A home for my words.

1. Seychelles
   

   

   (image from Absolute Magazine: Seychelles, pg. 2)

   I learned of Seychelles in my senior year of high school and it instantly became a dream destination for me. I remember a good friend back in college going there with a group of her friends. She told me that it’s much more of a honeymoon location than something that would be enjoyable as a solo traveler. I definitely see her point, but if my track record shows anything, it’s that solo travel is my go-to. Plus, whenever I do get to visit, I’d love to get a bit off of the tourist trail and experience local living. That’s usually a main goal for me when visiting new places and it’s also why I try to stay in one location for as long as I can. It’s nice to learn some of the local language, have a go-to supermarket, socialize with locals, etc.
   
2. Fiji
   
   

   

   (image from Ladies Magazine: Cambodia) 

   
   

   The Truman Show was one of my favorite movies as a child and it remains so today (#HowsItGoingToEnd). Naturally, Truman’s obsession with Fiji rubbed off on me. Poor Truman was locked in an orchestrated reality but he was an adventurer at heart. He wanted to go to Fiji because he said you couldn’t “get any farther before you start coming back.” It sparked a curiosity and I learned that Fiji was a land of stunning sand and sea. As the saying goes: you don’t know what you don’t know, and I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that so many Fijians had hair just like my own! The traditional buiniga is much like an afro. That only added to my interest. Just like Seychelles, Fiji is thought of as more of a honeymoon destination, but there is certainly a local living experience to be had. One day!
   
   

3. Madagascar
   
   

   

   (image from Kids World Travel Guide website)
   

   I luckily learned a fair amount about the mainland continent of Africa in elementary school. However, it was much later that I learned about the smaller African countries off the continent’s coasts. Madagascar was one of them. I hadn’t known much about the country and the popular animated film of the same name focused on animals more than the country’s actual people. So I became fascinated when I learned about the country’s topography, cuisine, and culture. I’ve recently also learned about Moraingy, a traditional combat sport in Madagascar. I’m a big fan of practicing combat sports, so this is just another thing I’d love to expand my knowledge on in the future.

   
   
4. Suriname
   

   

   (Adobe stock image)
   

   
   

   My fascination with Suriname actually dates all the way back to Darryl van Gonter, that Dutch rapper I had a crush on back in high school. He’d been raised in Amsterdam, but his parents were from Suriname, where Dutch is also spoken. Like every other country on this list, the Surinamese people are beautiful. Although the country is in South America, it reminds me a lot of the Carribean, where my family is from. I love the idea of visiting countries where the diversity of its citizens means I’d have an easier time blending in. It takes away some of the stressors of being in a new place when you can’t be as easily ID’d as a foreigner (at least until you begin speaking). I’ve had people think that I was Cape Verdean or Dominican, so those are two other places I look forward to visiting one day and getting to blend in for a bit 😀 … let’s consider those #6 and #7 of this list!
   
   

5. Hawaii
   

   

   (Photo credit: Aaron Reed Photography)

   
   

   I know, I know — yet another honeymoon kind of destination. Plus more sand and sea. But I also have respect for the culture and the history of Hawaiians. Being Jamaican, I was happy to learn that there is a strong reggae music scene in Hawaii! Also, I saved Hawaii for the last spot on this list because the good news is: I’ll finally be checking Hawaii off of my list. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post 😉

Notice A Few Trends?

I do! The locations on my list all feature beautiful landscapes and beautiful people influenced by a mixture of cultures. They’re also all islands, with the exception of Suriname.

Many of my earliest travels were in big cities because those places are globally connected. It’s easier to catch a flight to Paris or even Tokyo than it is to visit locations in the same exact countries, such as Chamonix or Okinawa and Koyasan. The same can be said for staying in a digital nomad hotspot like Buenos Aires compared to venturing out to Torres del Paine. Plus, I was raised in one of the world’s most famous cities and city living is all I knew for quite some time.

I’m sure I’ll go on to visit more large and well-connected cities. But the more time and freedom that I have, the more I’d like to spend time in island destinations and places that are a bit off of the beaten path. Patience is key =)