Let me tell you how excited I am to tell you about my new friends Sharleen! We met on bumble (tell them to sponsor us) about two months ago. We are documenting our friendship through a podcast called Notorious for nothing. I can’t wait for you to discover what an amazing woman she is!
What’s your name and tell us a little bit about you.
“My name is Sharleen. Los Angeles native, and love to travel. I like to blog as a hobby, it helps me refresh my mind and an outlet when I’m stressed with the real world.”
How many countries have you traveled too?
“I have been to Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain, Greece, Israel, & Jamaica – so 6 countries!”
What’s your favorite mode of travel? (Plane train cruise car walking etc.)
“I mean, in order to leave the country, you have to use a plane – really, but it really depends where. If I am somewhere with amazing structures and want to explore, I would definitely walk so I can see everything, but I also love traveling with trains.”
What’s your dream travel destination?
“Honestly, anywhere tropical/with a beach. I love the water, the warm sun, and just relaxing – with great food!”
How has traveling helped you manage a healthy mentality?
“It has helped so much. Yes, I get anxiety when leaving home but once I am where I need to be, it is so wonderful to learn about other states/countries and such. I love seeing amazing architecture, the people, their lifestyles, just learning and educating myself so I don’t live in a hole, helps keep my mental health good and happy.”
What are some ways you use travel as a coping mechanism
“Sometimes, when I feel super stressed with the real world, I do like to at least take a weekend getaway. Getting away from reality helps put pieces of it together when I’m not there. Just being able to cleanse my mind and refocus help cope with my mental health.”
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How do you choose who you travel with? Does it impact your trip?
“I like to travel with people that are somewhat similar with me because if I go with someone completely different, we would want to do different things. Depending on the destination, there are particular people for each one. Someone for the relaxing trips, someone for the exploring trips, and someone else for the party trips!”
Do you have a favorite destination?
“I don’t think I would have a favorite until I have traveled to all countries. But, it would probably be somewhere by the water.”
When you travel do you make more friends than when you are at home?
“Yes! I have noticed that when I travel, I am forced to talk to people for help, and I love that. It’s great to speak with the locals and they tell you all the secrets of the location/area, and you learn things like the locals and make your trip!”
How has anxiety or depression affected your travels negatively?
“My anxiety affected traveling negatively because I don’t think I would travel alone. Having negative thoughts in my head sucks because I would love to travel somewhere alone, but like I said, the anxiety in me is too scared.”
How has anxiety or depression affected your travels positively?
“My anxiety affected traveling positively because it forces me to make friends with people. When I am traveling, even with people, I do still have some negative thoughts but that forces me to ask people questions and be more social.”
Do you feel that traveling is a coping mechanism for a lot of people? Does your family or friends use traveling as an escape from reality the same way you do?
“I think traveling is a coping mechanism for a lot of people, but I also think people travel just to learn about different cultures. I’m not sure about my family and friends, but I think they travel for fun and to learn.”
What’s one thing you can not travel without.
“A person haha!”
What’s your number one travel tip for our fellow travelers out there?
“Honestly, just go and have fun, take a lot of pictures for memories and make friends! && Enjoy the food!”
Isn’t she spectacular! If you want to get a hold of Sharleen here’s how!
Through her Blog: curiouslyshar.wordpress.com
Or Her IG: instagram.com/sharleen.s
Or comment on this post!
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Love this. And I also can’t travel without a person 😃 Great pictures!
It’s always a little intimidating meeting new people while traveling but it’s always fun to learn about another culture and seeing their perspectives!
This is so cool that you met another traveler through an app and became friends!
I also make way more friends when I travel than when I’m home. That’s one of the best things about travel! 🙂 Also that you can “renew” yourself and work towards being a better person. Sharleen sounds like a darling!
Totally agree that travel can be the best cure if I’m feeling stressed and overwhelmed with “real life”!
I e never thought of travel as a coping mechanism, but I can totally see that!
Nice post! Love hearing different stories from many travelers. Hope to see more!