5 Ways To Nurture Your Wanderlust When You're Stuck At Home
With the rapid changes happening due to COVID-19, we're all trying to figure out a way to stay safe and stay sane. People all across the country have resorted to social distancing and working from home in an effort to limit the spread of illness and much of the travel world as we knew it has been completely turned upside down. Countries all over the globe have either restricted travel or closed borders to non-citizens. So what's a gal (or guy) to do when we're stuck at home with wanderlust on the brain?
Here's a cool list of ideas to continue to nurture your love of food and travel right from the comfort of your own home.
Cook a meal.
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Instead of gaining 15 pounds by eating all of your quarantine snacks, why not get in the kitchen and try making a delicious and filling meal that is native to your favorite travel destination? Find a recipe online or watch a cooking show and get inspired! You can try something simple like a Cuban sandwich with roast pork, Swiss cheese and sweet ham or a more elaborate dish like Paella with rice, mussels, calamari and shrimp. Step out of your comfort zone by sharpening those culinary skills and learning about dishes from around the world.
Watch your favorite movie.
What better way to have an "almost" vacay than to become immersed in your favorite movie staged at a gorgeous travel destination? The right movie can certainly awaken our curiosities about other parts of the world and inspire us to face our fears and try new things. Have a virtual "baecation" and watch Eat, Pray, Love as Julia Roberts discovers delicious foods in Italy and awakens spiritually in Bali. Or grab your tissues and watch Kim Bassinger move through the gorgeous landscapes of the Motherland in the heartbreaking drama I Dreamed of Africa.
Create a scrapbook.
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Are the little mementos that you've brought back from vacation currently scattered all over your home? Now is the perfect time to not only get organized, but to relive those fond memories. Get a scrapbook and pull out those old trinkets, currency and postcards from around the world. You can also use an old gift box to store souvenirs that may be too large to secure in a book. While you're organizing, have a conversation with your "quarantine buddy" about fun travel memories. If you're alone, think about how each destination you gathered a keepsake from made you feel. Would you go back? What some new places you'd like to add to your travel list? Give yourself something to look forward to.
Start online travel conversations.
There are a ton of travel groups on Facebook that have a non-stop flow of information, pictures, tips and stories to keep you going until you're able to book that next flight. The most positive thing about these groups is that you can connect with like-minded people and even establish connections that could develop into long-lasting friendships. Tired of traveling alone? Join a group and find a travel buddy. Or if travel groups just aren't your thing, start your own online convo about a topic that's important to you. Go live and ask your followers how they're surviving being stuck at home, if they've had any recent travel plans that they've had to cancel and where they look forward to going once all of this has cleared up.
Check out museums & art galleries.
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I was forced to cancel my dream trip to Paris this year due to the COVID-19, but that doesn't mean I can't still take a trip to the Louvre. Several museums and art galleries around the world are offering virtual visits to their iconic exhibitions and they can be enjoyed right from your living room. The Mussee d'Orsay in Paris, The Smithsonian in D.C., The British Museum in London all offer tours for travelers still looking to become more culturally enlightened at a safe distance. If Egyptian mummies and historic artwork don't suit your fancy, try e-visiting a few of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Wall of China, The Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu all offer online tours.
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Before You Freak Out: 12 Things To Know About The Coronavirus
COVID-19: Mindfulness & Parenting While Quarantined
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Tiffany D. Smith is a TV journalist by day and food and travel influencer by night from Chicago, IL. Since being bitten by the travel bug a few years ago, she uses her blog TheLoveofFoodandTravel.com to encourage people to release their fears, step out of their comfort zones, and explore new places and great food. When Tiffany isn't working in live TV or blogging, she enjoys kickboxing, watching 70's shows, and spending time with friends and family. Keep up with her @loveoffoodandtravel on IG.
How A Couple That Never Spoke On The Phone Answered Marriage’s Call
How We Met is a series where xoNecole talks love and relationships with real-life couples. We learn how they met, how like turned into love, and how they make their love work.
