Welcome to my blog, VIP en Voyage! I’m glad you could join me on my own piece of the cyberweb! Before I tell you all a bit about myself, I want to first explain why I decided to start my own travel blog. 

In reality my friends have been asking me to start a blog for years, as I’m usually the go to person for travel advice. After hundreds of flights boarded, and countless cities visited, I finally decided to take the plunge. I made it my 2019 goal to start my own blog, and hence VIP en Voyage was born!

As my travel style is very much a reflection of my personality I wanted my page to mirror this as well. VIP en Voyage is for lovers of travel and fashion enthusiasts, who want to find unique and quirky alternative travel guides. In my small piece of the internet you will find travel advice, shopping guides, packing tips, and money saving tips for cities around the world.

Who is VIP en Voyage?

I’m Vipsania, or Vip (as most call me). I boarded my first plane when I was 2 years old, and haven’t stopped since! I grew up in a multicultural home, (my mother is from the Dominican Republic) constantly balancing between my Dominican and American roots. Of course, I didn’t appreciate the value of this when I was younger, but now I understand the role it has played in my desire to explore the world and learn about other cultures.

Up until I was 15, most of my travel had been contained between the USA and the Dominican Republic. Then on my 15th birthday my mother surprised me with a trip to Italy! It was my first trip across the Atlantic and it changed me forever! After my 3 week adventure in Italy, I was officially in love with Europe. As a result, I chose to return to five years later for study abroad.

Study Abroad in Florence

I spent a year in Florence, perfecting my Italian and eating my weight in paninis, gelato, and pizza ( to this day I do not regret my decision). During my year, I did what every study abroad student did; I traveled. I traveled almost every weekend, to as many countries and cities as I could manage, just to check them off my list. On the way, I discovered new places, met new people, and tasted lots of delicious new food. After my year was over it was time to return home and finish my last year of university. I thought I was ready to go back, but a few months at home made me long for the European life style yet again.

Back to Europe I Go

Halfway through my senior year, I spontaniously applied for a Masters in London. London had always been a dream ( I have a strange obsession with the royals and British culture in general). The Masters program was for one year, and I was going to live in Kensington, one of the poshest neighborhoods in the city. My year in London was truly one of the best years of my life! I made so many great friends, and fell in love with the city and the UK in general. Leaving was one of the hardest moments, as I did not know when I would return (little did I know I would be back every year since).

Welcome to the Concrete Jungle

When I returned home in 2015, I began what I thought would be my career. Although I loved to travel, up until this point, it had only been a hobby. From a young age I was programed to work towards the “American Dream,” which I believed at the time was something that I wanted. To me, living and working in New York City was the epitome of a perfect life. For years I had been working towards landing my dream job at a luxury fashion brand in NYC.

I still remember how excited I was when I received a job offer at my favorite fashion company. I was truly living the life I had dreamed of in NYC, attending fancy events, and constantly leaving for business trips. However, after two years in the Big Apple I realized that I wasn’t happy. I was missing my life in London, and Europe in general, and knew that I had to find a way back.

The Quarter Life Crisis

This is the point in my life that I like to call my quarter life crisis. I had everything I had been working for since I was a young girl, and yet I was unhappy. I seemed to hit a brick wall, as I had no idea where my next step in life should be.

So I Moved to Spain…

After talking to a few friends who had applied to teach English in Spain, I decided to follow-suit and apply. Several months of waiting went by until I received the notification of my placement in Madrid. At first I was hesitant about leaving everything behind, as I thought I was giving up on my dream. I also feared the judgement of others for rejecting society’s course of life, but eventually decided to accept my placement and create a new life path. I moved to Madrid in September of 2017, for what I thought would be a year, but has turned out to be my new home.

Traveling is no longer just a hobby; it has become a lifestyle.

I want to continue to discover new places and share those with you all via VIP en Voyage. Although traveling the world is not my full time job (yet), it is my goal to explore two or three new countries a year! I hope that my blog inspires you not to settle for the norm and go travel the world! 

Safe Travels,
-Vip <3