On Exploring

 In my medical device marketing days (8 years of it post-college), I traveled often for work. As the years went on, the free afternoons in a new city became less and less frequent. Longtime readers might even remember – I would write about doing an overnighter in Rochester, New York (from SF!) just to turn back around 2 days later to Louisville. The miles racked up professionally, but the last thing I wanted to do with my time off was to get on a plane (again).

I would say I traveled a lot during those years but I didn’t explore a lot. Which is a very different thing I’ve realized. When I did manage to get away on vacation, it was very likely a beachy/resort vacation that involved a whole lot of relaxation.

The last several years have been a huge shift for me in my travels – I’ve prioritized exploring. Doing more, seeing more, trying more. Throwing myself into the culture of the destination, experience things I’ve never experienced before, and of course eating. ALL. the food.

What a difference that has made! It’s good for the mind, the body, and the soul.

What is next on my travel wishlist? We can check off the Oregon coast now (or at least a small part of it – would still love to see more), and I’ve been sharing photos from it on Instagram and stories the last few days. I’d love to explore Sweden, Norway and Finland (this gorgeous Banana Republic suede trench would be perfect for it!). I’d be thrilled to visit Portugal and Spain. And of course, there is still so much of Japan that I’d love to see, even though I’ve visited twice already. Even if we aim for one each year, slowly but surely we’ll get through our list, and hopefully continue adding more as we go!

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Suede Trench (here)
Leggings (similar here)
Sneakers (similar here)

My dream capsule wardrobe for Fall travel:

Thank you Banana Republic for partnering with me on this post!