Happy New Year

Hello there.

Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Tea, and I love to travel. And in this new COVID world, life and traveling have been difficult. I had so many ideas for what I would do with my blog in 2020. That didn’t go well. then I said 2021 will be the year. Ultimately, nothing happened. I worried about the message I would be sending by traveling during a pandemic. And I was dealing with too many other things in my personal and professional life to find the time and energy for blogging. So nothing happened on VoyagesofTea.com for a long while.

Unfortunately, COVID is here to stay. Fortunately, I am vaccinated, and I wear my mask and try to travel as safely and responsibly as possible. In 2021 I did manage to travel to visit family and friends. And in 2022, I will continue trekking on. I absolutely plan to be mindful of the news and new developments in COVID variants and different countries’ travel restrictions. And I invite folks to follow me and my blog as I try to navigate this ever-changing landscape.

I’m not sure where I’m going next. And you’re probably not sure of your next trip either. Until then, and to start the new year off with some self-reflection, I’ve made the FREE travel journal printable below. I love to journal. I use journaling to reflect on my past, cultivate gratitude, and steer myself to a successful future. When I was journaling back in January 2020 about needing a restful vacation, it led me to Antigua. I don’t know where my January 2022 journaling will lead me, but I know it will be somewhere amazing. May your journaling lead you somewhere fantastic as well. Like, to the Grand Canyon where I took this incredible photo.

Wherever you go, safe travels.

7-travel-journaling-promptsDownload

Goodbye 2020 (For December 2020)

2020 was rough. The beginning of 2021 will also be rough. But things aren’t all bad, and I want to take a moment to reflect on a few positives. First, despite my lack of consistency and two outstanding posts for 2020, I did blog more this year than in 2019. Traveling and blogging more were big goals of mine for 2020, and even though I couldn’t travel more, I’m happy I did blog more. Second, people continued to read and like my blog posts, and new people continued to follow the blog. Thank you to everyone who read along in 2020. Third, looking ahead to 2021, I’m excited to finish several projects I started and/or thought of in 2020. Stay tuned!

I don’t have much else to say. I’m utterly exhausted from the holidays and living through such a turbulent year. Happy New Year to you. I wish you all the best in 2021!

“Sightseeing” in NYC During COVID & Super Last Minute Gift Ideas for Travelers (For September 2020)

So I meant to get this post out much sooner, but alas, energy and motivation are in short supply during this pandemic. Fortunately, I buy my gifts well in advance of Christmas, so I’m not still struggling with gifts. However, I know some folks are still looking for ideas for last-minute gifts. While these gift ideas are New York City themed and represent a way to “see” the city without traveling, these ideas are also applicable to many other popular cities and places.

Continue reading ““Sightseeing” in NYC During COVID & Super Last Minute Gift Ideas for Travelers (For September 2020)”

Free Travel Fund Printables (For August 2020)

Despite COVID, I continue to save for travel, wherever and whenever my next trip may be. I usually roll over leftover cash from one trip to another and add more money a month or two before traveling. Over the summer I started putting aside small bills ($5s and $10s) for when I eventually travel. To help me keep track of my cash savings, I made the templates below and thought I’d share. I know I want to go on a cruise and a road trip, so I created templates specifically for those travel experiences. And I have a general travel savings template. The templates are great on their own, or cut them up and put them on a vision board. Whichever option you choose, use these printables and other posts on my blog to plan your post-COVID trip(s) to Antigua, Aruba, Liverpool, Guyana, Mexico City, New Orleans, New York City, or Suriname.

Continue reading “Free Travel Fund Printables (For August 2020)”

Travel Basics 100: 3 Things to Know Before Visiting NYC (For July 2020)

With the pandemic still raging around the globe, and circumstances being especially bad in the United States, traveling to and from NYC is difficult. That said, the city is a popular destination that millions will flock back to once things get under control. To get you ready for that, here are three things to know before you start packing for your NYC vacation. This post will focus on the bare basics of getting to know the city. I’ll have additional posts about navigating the city, New Yorkers, and suggestions for things to do.

Continue reading “Travel Basics 100: 3 Things to Know Before Visiting NYC (For July 2020)”

Virtual Travel, Yay or Nay? (For June 2020)

During this ongoing pandemic, many virtual travel experiences popped up to tide people over and provide socially distant travel alternatives. I myself tried out 3 virtual options – visiting the MET, touring a national park, and cooking with a French chef. Being 100% honest, virtual travel was not for me and it fell painfully flat in comparison to real travel. That said, of the options I tried, virtual travel cooking was the best and I would recommend other people give it a try.

Continue reading “Virtual Travel, Yay or Nay? (For June 2020)”

A Simple Treat (For May 2020)

As a black woman living in the United States, 2020 has been particularly stressful and exhausting. Additionally, one of my mechanisms for coping with stress and finding joy in the world – traveling – is no longer something I can do. So instead, I’ve found new stress relief methods, while bringing travel home to me, via food.
If you’d like to bring home a little taste of the world, one of the easiest Guyanese treats to make is cream soda and milk. I’m not sure if this is exclusively a Guyanese thing, but I don’t know of any other countries that do it.
Cream Soda & Milk

Step 1: Get milk. Preferably canned or powdered milk, but other kinds of milk will work too. Continue reading “A Simple Treat (For May 2020)”

Site Updates and Quarantine Activities

Updates

Hello everyone! Voyages of Tea has gotten an update. I wanted to make the site navigation easier, so I switched themes. Hopefully, this does the trick. But, I will likely keep tinkering with things over the next few months.

My other update is I will be posting about once a month until the end of quarantines and travel bans. I understand that this is a difficult time, and I want to be sensitive to that. I realize that travel may no longer be a priority for many people, so I want to hold off on posting things that may seem out of touch with reality. For the people that are sleeping with their passports and eagerly waiting to book their next trip, I’ll have a few new posts, and you can read some of my older ones.

Three Quarantine (at home) Travel ActivitiesContinue reading “Site Updates and Quarantine Activities”

TEAtime: Antigua (Part 3)

This is the final post in my 2020 March Madness series. If you haven’t checked out the other posts, go check them out! Click here for Antigua part 1, part 2, and part 2.5. This blog post is about things to do in St. John, Antigua.Continue reading “TEAtime: Antigua (Part 3)”

Antigua Glamping Walkthrough Vlog

After returning from my solo trip to Antigua, I realized that I had a good amount of footage of my glamping tent and decided to make a vlog. The video is basically a walkthrough of the tent, the shower, and the bathroom. It’s nothing spectacular but, I made it for anyone who still had lingering questions after reading my previous blog post. (The video is also a nice change of pace from just reading.)

To skip the intro go to 4:25.

 

I look forward to glamping again in other countries. And maybe making more YouTube videos if people liked this one. Leave a like or comment to let me know if you did.

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