Travel Tip #2

Travel Tip Number Two: How to stay healthy while traveling?

a. Crush Vitamin C whenever you can: When you travel, your immune system can take a major hit as you navigate airports, airplanes, public restrooms, taxis, and other germ infested areas, so its very important to keep your immune system healthy and happy. In my experience vitamin c is one the best ways to do that.

b. Get a good night sleep whenever you can: Traveling is undeniably exhausting, but also unforgettable; needless to say, you want to be awake to enjoy it! The first one to two days after arriving at your destination are vital when it comes to getting your sleeping schedule on point. My go to tip when traveling across numerous time zones is to try to sleep when it’s nighttime even if I’m not tired. This will help you get on the time zone of your destination, and give you needed energy to enjoy the remainder of your trip!

c. Be mindful while eating street food: Street food can be a great way to get delicious cheap food you can’t find anywhere else, but if its not prepared correctly or safely you can get very sick! And after all no one wants to get sick while they are on a trip! My advice is to enjoy street food but also keep in mind that some places, especially in the third world, don’t have the same food safety standards as the in the west. So trust your gut and play it safe!

 

Hope you enjoyed this installment in my Travel Tip series! Stay tuned for more travel tips and blog posts!

Travel Tip #1

Hey Everyone! I just wanted to share a series of some of my fave travel tips with you guys! Since I started traveling, I have been collecting ideas and ways that I like travel so I wanted share those with you just in case you might be mildly interested. So here we go!

Tip Number One: How to Navigate the Airport

International airports are usually the opposite of exciting for most people but I actually really love them. While I’m at the airport I’m surrounded by thoughts of the impending departure to my destination/home… but that just me and I’m weird haha. Even though airports are exciting to me, they can be SOOOOO stressful to everyone else. Most people absolutely dread having to stand in a line to check in, stand in line again to go through security, wait in yet ANOTHER line for immigration, and then run to your gate (that might change) and then wait to get on a smelly plane with 300 of your closest friends for the next 8-15 hours of your life. Sounds like a nightmare right? It doesn’t have to be! heres my airport checklist to ensure a chill and un-stressful airport experience.

a. Check in Online or in the Airline’s App! this is like one of the most helpful tools that airlines give you! even if you are checking baggage checking in online will still save you time! When you arrive at the airport you will most likely be able to go straight to a special desk at the airline’s check in zone that only accepts passengers that just have to drop their baggage off.

b. Arrive 2-3 hours before your flight (2 for domestic/3 for International) No one wants to rush through an airport and barely make their flight, but you also don’t wanna sit for 3 hours in an uncomfortable airport chair. 2-3 hours gives you plenty of time to arrive drop your bags, if you have them (I prefer carry-ons lol), go through security, grab a coffee and chill at your gate before boarding. 

c. ALWAYS bring snacks to the airport. Because travel is generally stressful its always good move to bring a light snack with you the airport to calm your nerves and to save a few bucks because airport prices are wack. I generally lean towards a granola bar, some sort of trail mix, or a simple sandwich. But be careful because most airports don’t allow fresh fruits (Bananas, oranges, apples, etc.) through security! So stick to the simpler packaged snacks.

d. Stay relaxed (if you can) When I first started traveling I had really bad travel anxiety so I’d be soooo stressed whenever I was at the airport. I got over my travel anxiety by relaxing myself and thinking about where I going but not how I’m getting there. My go to relaxers are listening to music and reading a good book. Its good to get your mind off of your current situation and on positive thoughts!

Project!

Greetings Everyone!

For some time I’ve been thinking about how I can use my love and knowledge of travel to help people and maybe make some extra cash. With that I’ve decided to add a page to my blog where you can submit a form asking me to find flights, hotels, and other aspects of travel for you. In the form you give me your price range, travel dates, services requested, etc. and I will search the internet and send you a list of options according to your specifications and requests (Unfortunately I cannot assist in the booking process but I will do my best to help you find the best options!). 

The best part of this is that this is a completely free service! I do ask that you would leave a donation of ANY amount as a gift for the service rendered. The money raised here will go towards future missions trips and travel opportunities. I have various digital money sharing apps that make donating easy. If you would like to make a donation please email me and I will give you my information for a digital $ transfer. 

If you would like to take part in this new venture of mine please visit the “Travel Inquiries” page on this website.

I hope that through this new venture I can serve the body of Christ and just simply help people get where they want to go! 

