When I got off the bus in Merida, it sounded like the birds were having a war with one another. They were tropical birds that I’d never heard before. It was November, but it felt like the middle of summer….
An Introvert’s Guide to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a magical time. Something comes over people in this city, and it becomes a lawless land of joy and revelry. I grew up in Mississippi just over an hour from New Orleans, so for…
My First Glimpse of the Yucatan Peninsula, and Why I Did Not Like Cancun
A couple years ago when we were all feeling restless from quarantine, I started thinking about a trip to Mexico. My mom was going through cancer treatment, so I knew that I didn’t want to go anywhere for more than…
Stereotypes, First Impressions, and a Complicated Story About the Most Dangerous Place I’ve Ever Been
The first time I ever left the United States was on a mission trip to the Mexican border when I was in 9th grade. When I think about how I started traveling, I often accidentally overlook this trip. I think…
The Coziest Weekend at Front Beach Cottages in Ocean Springs, Mississippi
My favorite professor in college taught a Travel Writing class. I was obsessed with traveling, but I worried that I hadn’t traveled anywhere worth writing about. One of my classmates had spent the past several years circumnavigating the world in…
The 15 Best Books I Read in 2023
2023 was a strange year for reading. I spent more time writing than reading, but then I’d feel sudden reading withdrawals and scramble to binge short audio books. (Yes, audio books count!) I read 80 books in 2023, but I…