I am Kayla, a thirty one year old, Virginia based travel blogger public health communicator. In 2014, I created a lifestyle blog that has since evolved to focus on travel.

I took my first solo trip at 23 years old because I didn’t want to spend my life waiting—for the right partner, a group of friends, the perfect timing, or a green light from someone else. I booked a trip to New Orleans for a week, packed my bags, and off I went. I fell in love with being by myself on that trip. I fell in love with curiosity, courage, and a willingness to explore. Many magical moments in The Big Easy showed me I could approach the world at my own pace. That I could learn as I went and make spontaneous decisions without compromise. That I could discover new places while also discovering new parts of myself.

Solo travel was my way of saying yes to the present, and years later—through a cancer diagnosis, the loss of my mother, a career change, and many more life altering events—I’m still saying yes. Tell me you’ll say yes with me?