Some sips change you. So do some people.

Sip Around the World

The best cocktail I ever had wasn't about the drink. It was the end of a long day in the Mexican Caribbean — four resort tours in the heat and sun, the kind of day that reminds you why you love this industry even when your feet are begging you to stop. Our last agenda item before dinner: a tequila tasting. I'll be honest. At that point in my career, tequila straight wasn't my thing. In a margarita? Absolutely. Straight? Not particularly. And then I tasted it. Smooth. Complex. Nothing like what I expected. That single sip rewired something in me. I didn't just find a new drink — I found a new appreciation. For craft. For patience. For the way something can surprise you when you give it a real chance.The Riviera Maya has a way of doing that.That fam trip was early in my travel career, and everything about it opened something up in me — the turquoise water, the warmth of the people, the way the resorts along that stretch of coastline each offer something completely different. I've been back many times since, and my love for the Mexican Caribbean has only grown. It's a destination that rewards you more the better you know it. But what I remember most from that day isn't the tequila. It's the people sitting around that table with me. Those colleagues became my travel besties. Twenty-six years in this industry and they're still in my corner. That's what happens when you share a table, a long day, and a glass of something unexpectedly good — you build something that outlasts the trip. Travel has refined me in ways I didn't anticipate. My palate for great tequila has grown alongside my passion for beautiful destinations and meaningful experiences. They're all connected, really — the willingness to try something new, to be surprised, to trust the people you're with.That's what the best trips do. They change you a little. And the best moments? They almost never happen on the itinerary.