Choosing a Travel Destination
For someone like me—who can get overwhelmed just by a restaurant menu—choosing travel destinations can feel paralyzing. The first country I travelled to, I didn’t really choose; it chose me.
This seemed to trigger an unknown effect that I didn’t notice until my third adventure. I began to realize that all my trips shared a connection. They planted seeds in my mind and influenced the next. I am someone who can become easily overwhelmed.
A restaurant menu with too many choices can cause my mind to start spinning out of control.
195 Countries to choose from? Good luck!
Luckily, I’ve discovered a method for planning the next trip that I trust and enjoy. I leave it up to the Universe.
The Universe Provides
Let me explain. My first adventure was to Guatemala. It was determined by the fact that I had a family friend who lived there. He had been pleading to us to come visit for the longest time. Before I was even born to my parents! Alas, I said ¡Vamos!
While at Lake Atitlán, we ate many meals at a restaurant in Santiago called The Bamboo. It’s a lovely family-run establishment right on the water. My friend shared some connections here. I highly recommend visiting there when you’re at Lake Atitlán.
One of the restaurant owner’s sons was studying in Madrid and happened to be home for the summer. I was oblivious to this subtle hint at the time. But as they say, hindsight is always 20/20.
During the course of this trip, I met a lovely girl from rural France. She was traveling during the summer break from school, similar to me. We bonded and she talked about the places she had been earlier that summer—first working as an au pair in Madrid, then visiting Costa Rica and Guatemala. Naturally, I was curious about her homeland, France, though she was reluctant to talk about it, I couldn’t stop asking.
Her extensive travel experience far exceeded mine, and during our time together she taught me a lot about traveling smart and efficiently.
Are you beginning to see the signs? I didn’t at the time. But looking back, it feels so obvious.
Spain kept coming up—slowly weaving itself into my future. And so, it was settled by fate. My next destination revealed itself. It just felt right.
With a bit of travel confidence under my belt, I was feeling ambitious. Why visit just one country when I could see two or three? France was right next door, and thanks to Aurelie, it already felt familiar—like a place I needed to understand better. On the other side sat Portugal. I set my sights on it as well. After all, so many countries, so little time!
And that is how my first trip to Europe manifested.
Connecting the Dots
I didn’t make it to Portugal on that trip. Sometimes I wonder why. I had the time and resources, but I didn’t have a connection to it like I had to Spain and France.
Spain remains one of my favorite countries. I fell in love with its culture, long days and late nights, hours spent eating amazing cuisine, paella, its beautiful architecture, friendly people, and the art. The Art! You can read all about my trip in my Spain blog post, or start planning your trip with my Travel Guide.
When I was in Madrid, which is one of, if not my absolute favorite, cities in the world—I stumbled upon a place that sparked the fire for what would become my next adventure.
There’s a hill in a park where something unexpected sits. You may have heard of it, but I hadn’t when I was first researching things to do and places to see in Spain. Believe it or not, but there’s an ancient Egyptian temple tucked away in the heart of Madrid.
The Temple of Debod is a Nubian temple, built in the early 2nd century BC just south of Aswan, Egypt. It now sits in Parque del Oeste and is one of the few works of ancient Egyptian architecture located outside of Egypt.
It may be small, but its presence was magnetic. Standing before it, something clicked. I had to go to Egypt. It was unequivocal.
And looking back, there had been other signs as well. When I was in Antigua, Guatemala, eating at one of my favorite restaurants, Samsara, I bought a journal. On the cover: a beautifully carved, colorful Eye of Horus.
This was the first subtle sign. The Temple of Debod was the defining moment.
Let your adventures connect the dots.
Listen to the whispers of the Universe.
Trust the path unfolding before you and follow your compass!
