Traveling Princess

By now you've seen the new Disney movie, Moana... " I am Moana of Motunui!" What a powerful statement! I felt instantly connected to Moana and every character as if in my own family. As Pacific Islanders, we have always known ourselves as great explorers and now, we are finally being recognized worldwide! How fun! Thank you Disney!
  I'm thankful to Disney for their interpretation of our island cultures and their positive exposure of the many talents found beyond one's familiar shores. We are not just people of any one island, we are people of the Earth. Exploration is in our blood, that's for sure. For me,

"I am Lois of Samoa. I am Lois of Idaho. I am Lois of France. I am Lois of England. I am Lois of much much more."

Traveling Princess

Although there are many stories to be told by many royal members of royal lineages, this one is my personal journey. Enjoy!
Most people that know me, know that I'm constantly out and about. I guess it's my nature to love enjoying our Earth and all the different cultures and people that come with it. I call it, exploration. In fact, I have a travel blog: http://explorationonabudget.blogspot.com/

You can check that out later for some inexpensive travel deals and ideas!

 These are the white cliffs of Dover, UK.

The love of travel started young for me. My dad was in the U.S. Army and we were stationed in various places around the world. My mother is a Princess and Matriarch from the beautiful islands of Samoa. My parents met in California while serving religious missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They were married in Los Angeles and began a family and a life-long service in the military. 

As far back as I can remember, we were piled up in a station wagon or camper van and no matter where we lived, we took advantage of the local terrain. Dad had weekends off as an officer so we frequently headed to our weekend adventure.

From the wooden shoes and windmills of Holland to the Giant Sequoia's of California to the Great Barrier Reefs of Australia, we lived. I'm so glad my dad was inspired to take advantage of life's great wonders early on: family, friends and this beautiful Earth. 

It was shortly after our move to the state of Utah, in his early 40's that our Dad was tragically taken from us in a car accident. We were surrounded with love as our relatives tried to fill the void but there was something inside of me that went "wild".  I couldn't mourn. I still remember how hard it was to focus. I suppose it was a sort of shock.  Death was unacceptable to me.  I ran away from my feelings for years. Had a bit of a rebellious episode. Tried everything there was to numb the empty. Nothing worked. 

A few years later, my oldest was born and I decided it was time to start being responsible. I moved to Provo, Utah to get an education. Living in Europe, I was exposed to the french language, where I fell in love with linguistics. My father was a linguist. My mother multi-lingual as well. I began to feel again that part of me that had become so quiet; I almost forgot it was there.  I signed up for university and took as many French classes as I could. I found it difficult to manage a brand new baby and a full-time school schedule but I was determined to succeed. I got a job, got married, and started a family. That quiet feeling started to manifest every time I held that newborn in my arms. And soon, it was manifesting in my small family time as we made efforts to travel. 

Then I knew.

 The fire of exploration was lit within me!

 My dad was speaking to me beyond the grave. We started small and took the kids around Salt Lake, Park City, and then a little further. We have 5 kids so we had to be smart with our finances. I loved to drive. I always felt like driving was my favorite American pastime. At the time, gas was generally inexpensive so we kept going further and further. We drove to Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana and sunny California. Life seemed less empty but I couldn't shake that there was something else calling to me.  My husband, at the time, (now divorced) had a job with a local airline and we found ourselves on our way to Samoa.

We saw green for miles. Samoa is covered in Banana and coconut trees. The water was clear. The plumerias were abundant. Mom was in her element. She was home.

We took the ferry from Apia to Savaii. It was HOT and HUMID. We had a great time and in a few short weeks, we drank in everything "Samoa" that we could. That side of me was completely satisfied. I had visited the homeland of my mother, my grandparents and their parents and so on.

You know when you've eaten your fill but now you have thirst?

I was thirsty.

I

It was the travel. It was the act of it. It's true that exploration and adventure are the part of me that keeps pricking at my heart. It's getting lost in a new place that excites me. I love the adventure of finding my way home. I love the experiences travel brings to me. I love the people travel introduces me to. I love the history travel teaches me. I love the cultures travel connects me to.

Travel is the quencher. 

I have found my happy place(s).  I've traveled with friends, I've traveled with family, I've traveled in my sister singing group, and I've traveled all by myself. Travel makes me happy!

You might ask, "Where is home?"

Well, My family and I live in Utah but because I grew up in a military family, I've always considered myself a Global Citizen. Home is where my family and I are, wherever we are.

Lapin Qui Fume, Tours, France