Wandering Reflections

There’s a certain thrill in wandering off the beaten path, a delicious freedom in letting curiosity guide your steps. I’ve always been one to peel away from the group, to explore that intriguing alleyway or follow a winding road just to see where it leads. Sometimes I’d get a little turned around, a pleasant disorientation that was part of the adventure. But there's a world of difference between being pleasantly disoriented and being utterly lost, especially when you’re alone in a country where ...

The clatter of cutlery in a bustling restaurant used to sound like a symphony of judgment to my solo-traveler ears. Every shared laugh from a nearby table, every perceived glance in my direction, seemed to confirm my deepest fear: "Oh, look at that person eating all by themselves." That wave of intense self-consciousness was an unwelcome, yet familiar, companion to many of my early solo meals. The thought that people were watching, perhaps even pitying me, was almost enough to make me retreat to...

Thinking about traveling alone for the first time can bring up a lot of feelings. For me, it was a mix of excitement and a whole lot of nerves. I’d always traveled with someone – family, partners, even my dogs. Going solo was a brand new, slightly scary idea. But that first solo trip? It changed everything, and even with the jitters, I wouldn’t trade it.

Life had thrown me some curveballs, and it was a pretty tough time. I’d recently discovered yoga, and it wasn’t just exercise; it was a lifeli...

The first time I witnessed a Chinese Spring Festival celebration, I was living in Toronto. It was a vibrant, sensory explosion—streets adorned with red lanterns, the air filled with laughter and the sizzle of street food, and the rhythmic beats of drums accompanying the mesmerizing dragon and lion dances. Firecrackers popped intermittently, adding to the festive chaos. It was magical, and I remember thinking, “If this is how it’s celebrated abroad, imagine what it must be like in China!”

A coup...