About

Welcome to Travel Delightz! I'm Emily, and I love to wander the world in search of delightz - you know, the things you stumble upon, big and small, that spark wonder and joy - like great food, kind people, new connections, amazing views, local art, and other unexpected discoveries in new places. 

 

My love for travel started early, thanks to my older siblings, who always shared stories and photos from their global adventures. Shortly after graduating from college, my brother encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone by booking a trip to meet him in Bali. I'd never traveled internationally alone before, and the thought of navigating foreign airports and unfamiliar cities filled me with anxiety. This journey, however, represented a personal milestone after a challenging year of navigating my mental health.

 

Determined to reclaim my independence, I found myself nervously boarding a plane bound for Tokyo, feeling both terrified and exhilarated about what was ahead.

I vividly remember wandering Tokyo's airport during my layover, uncertain about even simple choices like what to eat. I remember my confidence building after successfully navigating to my hotel in Bangkok alone in the middle of the night, narrowly avoiding a comical mishap of accidentally ordering a limousine instead of a regular taxi! By the time I landed in Bali ahead of my brother, I felt an overwhelming sense of excitement and empowerment exploring a new city on my own. That trip transformed my fears into curiosity for other places and people and ignited an enduring love for travel.

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A few years later, I was able to share this love with my now husband when we traveled together to Vietnam, his first journey outside North America. Within minutes of our arrival, we discovered we'd completely misunderstood Vietnam's weather patterns and spontaneously rearranged our entire itinerary on the spot. Our adventure took us motorbiking through rural landscapes, cruising among the limestone cliffs of Halong Bay, and wandering Vietnam's biggest cities. Along the way, we experienced the extraordinary kindness of the Vietnamese people, fell in love with Vietnamese coffee, and developed a genuine respect and appreciation for Vietnam's culture, food, and landscape. Needless to say, he was hooked too, and from there on out, traveling as much as we could became a goal of ours and has been a source of true delight, curiosity, and connection - not only in our relationship with each other, but in our relationship to the world around us. 

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Travel Delightz is our way of capturing these special experiences and sharing them with you, with hopes that you can use them to inform your own travel. Here, you'll find our personal travel stories, practical recommendations, detailed itineraries, hidden gems we've uncovered, and plenty of inspiration to fuel your next adventure. Join us as we explore the world, one delight at a time!