My Summer Travel Diaries
Summer has a way of slipping through our fingers. One moment it’s June and the season is opening wide, and the next thing you know, the air has shifted, the days are shorter, and September is here with its quiet reminder that another chapter has closed. That’s where I find myself now—at the edge of fall, looking back on a summer that carried me through airports, new cities, old memories, and so many fleeting moments worth writing down.
I’ve always believed that travel holds a special kind of magic. It isn’t just about where you go; it’s about the way each place asks you to see the world differently. This summer, I experienced that in a way that felt sharper than ever. Work pulled me to one destination, family drew me to another, and love carved out space for a third. Each trip came with its own rhythm, its own lessons, and together they shaped the kind of season that feels too layered to keep only in memory.
That’s why I’m sharing these travel diaries now. As fall begins, I can’t help but want to capture what summer gave me before it slips too far away. These diaries aren’t just a list of where I went or what I did—they’re a reflection of how those places shaped me, the highs that still sparkle when I think about them, and the quieter moments that reminded me to pause. Travel has always been my favorite way to measure time, and this summer, it became the clearest reminder of why.
Of course, there were unforgettable scenes—the kind you want to relive again and again. There were vows spoken in a city that feels eternal, laughter that carried across ocean waves, and sunsets that left me quiet in the best way. But there were also the inevitable in-betweens: the delayed flights, the exhaustion, the chaos of living out of a suitcase. Both sides mattered, because both sides made the memories whole.
Now, standing at the edge of a new season, I don’t want to let those moments dissolve into a blur. I want to put them down—like pages in a diary—not just for me, but for you. Because I know so many of us live for these moments of escape, connection, and rediscovery, and maybe my stories will remind you of your own.
So here begins my summer travel diaries. A collection not just of where I went, but of how it felt, what it meant, and why I’ll carry these memories with me into the fall and the future.
Rome, Jamaica, and Cabo: A Season in Three Chapters
If there’s one trip that set the tone for my summer, it was Rome. The season opened not with ease but with grandeur—a destination wedding in a city that already feels eternal. Rome is the kind of place that greets you with history in every stone, where even your morning walk feels like a scene out of a film. I was there for work, in planning mode for a bride whose vision carried a sense of royal elegance that matched the backdrop perfectly. As someone who often works while traveling, I’ve learned to blend business with wonder, and this trip was no different. But life, in its unpredictable way, reminded me that beauty and imperfection coexist. During the wedding, I fell and ended up with a black eye—an unexpected turn that at first felt like a blemish on such a stunning moment. Yet, it became one of the most impactful experiences of my summer. I shared the story with my followers, teaching them how to cover up a black eye with makeup, and in the process, I realized how important it is to show not just the polished highlights but also the challenges.
Check out my tutorial and healing process here:
Rome became more than just a wedding destination; it became a lesson in resilience, in laughing through setbacks, and in embracing the fact that even the most glamorous settings don’t have to be flawless to be unforgettable.
After the whirlwind of Rome, the tempo of my summer shifted with Jamaica. This wasn’t a trip defined by schedules or bridal glam—it was family at its core. The four of us headed to Round Hill Resort, and from the moment we arrived, it felt like we had stepped into a retreat designed to make us pause. Round Hill was not just a beautiful place to stay; it became part of the memory itself, with its lush grounds, thoughtful hospitality, and the way it allowed us to both film content and sink into relaxation. I’m so grateful to them for welcoming us and giving us the chance to create and capture moments there, because what came from this trip were not only images but also irreplaceable memories. Some of my favorite photos of the summer came from Jamaica, and behind each one was laughter, togetherness, and those rare days where life slows down enough for you to really see each other. As my girls prepare for the next chapter of their lives, heading off to college, I felt this trip was one of those irreplaceable markers in time. It was a reminder that travel is not just about new places, but about holding onto the people you love in the middle of change.
By the time Cabo arrived later in the summer, I was ready for a different kind of rhythm altogether. This was a couple's trip with Hans, and although it carried elements of work—a partnership with Melia properties, where our stays included Me Cabo and Paradisus Los Cabos, allowing us to film and share content—it also became a meaningful way to close out the season. Me Cabo offered us the perfect balance of vibrancy and stillness: mornings by the water, evenings lingering over dinner, and plenty of space to simply breathe. For me, travel has always been about more than the destination; it’s about what it reveals about the season of life you’re in. Cabo revealed something new—that Hans and I are entering the stage of being empty nesters, a phase where the trips may no longer center around the girls, but around the two of us rediscovering our own rhythm. It was refreshing and fun, but also quietly emotional, reminding me that every ending is really just the beginning of something else. To end the summer in Cabo felt symbolic—work, love, and reflection all blending together under the same sun.