Blessings,

Sri Lanka

This past January 2019 I had the opportunity to travel to Sri Lanka with a friend of mine on a missions trip. While we were there we met a former MBC&S student, fellowshipped with his church, evangelized the streets, beach, and slums of Colombo, handed out numerous bibles, tracts, and other christian literature, and visited a christian English training center in the northern part of the country. While we were in Sri Lanka I was shocked to see how open people were to the Gospel. We were able to hand out hundreds of tracts in only a couple hours. Another shocking thing was that almost no one would refuse a gospel tract. That was a very stark contrast to evangelism in the USA, where it is very hard to pass out that many tracts. In Sri Lanka I witnessed God’s amazing love for people of all cultures and that no matter how far we were from home, God was doing a work. While I was in Sri Lanka I really developed a greater love for prayer and realized the powerful affect it has on our daily lives. Please pray for the Governmental stability of Sri Lanka as well as the Christian Church there. Even though God is doing a great work there, the devil is sending an even greater attack. But the attack has no power against our God and the power of our prayers!

India

This past January 2019 my friend and I had the chance to visit Mumbai, India for a few days while on our way to Sri Lanka. While we were in Mumbai we spent time with some of  the young people there, evangelized a few parts of the city, visited a christian school with 3500 students, visited an orphanage with 65 boys, and visited 3 local affiliated churches including a new church plant in downtown Mumbai. From the moment I stepped off the plane, I fell in love with India: the people, the buildings, and atmosphere, and most importantly the churches. The Church in Mumbai is living and on fire for God, which was such a blessing to witness. In all of my travels, I don’t think I have ever felt so connected to a place. While I was in India God really spoke to me about being courageous and bold when we are sharing the Gospel, abroad and at home. In Closing, the spirit of God is doing a fantastic work in India and I am so glad that I was able to witness it first hand. Please pray for people of India because they are searching for the truth everywhere but God. Pray that God will soften and speak to the hearts of the people in India.

Philippines

This past November 2018 I had the opportunity to travel to the Philippines with 4 other students from my college and a pastor from my church on a two week missions trip. On this trip we visited two affiliated churches and spent some quality time with them. The bulk of our time was spent in Dumaguete City, which is a small city in the ‘Visayas’ region of The Philippines. While we were in Dumaguete we spent time with the body, evangelized different parts of the city and surrounding areas, visited the homes of church members, visited a couple neighboring islands, hosted a youth rally, hosted a thanksgiving dinner, and spent some quality time with the young people in the church. This trip really gave me a renewed love and fire for missions. While we were there God really put it on my heart to grow in my personal walk with God and my ministry back in Baltimore. Looking back on this trip, it was such a joy to spend time with with the church in Dumaguete, and to get to know their young people more.  God is doing a great work their and it was such a blessing to visit them, and I would encourage you to pray for the church over there as well.

I would encourage you if you haven’t already been on an international mission trip, just go and witness God’s incredible work throughout the world. Its truly a life changing and eye opening experience.

 

A Dream Coming True

This past January I had the opportunity to travel across the entire country of China to nine different cities over the span of five weeks. During that time I had the chance to visit places that I had only seen on tv like the Great Wall, the panda sanctuary, and the terra-cotta warriors. This trip was especially meaningful to me because ever since I was a child I had dreamed of going to China and seeing these magnificent things and learning the stories behind them. And finally visiting those places and discovering the meaning behind them just filled my heart with great joy and happiness.

China is an incredible place, but the differences between our cultures are evident in every area. But it is those differences that drew me to love it even more. On that trip I discovered a deep love for their culture and their people that I will never forget. After experiencing China, I developed a deep connection to it and it’s people that will stick with me for a lifetime. This is what travel does to you, are you ready to go?

Have you ever felt connected to a country you’ve visited? What made you feel that way? What’s one place you really want to go to?

The Beginning

About three years ago I stepped out of my comfort zone and traveled to Budapest, Hungary for a church conference. On that trip I saw new cultures, met new people, and heard from God distinctly for the first time. After that trip I was hooked and knew I wanted to spend all of the energy on traveling the world, and sharing the gospel to the lost and dying world.

Theres just something about going to a new place that is completely foreign to you. Its exhilarating, a little scary, but so worth it. Traveling opens your mind to different world views, religions, and cultures that you might not be use to seeing in your everyday life. It gives you a new perspective and makes you think about your life and what you have been blessed with.

Here we are now, nearly three years later and a few trips under my belt. Through my experiences I have developed a love for sharing my experiences with others and showing them how amazing traveling is. I can honestly say that traveling has changed my life and given me something live for! So I challenge you, if you haven’t gone on a trip somewhere  abroad yet, just go! Don’t even worry about the finances or logistics, just let God do the work.

How about you? Have you been somewhere? Has travel affected your life too? Please share your experiences!