WHY IT'S CALLED THE MARCHESA TRAVELS

Simply put, I've always been fascinated by Marchesa Luisa Casati and you can read in detail about her here. She was a fiercely independent woman, unafraid to be different during the time she lived in the 1800s. She once went to a party with a pair of leashed cheetahs and wearing live snakes as jewellery. When she died, she wore fake lashes. She died in tragic circumstances, but she's had her share of adventures and was even made a muse by the likes of Jack Kerouac, Vivien Leigh, and John Galliano in more recent times. Despite her personal demons, she lived life LARGE. That's what I loved about her - she was fearless and ahead of her time - despite the fact that women during the 1800s were largely considered second-class citizens and had limited options!

I consider "The Marchesa" as my ALTER-EGO: I can only hope to be as fearless as she was when she was alive - but I try, not with a showcase of cheetas or snakes - but with the solo independent traveling that I do. It's not just a name, it's in honor of Luisa and all the fiercely independent women out there like her. It's not just a title, it's proof that a person can live two lifetimes in one - especially when one is driven by a mad pursuit to achieve personal goals. It's a shout-out to all the women who defy societal expectations and dance to their own tune - not for the sake of rebelling per se, but because it's what makes them happy. It's also a testament to the idea of having a wildly different travel persona.

I believe - and have seen it firsthand - this whole idea of having a traveling self that's different from your day to day self. I'm more adventurous when on the road and revel in the random moments and have a ce la vi way of thinking - at home, I like things planned out to a T and bask in the routines that give my life a semblance of stability. While traveling, I'm more introspective - at home, I am considered 100% extroverted. Two sides of a coin, so to speak.

So this blog, this alter-ego, is the other side of that coin - the side that family and friends normally do not get to see and hear everyday, expressed in what most consider to be a more insightful way of knowing a person: words. Words that ignite the imagination, words that convey more emotions than I dole out in my everyday life, words that (hopefully) inspire wanderlust, words that reveal that introspective yet adventurous spirit.

What's your alter-ego? :) x

#WhyMarchesa