A break from my typical travel content to share finale thoughts of Dancing with the Stars, season 34. I've been watching the show for over 10 years and wanted to share my theories of why the show results happen the way that they do now. Also, to share brief responses to the the Call Her Daddy Episode featuring Mark Ballas and Whitney Leavitt. I didn't feel strongly towards Whitney one way or the other but I share some surprising thoughts and emotions that came up for me with my own relationship to ballroom dance as I watched her journey and "final bow."

Margaret Manning shares her journey of travel, detailing the spontaneity of her 20s which lead her to teach in Korea and meeting her husband in Australia, among many other adventures. Today, she continues to travel through teaching yoga with SoulFlow Journeys Yoga, celebrating friendship milestones globally and fostering family connections in London, which allows her to raise her sons with that same spirit of adventure and connection. She seeks to provide her family with a lifelong sense of belonging across cultures that began in her childhood.

Tune in for a few life updates - my Asia trip countdown, new clubs I’m starting (film photography and a journal club) and a few of my favorite things: Vibe Check Podcast, Good Things Cookbook x Samin Nosrat, and the rebranded podcast Good Noticings, formerly The Celebrity Memoir Bookclub.

Also, a new connection Mike Montazeri shares his experience traveling through Wyoming, building communities in the places he travels for work and his unconventional advice — not over-planning a trip but leaving room for spontaneity.

This week, I had the absolute pleasure interviewing a friend of a friend, Olivia Ledbetter on all things Alabama, Austin, TX, creativity, travel budgeting and lessons on the deep south.

TLDR highlights to add to your list of Goodreads or vacation spots:

• Experience the essence of the Deep South through a southern read, Strange Folk by Alli Dyer

• Bookmark this Poetry & Creativity retreat produced by Krista Tippett and Pádraig Ó Tuama. Check out others hosted at St. Columba Hotel

• A top recommended Alabama destination: Muscle Shoals

• Related to Olivia’s PSA on Alabama having the best beaches, I just discovered this article about a re-opened “Scenic Coastal Amtrak Route Connecting New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama.”

This conversation certainly sparked a fresh curiosity about southern culture, appreciating family and community and the journey of finding belonging in a transient upbringing and through adulthood. I hope you are equally inspired!

This week is a quick little hello! I’ll be sharing some thoughts on my Asia trip 2025 plan and the timeline of the details my friend, Nadia and I have established to prepare for our travels together this fall including this day trip to Ha Long Bay and bookmarking this lunch spot that Obama and Anthony Bourdain ate at in Vietnam.

I also did my first show recap of Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross. I actually do not recommend but let me know if you checked it out and what your thoughts were. It’s more on the entertaining side than educational/inspirational, IMO.

Thanks for listening and following along, as always!

This week, my friend Eli Rooney shares his adventures of taking a solo birthday trip shortly after the pandemic, booking a sunrise tour in Bali right after the 25 hour plane ride and the “magic words” he learned while touring around Japan for 13 days:

• Kore o kudasai = this please

• Kore mo kudasai = this as well please

• Sore o kudasai = that please

• Sore mo kudasai = that as well please

These phrases are good to know in any country you may find yourself in (in the respective language, of course). I thoroughly enjoyed his storytelling and hope you enjoyed as well!

Eli is a visual content creator and his work can be found on most platforms @elirooney (IG | TikTok)

In this episode Sean shares the ups and downs of his last three years of solo travel as a way of life including his global community that keeps him company, moving forward and staying connected. We also recounted how we spontaneously met in person on the streets of New York, which is one of my favorite NY/travel moments ever!Follow Sean on IG: https://www.instagram.com/seanwithcats/

You might want to listen to this at 2x speed but here’s my entire chronology of living in New York and all the jobs and apartments I had. There’s so many aspects of NY living that I hope to share more in the future. In this episode, I talk about how I went from getting fired from an office job to ending up on a photo shoot of Michael Urie for the NYT with Gabriela Herman.

Away & a Broad's first guest featuring Jen Birkhofer! In this conversation, we discuss all things solo travel from how to budget before and during a trip, being prepared with key phrases in the language of your destination and the endless possibilities of all the places you could go.

Follow Jen on her Instagram and Website.

Have you ever planned a trip centered around 1 event? I love booking a quick trip whenever I can since even 24 hours away can provide such a nice mental break in the daily grind. This episode, I'm sharing about how I booked a trip mostly just to see Ocean Vuong live for his new book, The Emperor of Gladness.