See how the last day of senior event professional Leigh Anne Lewis’ career became the first day of her comeback story
While most people were canceling their vacation plans this past summer due to the pandemic, Leigh Anne Lewis was figuring out how to (safely) travel and rolled out her own travel blog.
Leigh Anne loves to see the world and is no stranger to making vacation plans on the fly. But this year was different. Not only were there travel restrictions and hotel closures, but on top of that, she had to now deal with the reality of being furloughed (and eventually laid off) from her long time career of meetings and special events management. Talk about a double whammy!
She spent almost the last two decades building a career in special events that included various opportunities working in weddings, sporting events, cruise line work, and more recently luxury hotel events. In her words, she had the privilege of doing it all.
“I never thought that something along the lines of a pandemic would come along and take away all that I have spent the last 18 years working for,” Leigh Anne said. “After being furloughed, I decided to take this extra time and start my travel blog. Travel has been a big part of my life, and with the extra time on my hands, I figured ‘why not now.’ Having an outlet to share my travel stories has been a real blessing.”
Not wanting to allow the downturn of her career to be at the center of her thoughts, she decided early on that she would now turn her focus to her blog — something she’s always wanted to do.
“I have been thinking about sharing my stories for years. I’ve been told so many times that I should ‘write a book’ about my life/travels, so this in a way will be my book,” Leigh Anne explained. “All of my experiences are unique to me and I hope that people will see that and in turn create an experience that is unique to them, via a destination that I recommend on my social.”
So in June 2020 Life with Leigh Leigh was born and Leigh Anne began sharing her travel stories and photos. Most recently she planned a month-long road trip through the USA in the middle of the pandemic. Her 6,100-mile road trip took her through Nashville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Zion National Park, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Albuquerque, New Orleans, and everywhere in between.
“It was great to see people out and about and still living their life through these dark times,” Leigh Anne said. “We had our masks, but other than that, every state, national park, and restaurant were operating pretty close to normal.”
When asked if she had any advice for people who get the urge to travel this year, Leigh Anne says “go for it!”
“I do not believe that people should be afraid to travel. If you feel comfortable, get out and explore,” Leigh Anne said. “Destinations and airlines are offering great deals right now, and it could benefit those who want to try something new, but have not had the funds to do so previously.”
Leigh Anne hopes that she can inspire people from all walks of life to get out and explore. “The world is so big and there is so much to see and learn from it. So, my hope is that people will find my page, and truly be inspired to experience something new!”
Follow Leigh Anne on Instagram @lifewithleighleigh or on her website www.lifewithleighleigh.com
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