Hi ,

I celebrated a milestone birthday in August, and for the past few years, I’ve had one big vision on my bucket list: a first-class adventure. This year, I finally decided—why wait? There’s no better time than now. It was too hot in August, so I went in September (still too hot by the way).

So, I booked a trip to Dubai... in an Emirates First-Class private suite... complete with a shower in the sky. Yes, really.

But here’s what made it even more special, and challenging: I went solo.

You might be wondering, why take a trip like that alone?

Well, a few reasons:

1. When I first mentioned Dubai, my husband said he’d rather visit Singapore. He had zero interest.
2. He’s not a fan of heights… and Dubai has a lot of tall buildings.
3. I wanted a trip where I could fully do me with no pressure to plan around someone else’s preferences.
4. He’s the planner. I get lost in the lobby. So, I took this on myself. No safety net. Just me.

I felt a mix of excitement and fear (which feel the same in the body, by the way). Part of me longed to share the experience, and another part wanted to prove I could do it on my own.

There were hiccups, of course. But I did it, and I’m proud of that.

Thanks to the Marco Polo app, I brought my husband along for the ride in real time with videos, music, narration, the whole thing. Creating little travel films from my hotel each night became part of the joy.

Now, I want to share a little slice of it with you:
 

From the San Francisco lounge to the Arabian desert—this 90-second video is a glimpse into the trip of a lifetime. (Don’t worry, no slideshow snooze fest here!)

You’ll see:

- A 16-hour flight with all the amenities (yes, champagne + caviar)
- A bathroom with a shower in the sky
- Sand dunes, buggy rides, and camels
- Henna tattoos and the golden souk (so nice I went twice)
- Cookies and coffee in the world’s tallest building (Burj Khalifa, 148th floor)
- A lunch cruise, The Palm Jumeirah, the Museum of the Future
- Dubai’s glittering skyline at night

I learned a lot. Next time, I’ll definitely buy more Dubai chocolate, it’s incredible.

Thank you for letting me share something so meaningful. I hope you get the chance to cross something off your bucket list soon. If you already have, I’d love to hear what it was and what you took away from it.

Here’s what I learned:

• I can plan (and not get too lost)
• I don’t have to feel guilty doing something just for me
• My husband and I are different, and that’s beautiful
• I shouldn’t put off dreams because life is short
• And maybe most importantly… I deserve joy

I almost talked myself out of this. Unexpected expenses came up. I was tempted to downgrade or delay. But I coached myself through the doubt, and I’m so glad I did.

Next time, I want to do it all over again with my husband. And guess what? I’ll be planning it. (No tall buildings, I promise.)

To your bucket-list dreams,