These Couples Are On A Never Ending Baecation
Imagine waking up next to your bae on the other side of the world. Your only obligation for the day is to explore new experiences and create memories with your life partner, and no matter how far you are from home, you can always find it in the arms of one you love.
There are some couples that say that love should always feel like an adventure, and have chosen to make their lives a never ending baecation.
It has always been a dream of mine to travel the world solo, but I realize that I've spent so much time on my own. I would rather embark on that journey with a life partner.
The following couples have made that dream come true. Their only mission is to travel the world together on an explorative journey of love and fun!
Their stories are so inspirational and colorful, they allow us all to live vicariously through their experiences. Learn more about them below.
Jasmine & Clayton
How They Met
"We met in Chicago, IL, where we currently live. We had mutual friend that introduced us. After about 1-2 months of getting to know each other, we began dating."
How The Wanderlust Begun
"We both grew up going on vacations with our family, so we both already had a passion for traveling. We started off traveling throughout the country. Our goal was to take at least one 'baecation' each year. We decided to take our first international trip to Cancun, Mexico for Clayton's graduation. We fell in love with everything that came with traveling overseas. You learn about different cultures, you appreciate being in different environments, tasting the different types of food each country has to offer, and you can't forget about some of the beautiful beaches."
Their Favorite World Destination
"We always have a hard time answering this question because we truly love each place for different reasons. Cartagena had some of the freshest food and fruit we ever tasted. Zanzibar had such a beautiful culture that we fell in love with. Dubai was simply amazing because of its luxurious lifestyle. Punta Cana had some of the best jerk chicken we ever had! Cancun had such a fun nightlife. We're grateful that we've been able to travel to all of these amazing places."
How They Manage and Budget For Traveling
"We try to make it a goal to travel to a different country at least 3-4 times a year. After our trip to Cancun, we began to get a lot of reposts from popular Instagram pages such as The Shaderoom, BlackLovePage, and many other popular travel pages. We got featured on Essence Magazine and began to grow our following. With so much positive feedback, we decided to start our very own travel blog. Now that we have a travel blog, we want to travel as much as we can and give reviews on each place we visit. We've learned that budgeting is very important when it comes to traveling. You have to sacrifice certain things if you want to travel often. I personally try not to shop as much or go out to eat as often when I have a trip coming up. Every penny counts! Planning in advance also helps when budgeting for trips."
How Traveling Has Strengthened Their Bond
"Traveling has strengthened our bond in various ways. It also is just a great time to get away, clear your head, and have a great time together. We've learned that some of the best times and memories you will ever have with your significant other is while traveling on vacation."
Advice For Couples Who Want To Travel Together
"Our advice is to make sure you find time to travel. Set goals of places you want to visit. This world is so big and unique in so many ways, you should want to see what all is out there. Come up with a plan and see it through. For those who are looking for recommendations or need help on where to visit, subscribe to our website at livetotravelphotos.com."
Tiara & Vimbisai
@tiara_africanah & @kafeleaura
How They Met
Vimbisai is Zimbabwean and African-American, and Tiara is Puerto-Rican and African-American. While they were both born in America, they met on the complete opposite side of the world in Dubai while completing undergrad.
After meeting, they remained best friends and became official last year when she went to visit him for a week in Zimbabwe. That quickly turned into being together 7 months and counting, as well as a beautiful marriage for the Kafeles.
How The Wanderlust Begun
"Before getting together, we had both been expats [which is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than their native country] for some time. We knew there were lots more opportunities to make the money we want throughout Africa so we decided to take the risk and start our own venture!"
Their Favorite World Destination
"Our favorite place is our home in Zimbabwe. Lots of nature and good weather. Vimbisai is half Zimbabwean and it means a lot to us to see sites such as Great Zimbabwe, where kingdoms once existed and step on the same grounds as his ancestors."
How They Manage and Budget For Traveling
"We are based very close to South Africa, which is a major hub. It's cheap to get basically anywhere from there. Very cheap! We lucked up I guess.
