My Travel Genesis

Many have asked me, “How’d you get into travel?” I’m not sure that I ‘got into travel’ as much as travel was already in me! For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to see the world. I read a lot and always knew that I wanted to actually experience the places, people, and cultures that I read about. My mother also subconsciously instilled that wanderlust in me. She grew up as a poor black kid in the rural south, and rarely had the opportunity to go anywhere. Even just going to town was a rare occurrence. She was determined that no matter what, she would see the world, and she put for every effort to ensure that her children did as well. My travel beginnings were very humble. Childhood trips generally included my mom’s car, a bag with snacks, and wandering through many little towns, sleeping in motels that I know I wouldn’t step foot in now. However, even though there were no 4 star hotels, I absolutely LOVED every minute of it! We took a lot of day trips and overnight trips to the mountains or the beach. I have great memories of those times in Kitty Hawk, NC, Chesapeake Bay, VA, Asheville, NC and more.

My first big trip to Disney World…talk about a great time! I know that was when I fell in love with flying. Air travel has changed so much over the years. I no longer love it, but back then? OMG! That was such an amazing experience to be propelled into the air, then actually arrive at a destination that was hundreds of miles away, within a matter of minutes. I think I was 6 years old and, like all little kids, a trip to Walt Disney World was my dream vacation. Traveling with my budget-conscious mom was a great experience because she ensured that we got out and saw way beyond WDW. She didn’t mind the tourist places, but she was determined that we would see more than that. I’ve continued that ‘off-the-beaten-path’ travel philosophy throughout my life.

I know that travel was in my blood because the Universe continued to throw travel in my path, even when I wasn’t trying. I was a shy, quiet little girl, but really enjoyed public speaking. I used to speak at local churches and community events, and ultimately got the opportunity to speak at my national church conference. That opportunity was quite an amazing experience, as I appeared on the program alongside the esteemed Andy Young. Dr. Benjamin Chavis, who at that time was Executive Director of the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice, heard my speech and extended an opportunity for me to represent the Commission at an international youth conference in Angola, Africa. Talk about amazed! I was 9 years old, and while my mom wanted to make sure that I saw the world, at that point, I had only been on 2 airplane trips: Orlando, Florida and Fort Worth, Texas. It was a mad dash as we only had about 3 weeks to get passports, travel vaccinations, and prepare myself to travel thousands of miles away to a different continent. I was allowed to bring 4 other people, so I selected my older sister, 2 young ladies from my church, and of course, my mom as the chaperone. That was truly the final straw in solidifying my travel addiction. We were in Africa for 1 month, and had the opportunity to interact from people from 27different countries. What an amazing experience! I learned a little bit about a lot of different places, and my need to see more of this incredible planet went to a whole new level.

At the same conference where I was blessed with the trip to Angola, I also found how to achieve my other dream of attending boarding school. I’d always wanted to attend boarding school – I loved the tv sitcom The Facts of Life. I found out that my denomination was actually affiliated with 2 boarding schools! My mom put her foot down on that one and informed me that I was NOT allowed to leave home until high school. ☹ I think she may have thought I’d forget by then, LOL, but nope. I was determined. When I got to 8^th grade, I filled out my admissions and financial aid applications, and the next year, my travel journey began again. I spent all 4 of my high school years at Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. It was such an amazing experience, and gave me an opportunity to interact with people from all over the world. It was truly, truly amazing, and again, my travel bug was nurtured even more. During those 4 years, I had opportunities to visit multiple states, took my 1^st cruise where I fell in love with the Caribbean, took my 1^st trip over spring break without my mom, and lived vicariously through 1 of my best friends who studied abroad in Spain during our junior year. By the time I graduated, I was officially a travel addict!

I started a part-time job at a hotel during my freshman year of college. Couple my wanderlust with discounted hotel rooms and definitely travel addiction is inevitable! I continued to travel as often as possible, and ultimately worked my way up in the hotel industry. After leaving my post as a Reservations Manager for a 4 diamond luxury golf resort, I launched my own travel agency. I continued to learn and work in travel, even while maintaining employment in other industries, including law enforcement administration, biotech & pharma. Ultimately, life landed me in travel full time in 2015, and thanks to encouragement & investment from my business partner, I launched Genesis Travel Group in January 2019. I am officially all-in with all things travel. I continue to travel as often as possible, and work hard to curate amazing travel experiences for my clients. So where do you wanna go?