Why I Canceled My Trip to Spain

Way back in December, when I was rushing through the process of returning to American life and giving up my Spanish student visa … and life as an expat … I purchased roundtrip tickets for my mom and I from Madrid to Vegas.

“When would you like to return to Madrid?” The agent had asked over the phone. With Google Flights’ trusty fare calendar displayed on the screen, I scanned for the cheapest option: July 25.

“July 25th,” I said, not giving it much thought.

And thus, I had two tickets to return to Europe seven months after I left. The tickets were cheap. Half of what they are if flying return from the States to Europe.

I’ll be ready to hit the road by then.

As the months in Las Vegas passed, and I launched Vegans, Baby, I began to look at July and Madrid as something that likely wasn’t going to happen.

Sure, I had a ticket to Madrid. But, I didn’t have one back. My original plan was to keep on purchasing round-trip tickets from Europe to the States, giving myself a reason to get on an international flight to my kindred continent at least once every six or so months.

That flight I was supposed to take was last week? The seat was empty.

What happened?

Quite simply: it didn’t make sense.

A photo posted by Diana Edelman (@dtravelsround) on Jul 28, 2016 at 10:29am PDT

//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js

I’ve hustled for seven months, pitching, writing, signing clients, growing my brand, and working to get back on my feet. (Sidenote: moving internationally three times in one year is not something I would suggest if you’re tight on cash. Or don’t want to spend a small/medium-sized fortune).

Had I gone to Madrid, I would have had to purchase at least one ticket back to Las Vegas. And, let’s be real, I’d rather purchase a return ticket than a one-way because I like even things. And I like flying. And, I really, really like (OK, love) Europe and all of the amazing, incredible friends I have parked there.

So, on July 25 when I was supposed to be flying from Vegas to LA to Toronto to Madrid (gross, right?), I was sitting at my desk in my flat, my Thai cats hanging out next to me, sunshine streaming in from the desert, and counting my lucky stars to be where I am.

And, that night, when I was supposed to be mid-flight, likely somewhere over the Atlantic en route to my former home, I was hosting a Vegans, Baby meetup at my favorite restaurant in town, VegeNation, and surrounded by people who months earlier didn’t even exist in my life but are now some of the closest and most like-minded friends I have.

When I booked that flight from Delaware after Thanksgiving, I was in full-on Get Out of Spain Mode and July seemed like a lifetime away.

Man, time flies.

Am I sad I didn’t take the trip?

Honestly, no.

As I work to grow my brand, I’m also working to grow my bank account, and galavanting around Europe in the summer — and the high season — is not conducive to that. Plus, these past few weeks, I have taken on a lot more work (hello, manifesting!) and I didn’t want to leave while that momentum pulses.

I’ve been learning more and more about #energy and the power of #manifesting lately. I’ve always been a bit skeptical. In fact, when I read @eckharttolle’s book “power of now” last year I legit tuned out the chowder on energy because I didn’t get it. Fast forward a year and it’s been something I’ve become really interested in … And have seen work. The power of positive thinking, the ability to change the story we have been telling ourselves and see it actually CHANGE is powerful. I’ve been doing a major overhaul the past two weeks as I’ve embraced more and more of these ideas. It started with a powerful #reiki session by @jen_simons_ and continued on to focusing on self-love (read: bye bye Bumble) and letting the universe know I am open. For my own love. For creativity. For work. For travel. For people who are radiant and good. @createwithkelly sent me a video on journaling and gifted me with a book, Jen gave me Rose Quartz (#loveyoself) and I palo santo’d my entire space. Today – my first day ever of intentional mediation in the space I created. My #intention? To love me more. To retell my story. To create. To thrive. Happy Tuesday, ya’ll. ???

A photo posted by Diana Edelman (@dtravelsround) on Aug 2, 2016 at 7:52am PDT

//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js
So … what am I going to do instead?

A Promise to Panto

Two Christmas seasons ago, when I had relocated from Chiang Mai to London, I promised a dear friend that every year from then on, we would have a date to panto. If you don’t know what panto is, I’m so sorry. Please, go to the UK this Christmas season and buy a ticket to the ridiculousness.

I flew up to London last year mere days before I left the EU to honor that promise. And, this year is no different.

Thanks to direct flights between Las Vegas and Gatwick via Norwegian, I decided to go ahead and book a trip in December. By then, work and money and be flourishing a year after coming back to the States.

It’s my “job well done” trip. London is my most favorite city in the universe and is one of the only places  I return to consistently.

But, there’s more.

Thank you, United

I’m not the biggest fan of United. But, they did make me really happy. I called to cancel the two tickets back to Madrid and was told they were non-refundable. Check. I knew that. I thought the best I could do was to switch out the dates for a fee.

Wrong.

They told me I could flat-out cancel the ticket for their value (whattttt) — $400 — and instead have a credit on the airline until the end of the year.

Naturally, that rocked my little travel loving heart.

Where can $400 get one person roundtrip?

Mexico. Central America. Even parts of South America.

Guess where I’m going before that ticket expires!