As I move through life and experience different highs and lows, one thing that has become increasingly clear is the importance of self-love and self-worth. Now, I’m not saying it’s always easy, but I do feel like if it’s in a good place, people experience life more fully. And when it comes to love, my friend Amanda Wicks and her husband, Will Ford, are the perfect example.
Amanda may not remember this, but years ago, on one of her many visits back to Atlanta (we both went to Clark Atlanta University), she sat across from me at a dinner table and declared she was done looking for love. She was happy with who she was, and while she still desired it, it was no longer something she was chasing. “If it happens, it happens,” she said. The statement was so bold it made me quickly reroute our usual dating story catch-ups and awkwardly move to a different topic.
Well, the next time we met up, she told me she had met someone and was moving to Houston to live with him. Imagine my surprise and concern. Later, I’d find out that this decision, like so many other elements of their relationship, flowed naturally and organically. Their whole partnership has been full of peace and vulnerability.
Fast forward to today’s conversation, they’re still living together, celebrating four years of marriage, and planning to create a family. And while this stage of their story sounds generally normal, the way they got there is nothing but. Check out the "How We Met" feature below to see how a couple who never spoke on the phone and lived in different states ended up in a loving marriage full of ease, art, and authenticity.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Wicks and Will Ford
Walk me through your ‘How We Met’ story.
Amanda: We met on Instagram (laughs). He followed me first, and I followed back because he does art, and I was intrigued by that. Honestly, we followed each other for a while before we connected. But I remember one day I saw a post where he had on a Martin t-shirt that I liked, and that sparked our conversation. He ended up telling me he made the shirt and actually mailed me one. So when I got it, I made a post wearing it, and that’s where the conversation started. Since that day we’ve communicated every day since.
Will: Yeah, I initially saw her on a short-hair Instagram page and followed her because I thought she was attractive. I actually showed her to my co-workers on one of our monthly outings as an example of my “type” – something I had never done. But one thing I will say is, I noticed she had on a Nina Simone shirt in one of her photos, that’s what got me. It showed she had more depth.
I guess that answers my next question. Did you have an initial attraction to each other?
Will: (Laughs) Yeah, I did.
Amanda: For me, no. I just wasn’t looking at him through that lens. I didn’t follow him because he was attractive. I don’t follow people online because of that. I actually remember a time when we were going back and forth, and I was like, “Aye, you kinda cute.” It was a specific moment. Once I started looking through his page more often, I started to view him that way, but it still was more of an acknowledgment. We really connected primarily because of our creative interests.
So, how did it go to the next level?
Amanda: I was in Nashville, and he was in Houston. But I’m somebody where if I feel like doing something, I’m going to do it. I had been meaning to go to Houston for a while to see a friend, so I felt like it was the perfect combination of a circumstance. We had been talking a lot, and I knew I liked him as a person and really wanted to meet him, but of course, I was aware of the idea that it could blossom into more. I remember I sent him a text saying, “Would you think I was crazy if I pulled up to Houston?”
Photo courtesy of Amanda Wicks and Will Ford
What was your reply? Did you think she was crazy?
Will: In my mind, I was like, I don’t know. (Laughs) I wanted her to, though, so I wasn’t going to say yeah. It was a little wild, but I encouraged it.
Okay, so tell me about the date.
Amanda: I don’t know if you’d call it our first “date,” but the first time we met, we went to a skating rink. I was a little nervous about meeting him in person. Like, what if we don’t have chemistry – that was in the back of my head a little. But I brought my friend with me as a buffer, and thank God I did because he was so quiet the whole night. I literally can’t think of one thing he said the entire time. But the saving grace was that we had built a rapport. We reconnected the following night and were together until 5 a.m. – just sitting there talking. We ended up spending the whole weekend together.