How Traveling Has Strengthened Their Bond
"When you travel, you sometimes see different sides of a person. We have gone to very uncomfortable places and that has strengthened us because we got to see each other's vulnerable sides, it's beautiful. We've agreed that we learned a great deal of humility and, again, vulnerability to each other and people around us."
Advice For Couples Who Want To Travel Together
"Pick up a skill that allows you to travel! Be open to exploring new places, and remember to focus on one another. There's honestly nothing more beautiful than exploring with the person you love, so take that time and be present! Take small/short trips together to get to know each other's travel styles and habits. That's important. Be patient because your partner also may not know their travel personality."
What do you think about traveling with bae? What's on your bucket list? Share with us in the comments down below.
Fontaine Felisha Foxworth is a writer and creative entrepreneur from Brooklyn New York. She is currently on the West Coast working on creating a TV Pilot called "Finding Fontaine", that details the nomadic journey of her life so far. Keep up with her shenanigans @famoustaine on IG.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
6 Spring Events To Boost Your Professional And Social Networks
When spring arrives, we all want to be outside, looking fabulous, and back to socializing. And now is the perfect time to add a few great events to your calendar to get you through the quarter in order to make new friends, build new partnerships, and talk new opportunities to level up.
Spring is a high season for networking and social events for Black women, with many organizations and event entrepreneurs booking prime locations and offering dynamic experiences that you can maximize in whatever way possible. Write down your goals, and get out there. Start with a few of these events between now and the start of summer:
New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival, April 23 - May 3
The New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival is a 10-day event held over two weekends, bringing together thousands of musicians, craftspeople, and food lovers to share in common threads of culture in the heart of New Orleans. You'll get to enjoy works by artisans local to Louisiana as well as from across the U.S. and around the world.
Black Food Truck Festival, April 26-28
Hosted in Charleston, S.C., the Black Food Truck Festival includes an opening party, access to more than two dozen food truck vendors, and a time to workout with other attendees. Charleston has long been known as a Southern foodie destination, with global recognition due to James Beard-awarded chefs heading popular restaurants there and a renewed focus on Gullah and Geechee culture and food in the region. And what better conversation ice-breaker than to talk about food with a new acquaintance?
Black Women's Mental Health Conference, May 4
Hosted by New York University, this is a one-day event to tackle issues of mental wellness and health that uniquely affect Black women and girls. The keynote speaker for this year is Kim Young, MSW, LCSW, founder of Dope Black Social Worker® and host of the podcast Revolutionary Hoodrat, and leading licensed professionals in the field will offer their insights and share their experiences. And, of course, no college-led event is without time blocked specifically for networking.
Strength of a Woman Festival, May 11-12
Anything with Mary J. Blige headlining or leading is a win, especially if we're talking about women's empowerment and enjoyment. This event will be held in New York City, and beyond the performances from some of our favorites like Muni Long, Jill Scott, and The Clark Sisters, there will be a Gospel Brunch. And even if you're not able to attend or concerts aren't your thing, just being in the city during that time will mean you're bound to run into plenty of other women to network with at local bars and restaurants nearby.
Carefree Black Girl Cookout, May 4
Held in the Queen City, Charlotte, N.C., this is a day festival amplifying the voices and brands of Black women entrepreneurs, artists, and creatives. There will be vendors, glam and beauty bars, and complimentary meals for the first hour (according to the platform's website). They're hosting another cookout in Philadelphia on May 25.
Black Women Leading Live, May 13-16
Touted as an “intimate retreat + conference,” this Virginia Beach, VA event will be held on a resort and is offering a professional development experience led by Laura Knights, founder of the Black Woman Leading® program and podcast. It’s an ideal fit if you’re a mid-level or senior professional, as the topics and approach are set to cater to those levels of career experience, with coaches and speakers pouring into attendees with a holistic approach.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by PIKSEL/Getty Images