Travel Crush Tuesday: Gigi
Photo Source: Gigi and Instagram
Welcome to Travel Crush Tuesday!
The stories from our TCT's just keep getting wilder and wilder. As our crushes continue to inspire you to travel, y'all stay safe out there! This week we interviewed Gigi who let us know the good the bad and the ugly on the 16 countries she's visited. To get an idea of where you should and shouldn't go next, keep reading!
Tell us about yourself! Who are you? Where are you from? What do you do? What inspires you to travel?
My name is Gigi, I’m 31 years old and I was born in Haiti. I’ve been living in south Florida since I was 11 years old, and I love it here! In my mind, I am a full-time traveler, but at my every day job, I supervise an MRI Center. I also am a part-time Legal Assistant for a personal injury firm.
How many countries have you been to? Which destination was your favorite and why?
Let’s see, I think I have been to 16 countries. So far. That includes Dubai, Turks and Caicos, Mexico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic (just to name a few). Choosing a favorite is a tough one because every country is unique! Since I have to choose, I’d have to say Turks and Caicos. It is at the top of my list, thus far. From the moment I landed in the Turks, I felt a sense of calmness and the vibe was so welcoming. It reminded me of my country Haiti. The people were so friendly, the food was delicious and the beach was like something out of a post card. So beautiful. I can’t wait to go back.
Share with us your most memorable travel memory, good bad or crazy. What was it about this trip that made it so memorable?
My oh my! My first trip to the Dominican Republic was out of this world! My cousin and I rented a car for our trip and this is around when we were just getting into 3G so our signal was terrible over there. We were using google maps and somehow we ended up in a pretty bad neighborhood. I saw some ladies standing by a pole laughing so I called them over with my broken Spanish. One came on my side (I was driving) and two went to my cousin’s side. I asked her how do I get to the capital and she started talking about her day. When I looked over on my cousin’s side, one of the girls was touching her face and telling her how pretty she looked. We were both getting nervous at this point. Before we know it , the two girls got my cousin’s arm and are trying to get her out of the car, the whole time laughing and saying what a beautiful show girl she would make. I honked my horn and they startled and I hauled off. I’ll never forget that day, my cousin loved every moment of the attention, after the fact of course. DR was my first trip out of the country since moving to the states, I went there for a good time but also to see some of my family. So many mishaps happened on that trip, we have a lot to tell our kids.
What is the destination you would never travel to again and why?
Cuba. In the book of worse trip ever, Cuba take the throne. Don’t get me wrong, it is a beautiful country and full of great people but it’s also filled with restrictions and no guarantees. Let’s talk about the restrictions: your phone service is useless. If you need internet access, you have to go at specific time and location to use the government’s given wifi. US dollars literally have no value over there and the list goes on and on. I love a chill and care-free vacation, but Cuba did not give me that vibe.
If you had a round-trip ticket to go anywhere right now, where would you go and why?
Ciao bella! Haha. I’d be in Italy wearing a yellow maxi dress with a brown multi print scarf over my head (like you see in the movies ) legs stretched while sipping wine on a gondola. Not too much distraction just the sounds of the water and gondoliers singing in unison. Italy is art. Fashion. Food and wine. All things that I love.
Where else can folks find you?
I’m on itsgigi.com and I’m also just starting to get a hang of TikTok so follow me @ladygi03
I want to close out this interview with a gentle reminder to all that life is short. Go out there and live yours. #MoreLife 💕
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