Traveling with another person is hard especially when you aren't sleeping with them! However, like in any relationship you have to compromise, forgive quickly and do what Sarah does best; just laugh the madness off. I wanted to invite Sarah to write for the blog and share some of her fears, anxieties and experiences as a first time traveller. It's weird, writing about someone and not handing over the mic.....
Read moreTravel Must Haves for Turning 30!
The Beginning, just mins after turning 30!
The End, at the Madrid airport after traveling for 24+ hours and a lot of free pink wine.
I’m just going to be honest with you… I’m a disaster. I grew up in and out of poverty so my standards for “living” can be quite minimalist. For example, I have refused to buy a spatula for two months. You really don’t need one once you learn how to cook without it… Just saying!
We went on this trip to celebrate my 30th birthday and in typical Lu fashion I was very un-prepared. However, Sarah showed up with a world of comforts that I never even would have thought of. They totally saved the day!
Here’s a list of carry on items I recommend for international travel.
A “slut” brush- In college I dubbed these tiny tooth brushes my slut brushes. I would buy one after every break-up and slip it in my purse because I never knew where I’d be waking up on Saturday morning. Get your heads out of the gutter! There were a lot friends couches involved. Trust me you want one of these on the plane. If you go 20 or more hours without brushing your teeth they literally feel like they are growing moss on them. Eww!
Face wipes - Halfway through our 24 hour plane ride my face started to feel like it was transforming into an oily melted mess. I’m really into Burt's Bees grapefruit or cucumber face wipes, the smell is so refreshing.
Cooling under eye pads- I’ve never used these magical pieces of joy but when your feet are swollen like sausages, your face feels like a puddle of dirt and you’re really frickin’ tired; these cooling eye pads transport you to heaven. I cleaned up with my wipes then put these on for 30 mins . Took a little nap and when I emerged my skin felt tight and youthful. Good Morning 30!
Plane Pillow - I’ve always thought these were a little silly, until of course I tried one! My plane mom a.k.a Sarah showed up with an extra one. It seems like a no brainer but I’m a late bloomer to just about everything in life.
Stretchy Pants- look i’ll be honest I did rock the LuLu Lemon probably 5 out of the 9 days of my trip. I bought them on sale last December. My sisters are obsessed, I get it. I always feel sexy in a little LuLu. And it is my nick-name but really all you need is a good pair of stretchy pants that don’t smell bad after two day of extensive wear and tear.
Our First Introduction to Morocco
Karima opens the door. She wearing a fleece zipped up robe like someone decided to stop making snuggies and turn them into 1950’s house dresses. Immediately, I thought of my favorite childhood blanket and soft stuffed animals that rubbed against my cheek at night to help me fall asleep. Karima gave the air of a stirn mother you never wanted to disappoint but felt you could spend endless amounts of days in her home. She invited us in. The riad opened up into vast atrium that reached three or four stories high collecting smoke like a chimney the air filled with the smell of cooking. Two french children sat cutting vegetables. Sarah and I sauntered, struggling to carry our abstruse backpacks to the sitting area. We did as we were instructed by our newly found den mother and sat down. We both looked at eachother concerned, “Why aren’t we going to our room?”
She comes out with a tray of ornamentally decorated glasses. Fresh mint leaves peek through the brightly colored designs.
In the West we live in a go, go,go culture. We usually get what we want and don’t take the time to sit and relax. It’s custom to share mint tea with your guests in Morocco. It’s so common, that its absence becomes glaringly obvious. We pressed the tea close to our lips, the warmth of the glass transferred to the palms of our fingers. Our tongues lapped up a sweet almost syrup like taste and swallowed the smooth warm tea.
We heard that a when man is courting a woman, the family makes it known if the suitor is appropriate or not by serving bitter or sweet tea. I'm still trying to figure out how to incorporate this tradition onto my Tinder dates...
Being the impatient Americans we were, being led to our room was such a relief. Hospitality is something we’ve lost in America. We no longer have sitting rooms, our traditions are often blurred and technology can steal time away from actual human connection. By the end of the trip, we became accustomed to sipping mint tea.
So much so, I had to buy a teapot of my very own.
To see a LIVE video from my first morning in Marrakech click the link! For more photos ponder through Instagram!
Plane Flights, Friendship and Marrakech
I stupidly read all of, The Lonely Plant’s Guide to Marrakech, fear mongering warnings in the back of the book outloud to Sarah, my travel buddy, as we landed in Marrakech. The plane rumbled hitting the ground, and after 24 hours of travelling, delusion and anxiety began to set-in.
Read moreMy Latest LIVE Adventure!
Show Notes
We’re back!
- Quyhn: You’re allowed to reset in Life!
Melissa: And LIVE is so raw, it’s all about the bloopers
- Quyhn: John C. Maxwell, is a speaker, entrepreneur, he wrote a ton of books and my biggest takeaway, is the power of your environment.
- Melissa: I’m making huge changes in my life, I’m practically a walking self help book. I’m coming out of a depressive break and I’m slowly crawling out of it. I’m taking a parenting program called the Nurtured Heart Approach.
- Melissa: Surround yourself with people who motivate you. Cynthia Johnson started a reading group named #ReadwithCynthia which recently featured, How to Talk to Crazy by Dr. Mark Goulston.
- Melissa: Don’t have difficult people in your life. Replace them with positive energetic people.
- Quyhn: I have zero negative energy in my life. I would say the only negative energy I have in my life is myself and my distractions.
Melissa: But you can change that!
- Quyhn: Questions to ask to see if your environment is toxic. 1. Are the people around you supportive and encouraging? When people are doubting you it is a reflection of how they feel about themselves.
- Melissa: Positive content people offer sympathy not judgement.
- Melissa: I’ve been using this app, Way of Life (app), suggested by THE SKINNY CONFIDENTIAL.
- Melissa: The app reminds you to stay present in the daily.
- Quyhn: Maxwell was talking about this… collecting small wins throughout your day adds up to something huge.
- Quyhn: The moment you start doing stuff for yourself, you get extra energy!
- Melissa: You can only take care of other people if you are taking care of yourself.
- Melissa: Make sure you are living in your own life not other people's lives. - Quyhn: The second thing is, are you in an environment where you are being challenged and getting out of your comfort zone. If you’re comfortable, you aren’t growing. - Melissa: Always be pitching.
- Quyhn: Third one is surround yourself by people who are growing.
- Quyhn: The fourth one is surround yourself with people who are a level up from you.
- Melissa: It’s about Accountability.
- Melissa: I’m trying to be more sympathetic, compassionate and understanding.
- Quyhn: Be. Do. Have. Become it, so you can do it and you’ll have it in your life.
- Quyhn: Remove one toxic thing at a time in your life.