Club Monaco Jacket {similar here and here on sale!} // White Skirt {similar} // Striped Turtleneck {similar} // Vera Bradley Travel Bag // Over The Knee Boots // Pearl Necklace

If you’re anything like me, you constantly have the travel bug. Whether it’s planning a weekend getaway outside of Chicago or dreaming of an international trip, nothing makes me happier than packing my bags and exploring. And I love going {almost} everywhere and anywhere, and I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to travel as much as I have in my 28 years on earth.

Last year, my word of the year was “adventure” – and I planned a few trips that were just that  – especially my trip to Patagonia and Buenos Aires. It was a big lesson in how amazing it can be to step out of your comfort zone, climbing mountains I never thought I could, conversing in pretty basic Spanish but getting the job done {phew!}, and seeing another corner of the world I hadn’t explored before.

And this year is shaping up to be another big adventure – from mini-weekend getaways to hopefully a big trip later this summer. I’ve already been to Florida earlier this month {I missed the sun!}, and I’m planning on weddings in Santa Monica, Sonoma, and Kansas City in the coming months too! While I love Chicago, sometimes it’s important to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city and break your routine. I feel like I get stuck in the minutia of the same day to day, so the opportunity to go out and explore something new is always appreciated.  Traveling has always been something that I’ve needed in my life, and my parents instilled a love of traveling in me when I was a teeny tiny kiddo. My parents are kinda awesome hippies, so while some of my friends would go to Disney Land and all inclusive resorts, my parents would take me on a few week long trips to rural Mexico and we could road trip and city-hop across the country.

It was a very eye-opening and humbling experience because it was so outside the norm of living in the Midwest in the US. I discovered that fried crickets are a delicacy {and actually pretty good!}, that to my dismay you really see see everything there is to see about the process of selling meat at open air markets, that people are excited when you make a mask out of a fresh tortilla, and how lucky I was to have so many basic needs that sometimes other 7 year olds didn’t have in small towns. Trips to Mexico made me more humble and grateful, while instilling that travel bug in me. Now I try to explore a new country each year, using up all my vacation time for another big adventure.  And as for that big trip this year? I’ve been dreaming of spending a week or two in Morocco, a country I’ve always wanted to visit since high school. A boyfriend in high school was first generation American from Morocco and his dad would tell vibrant stories about the culture and his life there – plus he made the best Moroccan food, which really sealed the deal! I’m still dreaming of those couscous balls to this day.

I’ve been looking into flights, pinning Pinterest guides like it’s my part-time job, and pretending like I can afford a few really swanky hotels  that I see in crazy Instagram posts{ha!}. I’m excited to check out the spice markets, hit up the beach, explore the beautiful architecture and live out my Casablanca-loving dreams channeling my inner Ingrid Bergman. Have any recommendations? Please share because I’m still in the planning stages and would love any advice and help! In other exciting news – I was recently featured on Vera Bradley’s blog, rocking my new favorite travel bag, the large duffel travel bag in canyon sunset! Check out more about my Moroccan adventures and what I’m looking forward to in 2017! They were so sweet to feature me and I’d love for you to check it out! xx