About Ari
I am an African American woman who is an adoptee. At around 6-weeks post-birth, I was boarding my first flight traveling domestically from Texas to Massachusetts where my mom awaited my arrival. My mom, of Italian American ancestry, was a special needs educator and had a strong relationship with her family and close friends. Growing up, I enjoyed traveling with my mom learning about different cultures and histories new and old-domestically and internationally: Western Europe.
Stasia, a close family friend of my mom’s, became another mother figure to me. As I got older, she began taking me on annual cruises, allowing me to get a more luxury travel experience as opposed to my mom who preferred immersing in the culture by staying with friends living in the Netherlands and road-tripping with them throughout Europe staying in boutique hotels.
While I need to grasp the history and culture of a destination, I learned there are multiple ways to do that. Cruising with Stasia helped me discover a passion for adventure travel and interacting with nature and wildlife. During my trips with my mom and Stasia, I would journal about my experiences, something I would later learn was part of how I wellness travel.
Now a wife and mom passionate about travel and mental health, I am excited to be able to share my knowledge to provide people with the necessary personal tools to travel and rediscover themselves or to create memorable travel experiences for others to enjoy. For me the biggest lesson travel has taught me is to be more self-confident in myself as an individual, as a mother, as a wife, and as some dealing with mental health. I want to provide similar types of transformations to other travelers.
Transformative travel is one of the reasons why I travel, but I travel because it feels natural to do so. My eagerness to always enhance personal growth and undergo intense self-discovery along with my desire to explore new destinations and step outside of my comfort, motivate me to continue to travel.
Ari's Favorite...
Destination
Costa Rica is my favorite destination because it was the first time, I truly felt a transformation from traveling. It was my first trip outside of family, traveling with classmates and teachers from my high school. Zip-lining, trekking to the top of Poás Volcano, hiking through Monteverde Cloud Forest, and relaxing in a natural hot spring were some of the immersive experiences with the natural elements a destination has to offer that I truly enjoyed and felt an inner spiritual awakening. Understanding the art and meaning behind the carretas and being able to eat and try speaking in the native language (Spanish) were some of the cultural immersion experiences that humbled me and allowed me to learn more about myself through those I met and interacted with.
Island
Jamaica has got to be my favorite island due to the endless number of activities and sights the island has to offer. One can learn about the culture through Rosewood Hall, the Maroon communities in the blue mountains, or interacting with the locals. You can explore the natural landscape by exploring Jamaica by river, climbing Dunn’s River Falls, navigating parts of the Blue Mountains, and more. Taste the culture and explore the history behind jerk chicken and try the coffee.
City
San Juan really captured my attention with the colorful homes and the famous umbrella sky walkway. The town is vibrant in culture and has a mix of both English and Spanish speakers allowing me to explore a little of my language knowledge.
Beach
Renaissance Island of Aruba (home to 2 beaches) is my favorite beach. The beach is split in 2: family-friendly and adult-only with an hour in the morning for families to visit the “adult-only” beach. The adult portion of the beach is home to the famous pink flamingos that you can feed, pose, and swim with. The family portion of the beach is home to flamingos and iguanas, but you mainly see iguanas scurrying along. The laughter and joy I had with my son during these times were incredible.
Experience
Road tripping Western Europe and being able to take the underwater train to and from London, England. With family friends in the Netherlands, my mom and I found ourselves visiting them a few times and exploring the countries close by. It was these experiences that made me love the road tripping life and immersing ourselves in the culture a different way. Staying in boutique hotels and eating where the locals ate and just wondering around, left me feeling rejuvenated each time I returned home. While our adventures were focused on history and culture (e.g., Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum, Louvre, Palace of Versailles, Saint Michel, Shakespeare’s Globe), there were times where immersing ourselves in the culture included visiting theme parks (e.g., Legoland-Denmark and Efteling-Netherlands).
Food
While exploring the culinary elements provided by Julia Child’s old Boston/Cambridge food market – Savenor’s – I had the pleasure of tasting exotic meats. I tried black bear, llama, yak, and lion. It was during this tasting that I discovered my favorite meat, which is also no longer available: lion.
Questions & Answers with Ari
What was your job before becoming a full-time travel professional and full-time traveler?
Before becoming a travel professional and a full-time traveler, I struggled to find stable work and when I did, I worked the standard 9-5. I was working as a historical archivist in a contract position when I decided to make the change. Knowing the contract would come to an end, I built my travel business and took courses to become a certified travel coach and certified in TEFEL so I could teach English.
How do you afford to travel full-time?
Through my work as a travel agent and travel coach, along with my work as a English language-learner teacher and freelance travel writer, I am able to travel. As a travel agent, I get access to travel agent rates and deals that provide the financial ability to travel. During these travels, I take full advantage of any opportunity I have where I can earn additional income: freelance travel writing. Teaching English to those interested in learning allows me to work abroad and remotely. I can teach online, or I can take a job working in another country and that pays for me to stay there. These are things I do outside of my husband who works but does not fund my adventures.
Why do you travel with your son so much?
I love traveling with my son because I get to see him grow and evolve as a person right before my eyes. Each trip brings new experiences and challenges that I see him striving to overcome. On one of our trips, we went to Aruba, and we went horseback riding (he turned 6 that day). When we arrived at the ranch he was awestruck by the horses, but as we got closer, he made comments about changing his mind and not wanting to get on the horse. Knowing my son as being someone who will talk himself out of a great time, I ignored his concerns to allow him the time to process. When the man asked me to get on the horse, I didn’t hesitate. I got on and the next thing I knew, he was lifting my son and placing him right in front of me. Once he was on and in a comfortable position, he didn’t mind and after returning home has asked to go back and go horseback riding again.
How old was your son when he started traveling with you?
My son was born in the US state of Georgia and a little over 2-weeks old I took a nonstop 9-hour road trip to Louisiana to visit family and then drove back to Georgia a few days later. A few weeks later, I moved back to Massachusetts, and we made the 22-hour drive with about 3-stops. Since then, we have continued to take road trips. His first international flight was about 3-months shy of him turning 3 and we flew and stayed at a resort in Bermuda. His first cruise was about 4-months after he turned 3 and it was a 4-day cruise to Bermuda.
What is your dream destination?
I don’t have a dream destination because my goal is to travel to them all and I truly believe dreams are dreams because they may or may not come true, but a goal has an end date and before I die, I plan to visit every destination. Saudi Arabia is on the list of destinations I hope to visit due to its strict entry laws.
What would your perfect day be?
Walking barefoot next to my husband where the ocean’s waters kiss the sand, with the sun setting and a cocktail in my hand. We’d be in a comfortable silence, and I’d be reminiscing about our time speaking with the locals while grabbing lunch at a local eatery after an early morning swim and then some wild adventure through the natural landscape.
How do you prefer to travel?
I prefer to travel with luxury accommodations and an all-inclusive stay, with activities that are both adventurous and educational in ways that immerse me in the history & culture and the natural landscape.
Do you prefer cruising or staying at a hotel/resort?
I prefer cruising because I wake up and go to sleep with different views each day, it’s an all-inclusive experience, and we get to experience multiple destinations during a short period of time without the hassle of having to constantly pack.
Who do you prefer to travel with?
I prefer to travel solo (with myself) or with family, especially my son and/or husband.
How old are you?
I was born in 1994 😉
If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact me!
Happy globetrotting!
Digital Scrap Book of Ari's International Travels