Will: I’m socially awkward if I don’t know you. Also, before the date, I didn’t know what she sounded like or anything because, that’s another thing, we hadn’t talked on the phone. (They both really don’t like phone calls, so everything was through texts at this point.) I guess I could say I was kinda nervous, too. I had never met someone through social media, and then here I was, meeting her in person at a skating rink. I hadn’t skated in years, I was hoping I didn’t fall. But we had just been talking so much that I was open to it.
What made you want to take that risk?
Will: She has a level of authenticity that I’ve never seen in any other woman before, and once I saw her, it solidified that. I knew I wanted her around.
Amanda: I don’t think it was anything specific. It’s not hard for me to connect with people. But there were no red flags. We align across the board. That was different. We really connect on how we see the world.
"She has a level of authenticity that I’ve never seen in any other woman before, and once I saw her, it solidified that. I knew I wanted her around."
Photo courtesy of Amanda Wicks and Will Ford
Out of curiosity, what are your love languages?
Amanda: I connect with all of them. I think it just depends on what I’ve been lacking. I appreciate words of affirmation because I’m so big on actions that I like those bold statements of love, and of course, I appreciate quality time. The older I get, the more I appreciate physical touch, but that’s not something I need. With receiving gifts, I like thoughtfulness, and I like giving thoughtful gifts, too. But acts of service is for sure my biggest one. I love when someone considers me and makes my life easier. That speaks to me most.
"I love when someone considers me and makes my life easier. That speaks to me most."
Will: I think it all depends on how I’m feeling, too. But probably also acts of service. I like how Amanda will buy me deodorant when I run out (laughs). She just does so much all the time to show that I’m thought of.
At what point in your connection did y’all have the “what are we” conversation?
Will: I don’t think we ever had that convo. We never defined anything, we just kinda went with how it was going. However, I knew I wanted it to be more serious when I went to visit her. She had been coming to Houston once a month, and I went to Florida (she was there for work) to see her. I realized I felt comfortable coming into her space, too. That gave me that last little bit of whatever I needed.
Amanda: Yeah, I can’t say I had a defined moment like that. But again, as we had more and more interactions, there were just no red flags. The more we thought about it, the more we realized no matter where we went relationship-wise, we were adamant about being a part of each other’s lives. We never had the “talking to other people” conversation or anything. But we did both understand we weren’t going anywhere. Eventually, it graduated to convos around building a life together, but even that was over six months in. I just liked him as a person.
Have there been any negative revelations that your partnership and marriage have taught you about yourself?
Amanda: I’ve always felt that partnership is supposed to make the other person’s life easier. For me, it was a struggle to let someone help me in all the ways I didn’t really know I needed help. As I started having less capacity, I had to realize that it doesn't work anymore. It was hard for me to acknowledge and ask for help. I think that’s something I am still coming to terms with, even with other relationships in my life.
Will: I think I’m learning and still learning how to get out of my head. I’m the kind of person who always has to visualize stuff before it happens. And this relationship is the first thing that I don’t do that with. Of course, we plan stuff, but I know it’s gonna be good regardless. It allows me to stay in the moment. If I can do that with this, which is the most important thing to me, why can’t I do that with other things?
Photo courtesy of Amanda Wicks and Will Ford
What challenges have you faced together?
Will: For me, the preconceived challenge was living together. I’ve never lived with a woman before. Even in my previous relationship, it was long-distance. I’m also the type of person that likes my space, but as soon as she got here, that was out the window. It was so smooth it made me feel stupid for questioning it.
Amanda: I’m grateful to say we don’t necessarily have challenges between each other together. But we have been struggling with infertility and health issues. Our biggest challenge thus far is trying to get pregnant. Even articulating that makes me realize I’m grateful it hasn’t caused a rift between us. I think we have been able to face it in a healthy way. But that’s an example of how having someone else there can be helpful. I was so functional as a full-blown individual doing everything by myself.