Together, these three trips—Rome, Jamaica, and Cabo—formed the heart of my summer. They weren’t just journeys marked by miles flown or hotels checked into, but by lessons, laughter, and perspective shifts that came along the way. Rome taught me resilience in the face of the unexpected, Jamaica grounded me in the importance of family and slowing down, and Cabo prepared me for the next chapter with love and intention. Work and travel often blur together in my world, but this summer showed me that when you embrace both, you come away not just with content, but with stories that matter. And these are the stories I want to carry into fall, holding onto the ways each trip changed me in its own subtle but lasting way.
The Highs & Lows of Summer Travel
Travel always looks glamorous from the outside. Perfect photos, beautiful views, curated moments that seem to capture ease and perfection. And yes, there were plenty of highs this summer that still glow in my memory: the way Rome’s golden light touched every stone building, the quiet of a morning coffee in Jamaica, the laughter that carried through late nights in Cabo. These moments were effortless in their beauty, and they reminded me why I love traveling so much. There’s nothing quite like stepping into a new environment and instantly feeling your perspective shift. It’s freeing, inspiring, and often the very fuel I need to return to my everyday life with fresh energy.
But the truth is, no season of travel comes without its lows. For me, those began in Rome with the unexpected fall that left me with a black eye. At first, it felt like an embarrassment—something that threatened to overshadow the incredible wedding I was there to be part of. Yet as time passed, I realized that was one of those very human reminders that not everything has to be perfect to still be meaningful. Sharing that journey with my followers, showing them how I covered it up with makeup and carried on, became a high in its own way because it turned a stumble into a teaching moment. It taught me how to laugh at myself, how to keep going, and how to embrace imperfection without letting it ruin the experience.
There were also the little inconveniences that anyone who travels frequently knows too well—the delayed flights, the exhaustion of moving from one suitcase to another, and the never-ending juggling of work and rest. As much as I love to be on the go, there were definitely moments when I longed for my own bed, my own routines, and a sense of stillness. When you balance partnerships, content creation, and personal enjoyment, there is a constant push and pull between being “on” and being present. Some days, that came easily; other days, it was overwhelming. Those challenges were just as much a part of the story as the highlights.
And yet, what I love about reflecting on these highs and lows is that together they created a complete picture of my summer. Without the mishaps, the delays, or the exhaustion, the magical moments wouldn’t have felt as extraordinary. If anything, the lows gave me a deeper appreciation for the highs, reminding me to pause in gratitude whenever things flowed effortlessly. Travel will never be perfect, but that’s exactly what makes it unforgettable.
The Dreamlike Quality of Summer Travel & Carrying It Forward
Some trips don’t just feel like vacations—they feel like entire worlds you step into. That’s what summer travel does for me. It suspends the everyday and creates moments that feel almost too vivid to be real. Walking down cobblestone streets in Rome or watching the sky turn to watercolor over the Caribbean didn’t just feel like scenes from my travels; they felt like scenes from a story I was living in real time. Cabo, with its sunsets that seemed to stretch forever, had that same cinematic quality. None of it felt forced or curated—it simply unfolded, like being handed a script you didn’t know you’d been waiting for.
That sense of living inside something bigger than myself is what I love most about traveling this time of year. The long days, the warmth in the air, the ease of movement—all of it combines to create a rhythm that feels more open, more alive. Even on the less glamorous days, when work called louder than rest or the logistics of moving from one place to the next wore me down, there was still that thread of magic woven through. Summer travel doesn’t erase the messy parts, but it frames them in a way that makes the whole picture worth remembering.
Now, as fall begins to settle in, I find myself holding onto that energy. The glow of summer doesn’t vanish when the season changes—it carries over, fueling both the work I do and the life I build beyond it. Rome’s grandeur, Jamaica’s grounding presence, Cabo’s quiet intimacy—they’re not just memories, they’re touchstones I return to when I need perspective or inspiration. Whether I’m stepping into another bridal season, capturing the magic of a destination wedding, or curating future Luxx Escapes trips, these moments remind me why travel is not only my passion but also the heartbeat of my work.
In that way, the diaries don’t really close. They expand, spilling into the months ahead and shaping the way I approach new opportunities, both personal and professional. The season may have shifted, but the lessons, energy, and beauty of summer travel are still here—anchoring me in the present and pushing me toward the future, one unforgettable trip at a time.
To see my travel content to see what’s inside my travel makeup bag—I’ve linked my go-to products here.
Source: LTK
I’ve also written an entire blog post on Packing for Travel: Fashion & Beauty Must-Haves for Jet-Setters, where I dive deeper into the staples that carried me through long flights, hot summer days, and evenings where glam needed to last from sunset to midnight. For even more inspiration, behind-the-scenes moments, and travel content in real time, be sure to follow me on Instagram and TikTok.
