Welcome to My Blog!
I retired in 2013 after 23 years as an international flight attendant while living and raising two children in Singapore. I became an empty nester in 2018 when my son graduated college, and my daughter started college. I moved back to Singapore in 2018 and once again lived the ex-pat lifestyle, but as it is with ex-pats, most of my ex-pat friends had transitioned. As an empty nester, I didn’t have much in common with the new ex-pat mothers I met. However, whenever I met new people, just as always, conversations evolved around travel once they realized I was a former flight attendant. People often ask me questions and opinions about travel, so in 2020, I decided to blog about it.
I knew my behind-the-scenes view of travel and travel experiences as a woman of color would make my blog different from many other travel blogs. Being a Black woman, my experience as a flight attendant, extensive travel experience, and ex-pat life give me a different perspective. I hope you can learn from these amazing moments in my life and gain insights on how to best prepare for your next domestic and, or international travels.
Please, remember to like and share my blogs with your friends and family!
Your Expert Traveling Coach,
Dr. Donna
Travel and culture revisited
I wrote about this topic last year, but I believe it is important to revisit it this year as well. I currently live in SE Asia, where the celebration of the Chinese New Year is an important and revered time. This years' lunar new year also falls on the first day of...
Travel but expect the unexpected.
When people think of travel, they often have thoughts of all the wonderful things they expect to happen. Suppose it's a beach vacation; travelers think of sunny beaches and warm waters. If it's a winter vacation, many will think about the snow and the incredible...
How to make your holiday stay feel more at home?
Most hotel rooms are standard, but you don’t have to see your holiday stay as a sterile place. Incorporating personal touches into your hotel room can enhance the vacation experience. Here are five ways I try to add my personal touch to a room when I travel. Unpack....
What your flight attendants may know about you when you board an airplane?
In my years as a flight attendant, I have had passengers try to claim premium seats, embellish their airline status, and even claim to have paid more for their ticket than they did. Passengers do not realize that the flight crew is provided a passenger...
Travel as an empty nester.
When children are grown and live independently, essentially leaving the nest, the parents become empty nesters. As children grow and become young adults, parents’ focus can now be more self-centered. Parents tend to do things for themselves, and travel becomes more...
How to apply for a US passport?
Traveling expands your life more than anything else, whether domestically or internally. The US is a beautiful country, and there is plenty to see and do, but if you want to travel internationally, you must have a US passport. If you already have a US passport, take...
How Covid testing impacts your travel budget?
Covid testing and travel have almost become synonymous. If you travel internationally, a negative Covid test is needed to get into the country. I recently traveled to Bangkok, Thailand, from Singapore. I had to take 10 Covid tests to complete the trip. I now...
Why I love living in Singapore?
It’s my second time living in Singapore as an ex-pat. I told my husband that if he ever got an opportunity to live here again, he needed to sign on the dotted line; my approval was a given. I did not expect to be back here again, but I love living on the little red...
Value Added Tax (VAT) refund.
Many tourists are unaware of the VAT refund and how to claim it. Every year, tourists leave behind thousands of dollars in unclaimed refunds because they are unaware of VAT or think the system is too cumbersome to apply. The process is similar in many countries, so...
Do you really want Thailand to “out with the old, and in with the new?”
Walking around Thailand this year-end has left me a bit reflective. During my visit, I got to stay at two different hotels, the Conrad Bangkok, and the Anantara Siam Bangkok hotel. Each hotel is beautiful in its way, and yet I found myself awed by the old-world...
A quick glance of Bangkok, Thailand
There are a few things that make Thailand unique and my latest visit to Bangkok has reminded me of a few I’d like to share with you. Sidewalks.If you plan to walk in Bangkok, wear sensible walking shoes. Sidewalks will often start out as such but will often veer off...
What do travelers not realize about checked luggage?
I recently read a recent article about someone finding their packed luggage filled with Christmas gifts, stolen, and replaced with trash and dog food. I don’t know the facts of the situation, but the story made the news. I have heard of items missing from luggage...