importantly, have fun! Because this journey to deepening your practice is every bit of enjoyable as it is enriching.

Have you already completed your 200hr YTT, or are you looking to begin one in the coming year? Share your experiences with finding the right one for you down below!

xoxo Herbivore Beauty

 

 

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