If you asked me how I’d choose to cross the country, I wouldn’t point you toward the airport. Sure, my car is easier, and a plane is faster, but speed is the enemy of a good story.

When I travel, I’m not just looking for a change of scenery; I’m looking for connection. I want the kind of trips where you’re forced to slow down long enough to actually meet the person sitting across from you. That’s why I’d choose a train or a long-distance bus every single time. There is something so “cute”—so human—about sharing a few hours of track or road with a stranger and ending up in a deep conversation about their life, their heartbreaks, and their experiences.
The Travel Uniform:
You won’t find me in anything restrictive. I’m a firm believer in the “comfy traveler” aesthetic. Give me my favorite joggers, an oversized sweatshirt, and the freedom to just be.
The Color of My Soul:
If you see me on that train, I’ll be wearing purple.
Purple isn’t just a color to me; it’s an identity. I want to be known as “the purple girl.” To me, purple people are the ones who are open and talkative—the kind of people you can share your secrets with while the world blurs past the window. They have a certain energy that says, “Your story is safe with me.”
As an English teacher, I’m always analyzing characters in books, but on a train, I get to meet the real ones. I’m traveling with the hope of meeting more “purple people”, the talkative souls, the deep thinkers, and the ones who aren’t afraid to have a nice, long chat about the things that actually matter.
The Travel Soundtrack:

• “Vienna” – Billy Joel: A reminder that “the beyond” can wait and there’s beauty in the slow-down.
• “Fast Car” – Tracy Chapman: For that feeling of hope looking out a blurred window.
• “Rivers and Roads” – The Head and the Heart: A song for the people we’ve lost and the ones we’ve yet to meet.

“Be like the flower that gives its fragrance even to the hand that crushes it.”
— Ali ibn Abi Talib (R.A.)

I’m packed in purple and wearing my softest sweats, keeping my heart open for the next stranger with a story to tell. I’ve realized that the best part of the journey isn’t the destination, but the moment a stranger becomes a “purple person” right before your eyes, (even my AirPods are purple. (: ) proving that none of us are ever truly as alone as our thoughts try to tell us we are. 💜🚂✨