You may be asking what is this site, and why was it created.
Let me introduce myself, I’m Rosita Baines Lee, and “Travel Can’t Wait” is sort of my personal motto. I’ve worked for years in the IT Security field and am a former Chief Information Security Officer, but have always considered myself an artist and explorer at heart. As a past side business, I’ve done nature and travel photography. With this blog, I’m expanding on that and will be writing articles that could help others plan for their travels and also live their best lives out loud as I’m trying to also do.
I’ve traveled around the world to 23 countries and territories, but I’m not bragging because there are so many more places that I’ve yet to visit. I think my goal is to visit as many UNESCO World Heritage Sites as possible. I’ve seen several, but have many more to go.
I started traveling in my 20’s, and now I’m in my 50’s. So I’m old enough to not take time for granted, and I’m at the stage where instead of putting off visiting places I’ve always wanted to visit, I’m excited about exploring new places, experiencing different cultures, and trying exciting food that I’ve often never seen nor tasted before.
Exploring the World Through Rosita Lee’s Lens: A Passion for Culture and Photography as an international nature and travel photographer. I’ve always had an eye for art and photography, and has a desire to immerse herself into the culture of the places I’ve visited. Usually this involves at least studying the cultural norms (such as removing shoes before entering homes or temples at times, or not stepping on thresholds, or refraining from shaking or handing money to vendors with my left hand, etc.). It also usually means trying to learn some basic phrases of the native language where I’m visiting.
Introducing Rosita Lee: Nature and Travel Photographer. I have an online shop, called Bloomkins-shops.com, where I sell photo products mostly from photos I’ve taken on my travels, that have been placed on certain products (such as wall canvases, cups, note pads, laptop sleeves, clothing, sandals and/or flip-flops, etc.).
A Journey Spanning Over 23 Countries & Territories and Counting – Under the Destinations page, we’ll have a list of the countries that I’ve traveled to. Most trips have been with family, friends and two have been solo.
Embracing Global Cultures: My Approach to Travel is live in the moment. With my articles and upcoming blog posts, I will at times show you how you can save money in some areas so you can stay long enough to get to have a meaningful connection, dialogue with one or two of the locals. I want to make meaningful connections with wonderful interesting people all over the world. Instead of running through the streets, with every second of a too short vacation planned out, to leave no time to really get to experience the culture of a place.
In my 20’s and also in my early 30’s, I didn’t have much vacation time. So most vacations were just a week, 2 weeks at the most. So I was obsessed with buying every souvenir I could get my hand on, and lugging all that stuff back to give to family and friends, who didn’t want it. They didn’t go to Nova Scotia, or wherever I had gone.
Or you take too many photos or videos that you miss the experience all together looking through a camera or video camera view finder. On my first trip to Italy, I had just gotten a new small handheld camcorder. Yes, young people, that was the height of technology back then. Not everyone had cameras and video capability on their cell phones. Anyway, I spent so much time looking at every Tuscany scene through the lens of that camcorder taking over 20 hours of film footage that I could never properly convert to edit it when I got home…. that I was totally missing the moment… the experience right in front of me. Too busy trying to document and preserve it for watching later and for sharing with my family that didn’t get to make the trip. Now years later, I don’t even know where those CDs are with all those hours of video footage. I have been back to Italy since then. Now I just try to enjoy the moment. Take a few pictures, then put my camera and my video equipment down. Enjoy the scenery alone or with a good friend over a bottle of wine.
Cultural Hotspots Visited: From Paris to Istanbul. I’m originally from Tennessee (USA), and often joke that I’ve traveled from Paris, Tennessee to Paris, France. But to be honest, I’m from Nashville. I would have to look on a map to find Paris, TN. I’ve never been there. But I have been to Paris, France. I have to put Paris, TN on my list of places to visit, next time I’m going back home to Tennessee. So I can truthfully make that claim.
Upcoming Adventures: The Asian Delight of Singapore and Bangkok. Well, I’m really mainly spending time in Thailand. I have an exciting upcoming trip for 22 Days in three major cities in Thailand. I will be blogging about it during the visit, and sharing photos. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket. I’m planning to be there during the famous Umbrella Festival in Bo Sang, just outside of Chiang Mai.
The Quest for UNESCO World Heritage Sites. As I mentioned above, l want to visit as many UNESCO World Heritage Sites as possible. I will be going back and looking at which ones that I’ve already seen/visited, and will put that in a blog post to this site.
Sharing the Treasures: Lessons From Rosita’s Global Explorations. I’m hoping through this blog, that I can share lessons that I’ve learned. Also will be sharing travel mistakes I’ve made, so that maybe you can avoid them. My biggest challenge is that I’m not a light packer. I’m not going to blame it on being a Black Woman, but even going natural with my hair this past year, we still have a lot of stuff that we have to pack for our hair. Well, that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it. But I do need to learn to pack lighter. Maybe when I go to Peru for the first time in the summer of 2024, I will make it my goal of that trip to only take 1 carry-on and a small backpack (as my personal item). This should be doable since I don’t see me needing to pack any fancy clothes or shoes for that trip. I’ve been saying that for the last three trips. But this time, I’m serious. At least for that Peru trip. Also they say if you want to go on an African Safari (which I plan on doing in the near future), that you are only allowed to take a backpack because they have small planes with strict baggage weight limits to fly to areas for the safaris.
Well, I’m glad to be starting this new venture, and hope I can provide some helpful information to you and your family. My blog is focused on traveling for the purpose of gaining cultural experiences and trying to do so without breaking the bank. I will also be adding travel planners, which you can modify to the length of your planned stay at that chosen destination.