So, in my head, I don’t need anyone, but having someone there who is happy to support me has taught me it’s okay to welcome that. It’s made us stronger because it’s taught us how we both function under duress – it’s good to know it’s not terrible (laughs).
"Our biggest challenge thus far is trying to get pregnant. Even articulating that makes me realize I’m grateful it hasn’t caused a rift between us. I think we have been able to face it in a healthy way."
What are some of the shared values that are important to your relationship?
Will: How we see life, what we’re here for, and how you’re supposed to treat people. It sounds really simple, but it’s not as common as you think.
Amanda: We value being really good people – without strings. We both don’t value money, but we value stability. So we don’t have to endure the “why are you not hustling” arguments. We were both stable people individually, and we came together. Also, we both value meaningful connections, alone time, reflection, and family. That guides us in what we do and how we build a life.
Finally, what is your favorite thing about each other?
Amanda: I’ll say one of my favorite things about him is that he’s brilliant. I view myself as a smart person, but in my head, he can do what I’m doing ten times faster. There are times I want to push myself to do stuff, and I’ll just ask him because I know he can do it. It’s incredible.
Will: My favorite thing about her is how people see her. Being a witness to how important she is to other people’s lives is amazing. Standing to the side and seeing how she affects them is really special.
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Feature image courtesy of Amanda Hicks and Will Ford
Tracee Ellis Ross On Self-Care Through Solo Travel & Choosing Wholeness Over Wellness
Nobody makes the soft life look as good as Tracee Ellis Ross. From her poolside selfies to her globetrotting adventures, it’s clear that R & R is in her DNA, in every sense of the word.
The November cover star of Travel + Leisure opened up to the publication about how traveling from a young age with her mother, Diana Ross, has influenced her outlook on self-care and prioritizing solo travel.
“It’s very important to me,” Tracee tells the publication. “Solo travel, in particular, is how I’ve come to know and honor myself.”
She adds, “I feel like I’m a child of the world. Growing up this way allowed me to understand that, even though people may not speak the same language, we are all the same. And that allowed me to feel safe anywhere. The things that make us different are what make life so robust and textured.”
Being the daughter of a global superstar taught the Black-ish actress that home is a part of her no matter where she is, leading to her tendency to overpack with “compassion.”
“Because of the magnitude of my mother’s life and the way she mothered, I know that home lives inside me,” she says.
“I can find and create a home wherever I am. It’s part of the reason that I have a lot of compassion for my overpacking — because home just comes with you.”
Because the 50-year-old haircare CEO found herself in many foreign places at an early age, she shares her struggles with trusting new people early on but realized it's a natural result of her upbringing and has learned to extend herself grace around it.
“Another result is that I’m not great with new people. I used to have so much shame about that,” Ross reflects. “But I realized, if you think back to my childhood, it would be weird if I trusted people immediately."
"The more I get to know myself, the more compassion I have for myself. The other funny thing that is a result of my upbringing is that I don’t have a sense of adventure.”
While it may come as a surprise to many people, due to her colorful personality and eccentric style, Tracee confesses that she identified most with being an introvert who enjoys her alone time. “I play an extrovert, but I’m an introvert. I love my own company and my world is very quiet,” she says.
For Tracee, wholeness is the goal for her overall well-being. She avoids the concept of “wellness” as it implies the potential for being unwell. However, she appreciates the concept of wellness for its emphasis on self-care and self-honor.
“I don’t adhere to the idea of wellness, because to me it means you could be unwell,” she explains.
“For me, it is about wholeness, which makes space for the well and the unwell, the happy and the unhappy, the scared and the courageous — all of it. But what I love about the idea of wellness is that it conjures how you take care of yourself.”
She continues, “It’s about how you honor yourself. One of the questions I’ve been asking myself since I turned 50 and am coming out of one chapter and moving into another is: How have I honored myself today? As opposed to: What did I accomplish today? How do I want to honor myself through mind, body, and spirit? Focusing on how you honor yourself is a big part of staying well.”
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Featured image by Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images