Hey There! 

I’m back! I just got home from a yummy Thanksgiving in Cancun with my family. Before that, I spent time in Africa, followed by a conference In Las Vegas. After six weeks of travel, I’m barely unpacked but I’m glad to be back home in Boulder—for a minute couple anyway. I have two more business trips over the next couple weeks and after those I head to my beach house in San Diego County to chillax for the rest of the year. 

When I planned my trip to Africa, I knew I would be roughing it. I was going to the bush and I knew what to expect. (For the most part anyway.) But … there were a few surprises. Wanna hear about it? 

Okay! 

First let me say this: I’ll admit I like the niceties. For instance, I’m the kind of girl that showers after an airplane ride—and twice a day during the summer months. I definitely sleep better on my comfy sheets and weighted comforter, along with tons of pillows. 

And even though I work from home, I STILL like to dress up to work. I love to shop and just because I work from home doesn’t mean I don’t get to enjoy my wardrobe. My morning routine also often includes a blow dry and maybe a hot iron. 

Now about those surprises in Africa…. 

Electricity and Internet 

Once on safari, I knew there would be no blow dryer. There would also be no charging my iPhone or laptop. And of course, bad Internet. Now, I’m not gonna lie. This is challenging for me. I run an online business so not being able to connect can be stressful.

Can I let you in on a secret? 

I actually liked the fact that no one could reach me and expect me to respond. Whew! Nice break. 

When we DID have WiFi it was spotty. I had to work through some of my old thought patterns and just remember my life/business was not going to fall apart if I couldn’t stay connected for a few days. 

Access to Water

In the African bush, there were issues with showering and hot water. At first I thought I was going to be annoyed, but I wasn’t. I “scheduled” my hot shower for 7:45 am and actually decided to take a cold one instead. It was kind of refreshing, but I went back to taking a hot one at night! 

And there were also flushing issues. We all have to go and sometimes conditions aren’t ideal, right? I reminded myself I’d actually experienced worse, as I’m sure most have. 

We were not able to use water from the faucet to drink or brush our teeth. But you know, bottled water works fine. 

Gross Food: My biggest challenge. (I like to eat more than I like to shop.) I lived on starchy carbs for a week and went days without being, uh, regular. 

Instead of focusing on the inconveniences and allowing them to ruin my trip, I shifted my thinking and had an amazing experience.

My mantra was: “I’m in friggin’ Africa! The Serengeti! This is awesome!”  

XO, 

Hayley