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You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.

Hey everybody, it's

it's Maryel.

You remember the early part of the pandemic

when the days of isolation stretched into months.

At night, I would lay on the floor of my apartment with my eyes closed and listen to guided meditations to try to take myself to a happier place.

One time the prompt was something like,

picture yourself doing something that brings you great joy.

The first thing that popped into my head was an image of me wandering the cobblestone streets of some small European village, probably in France.

The sun was shining and every step I took was a feast for the eyes.

Medieval houses, colorful flowers resting in vases on outdoor tables, patisseries with

gorgeous pastries in the window, just waiting to be eaten. I didn't realize

until that moment just how much I missed traveling and

how badly I wanted to look at something outside of my four walls or the blocks of my

neighborhood. The next year I took a three week trip to the UK and France,

and I ate those pastries and wandered until my feet hurt

and filled a hole that had been growing inside of me.

Big trips can do that.

Lally Arachogloo is what I'm talking about.

She's the articles director at Conde Nass Traveller.

...