Oct 2, 2018

Traveler of the Month

Hey Dreamers!! Meet this month’s featured traveler, Nicole “Nicky” Ellis of Nicky’s Savory Travels. She is a food and travel blogger in which she likes to intertwine her food and travels into one unforgettable experience to tell a story. By the end of 2018, she will have visited a total of 47 states, 6 continents (North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and South America), and 22 countries. I connected with Nicky some years back in a travel group on Facebook and we've pretty much stayed in contacted through out the years-conversation always about travel!! As you can see, she is always on the go!! Check out the interview!

Pink Sky Dreams: To date, what’s been your favorite travel destination? What about this destination make it your favorite?

Nicky: Some of my favorite travel destinations include Fiji, Australia, Thailand, Switzerland, and Singapore although I have encountered a positive experience in all of the countries I’ve visited thus far. But, if I had to narrow done my favorite travel destination to just one, I would say it would have to be Australia by far. Last year, my husband and I visited Fiji & Australia for our 10th-year anniversary and we traveled to Sydney, Ayers Rock, Cairns, and Port Douglas. We spent two weeks in the Land Down Under and it was such a surreal experience for us. Australia offered us land, water, landscape, culture, and exotic cuisine experiences all rolled into one. My husband and I arrived around Australia Day (January 26th), the day settlers landed in the country and decided to make it their own territory. At the same time, the Aboriginal People and Torre Strait Islanders were already situated on the land way before the settlers did. I think what makes Australia my favorite destination (thus far) is we had an opportunity to experience the metropolis city of Sydney, trekking through bushland throughout the Uluru mountains and being able to witness the red and brown hues of this majestic beauty from sunrise to sunset. In addition; we partook in an excursion of a sunrise breakfast with tour guides who led us through the mysterious caves of Ayers Rock and sharing the interesting stories of The Aboriginal People. We were able to see how Aborigines communicated and to closely observe traditional Aboriginal people who had red clay on their foreheads and wore no shoes walking into the grocery stores. Furthermore; we continued our domestic travels up North and went to Cairns and Port Douglas where the infamous Great Barrier Reef is located. Anyone who knows me know that I am not a swimmer and my first time being submerged into open bodies of water was when we snorkeling on The Great Barrier Reef. We sailed to a certain point and during the remainder of the time, we were in wet suits snorkeling around colorful reefs, reef sharks, turtles, and beautiful schools of fish.

Pink Sky Dreams: What do you love most about travel? What is your favorite thing about traveling?

Nicky: What I love most about traveling is touching down on new lands and destinations and meeting people and learning their stories. I’m also a foodie at heart and I enjoy trying new savory foods especially cuisines that originate from the destination I’m visiting. I think every place that I’ve visited thus far offers something different and I enjoy exploring many layers of a city, state, country, continent....the entire world for that matter.

Pink Sky Dreams: Name something positive you that you took away from your last travel adventure.

Nicky: My last travel adventure was a solo road trip visit to all six New England States as one of my travel goals is to visit all 50 states and so far, I’ve been to 47. I flew into JFK Airport in New York City and rented a car to cover all (6) states. I had many positive takeaways from this particular trip. Everything from driving solo and being on my own schedule and no one else’s. There wasn’t a need for me to rush to get to a certain city or state by a certain time. I decided to go wherever the wind took me and to not sweat the small stuff that may have seemed to work against me. In addition; I had an opportunity to visit Yale University which is a cool campus, savor some delicious crab cakes and baked scallops in Newport, Rhode Island which is such a nice and bustling city at night. Another positive experience on my solo road trip was the sunny and warm 80-degree weather that accompanied me. Generally, when I think of the New England states, I must admit...I certainly don’t think of 80-degree weather. Because those states are situated along the coast with the Atlantic Ocean, I envision it being cooler all year long. My last positive experience on my trip was how I met so many wonderful people through many of the states which are pre-dominantly White (Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire). My experience interacting with people and being comfortable out in the open was great! Despite if my experience was positive or negative, I will never allow anyone to make me feel uncomfortable or like I don’t belong to visit a certain destination.

Pink Sky Dreams: Tell me about your favorite vacation picture and why it’s your favorite.

Nicky: My favorite vacation picture is me snorkeling in The Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, Australia. This has to be my favorite vacation picture simply because it marks a new milestone in my life...me trusting myself enough to partake in open bodies of water and to go snorkeling on the other side of the world. It’s funny yet amazing how you can travel thousands of miles away from your home country and to venture out in new opportunities that you probably wouldn’t consider doing in your own backyard. This experience allowed me to want to take on new opportunities to snorkel once again in a new travel destination. It also challenged me to continue trying new things/excursions and not to let my own inhibitions prevent me from experiencing all that life has to offer me!

Pink Sky Dreams: Which destination is currently at the top of your travel bucket list? What intrigues you about this destination?

Nicky: Spain, Morocco, and India are all at the top of my bucket list right now. I’m headed to Spain and Morocco in a couple of weeks and I’ve always been intrigued to visit Spain as I missed out on an opportunity to study Spanish abroad during my college days. My Spanish professor believed in me and encouraged me to apply but I was afraid of failing and not being accepted by Spanish people if I wasn’t fluent within the language. It’s an opportunity I have regretted for over two decades and I’m finally going to make it up to myself by visiting Spain as I can still speak some Spanish. Morocco has been on my list to visit (Chefchaouen - The Blue City) in particularly due to its blue connotation which leaves a mysterious impression throughout the town. Majority of the town is painted in blue and I would like to research and dig deeper on how Chefchaouen acquired its nickname and what makes it so popular from a global standpoint.

Last but now least, India is at the top of my bucket list (Agra - The Taj Mahal). There’s so much history evolved around this beautiful well-known gem and since I was in grade school, I have always been intrigued by The Taj Mahal, as it was built and memorialized around a Persian princess who died giving birth to her 14th child. Her husband was grieving over her death and wanted to illustrate his love for his wife by building The Taj Mahal. Indian culture is centered around its language, religion, dance, music, architecture, and food and I would like to experience all aspects of Greater India.

Check out a few of Nicky's favorite travel pictures!!

Posing in front of Fort Gorges in Portland, ME

Taking in a nice soak at the Blue Lagoon in Iceland

Lounging in a hammock in Fiji.

Snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, Australia.

Savoring crab cakes in Newport, Rhode Island.