Why I Started a Travel Blog During a Global Pandemic

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As the world was shutting down, travel restrictions were increasing and it didn’t look like anyone would be traveling again for a very long time, I sat down at my kitchen table and researched from morning to night about becoming a travel blogger. Sounds pretty crazy, right? Here is my story of why I started a travel blog during the Covid-19 global pandemic.

The Shutdown

It’s March 20^th, 2020. I am pulled into my boss’ office around 5:00 pm and take a seat in a single chair that faces his desk. I can see there’s something weighing heavily on his mind.

I am a Design Consultant at a local tile store. My typical day consists of helping a variety of builders, designers and homeowners with tile design and installation for a multitude of different projects. When I’m not in the showroom, I don’t have access to our computer system or the product that I am selling. In other words, there is no way I could do my current job from home.

My boss slowly starts to explain the executive order signed earlier that day by Governor Cuomo. “New York State on Pause” declared that all non essential businesses across New York must close starting March 22, 2020 at 8:00 pm. Even though, we may have supplies for essential projects, our showroom was deemed non-essential. We were shut down.

He apologizes profusely and says I need to plan to be out of work for at least 2 weeks. I can tell he’s thinking it’s going to be much longer, but he doesn’t want me to freak out.

Normally, he always has a back up plan. Over my five years with the company, I always felt he was two steps ahead. However, I can tell in this moment he doesn’t have an answer. I felt my face lose color as he hands me unemployment paperwork. I never in my life thought I would have to apply for unemployment.

Walking back to my desk, I feel a lump in my throat as I pass some of my co-workers who haven’t gotten the news yet. I stare straight ahead and don’t say a word.

My mind is racing. I can’t stop thinking about my clients. I work with builders who are in the middle of pouring foundations for their neighborhoods, homeowners who have been living without their bathroom for weeks, house flippers who are one kitchen countertop away from putting the house on the market. If we are shut down, does this mean they are too?

Quarantine

Days and weeks pass and I am still home and without work.

Even though these times are filled with anxiety and fear, I feel strongly about something good coming out of this. When are we ever going to experience six weeks at home with little to no obligations? There has to be something good that comes of it… Otherwise, it’s all for nothing.

Quarantine for me was a time for complete self reflection. It forced me to get back to the basics. Taking a step back from my daily routine, I could finally see the things in my life that were causing stress and anxiety. For the first time in what felt like forever, I could take a deep breath and focus on getting to the core of what truly makes me happy.

I have been trying to figure this out for years now. Even before the shutdown, I felt like I was in this rut I just couldn’t shake. The simple question of “what are you passionate about” would keep me up at night because I literally couldn’t think of the answer.
To be honest, not knowing this has been one of the most frustrating things I’ve ever experienced. It made me feel completely hopeless. If you don’t know what what your goals are or even what makes you happy, how the hell do you strive to fix it?

After weeks of quarantine, I made it my new job to self reflect and get down to the core of who I am as an individual. Having the time to do this I was finally able to answer that question that would keep me up at night.

What’s on my bucket list that I so badly need to check off? What makes me the happiest? If I were on my death bed, what would I regret not doing? What do I want to do for the rest of my life? The answer was always the same. Travel.

There is no time I feel more full of life than when I surround myself in other cultures, take in beautiful landscapes, and try foods I’ve never had before. Hell, even talking about travel makes me smile!

“I’M GOING TO START A TRAVEL BLOG”

Just saying that sentence out loud that felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was a light bulb moment. For the first time in a while, I felt like I was taking a step in the right direction to where I was meant to be.

Don’t get me wrong, I always knew I loved to travel. But my love of travel is so much deeper than wanderlust. I just didn’t know what to do with this passion… until now!

I’ve had a lot of people question me about my love of travel. I’ve been told I better grow out of it and that’s it’s not a feasible passion once I have children. Time and time again I’ve done my best to block out that negativity. Travel has changed my life. I’ve taken a lot of trips that have taught me so much more than I could have ever learned in a classroom.

Now is my time to show others how life changing travel can be.

I always get asked questions like “how do you travel so much?” or “Why did you decide to go there?” Shipping Across The Globe is built to answer these questions! I want to inspire you to step outside your comfort zone and teach you how you can make travel a priority.

***

I can’t wait to look back ten years from now at how this journey started.

During a global pandemic, as the world was shutting down and it didn’t look like anyone would be traveling again for a very very long time, I sat down at my kitchen table and researched day and night about becoming a travel blogger. How crazy is that?

It seems downright insane to think it took a global pandemic to help me find the soul searching answers I had been craving for so long. But through all of the bad the world has seen in the past year, I’m so thankful some good came from it.

Travel is truly my passion, and I’m so excited to help people have life changing travel experiences of their own. And even though it may be harder now more than ever to have a successful travel blog, I now know it’s the dream I have been chasing all along.

COVID-19 taught me that life is short. At least I can look back and know I gave it my everything to chase my passion and turn both MY and YOUR dreams into a reality.

And that in itself is success to me.