Hey Royal Fam!
Angela here checking in another beautiful corner of the world .. The Maldives! If you’re following my journey on Instagram (and you totally should, LOL) .. Then you might have already seen the breathtaking behind the scenes photos and videos that have gone up so far from my current adventure .. If not? No worries. Tap the button below to visit my profile. Follow me there to keep up with this adventure. Also, check out the “Maldives” highlight tab just under my bio.
In planning this last minute excursion to escape the oppressive desert heat of Doha, I knew I wanted two important features ..
1: A chill location that didn’t involve a long-haul, leg cramping flight over 8 hours
And
2: Someplace warm and beachy where it would be easier to be a bit ( ... ok a lot) freer with my clothing. Don’t get me wrong, I completely respect the cultural norms of Qatar, but as a card carrying nudist? You guys already know my preferred choice of dress, especially on vacation. Spending some time not having to worry about covering arms, shoulders, or legs is a great change of pace.
Ultimately, with two weeks left and stressing down to the last minute, I had a sudden epiphany, realizing one of my life-long dream locations was only 4.5 hours away ... The Maldives! Scattered throughout the Indian Ocean and just 983 miles (or two hours) off the cost of Sri Lanka, the Maldives consist of 1200 islands. Currently, only about 200 are current actually inhabited. The indigenous language spoken is Dhivehi (although many locals also speak English) and the native population has origins from India, South East Asia, and the Arabic Gulf.
Just one look on any avid travelers Pinterest board relating to the Maldives you’ll find images of glass colored water, white sand, and grass huts hovering over the water on stilts .. Basically, a beach lovers dream. The only problem? At least for some ... The Maldives is definitively considered a “couples destination" spot being advertised to honeymooners and bae-cation seekers alike. So what’s a single girl with an escape plan supposed to do?
Having spent a few years in online travel circles, I’ve seen countless single women on many a social media post and travel forum state how they’re “waiting for their future husbands” to take them to locations like The Maldives, The Seychelles, etc. And I get it .. Traveling solo as a woman, let alone to what many consider one of the most romantic spots on Earth can be a bit intimidating .. But I counter that and ask, why wait?
Why pass up on an incredible opportunity for what might be?
What if you never get married? .. What if future boo hates beaches? Or further more, travel? .. What if life/ health / finances change and you’re never presented with this opportunity again? Do you pass up seeing the beauty this world has to offer in person simply because a location has a niched marketing team?
Personally, my answer was no. Besides if “future husband” has a love for travel and culture as deep in his bones as I do? The world is so vast and wide, he’ll literally have an infinite number of other countries to show me as we discover them together ... Or? ... Plot twist, I could show him a few of mine! So ladies, if you’re reading this and a "boo’d up" location has been sitting on your “to-travel” list, don’t wait. Get out there and explore!
As always, The Journey Continues!
