I have a confession before I start this piece. I hate the outdoors. I need to lead with that fact because as I type, I am laying in a yurt outside with stars above me in upstate New York.
If someone had told me I was going camping at some point in my life, I would have given them a side eye and a firm "no," but here I am. Laying on a comfortable mattress, with smooth cotton sheets, with my head propped on pillows so plush I want to take them home.
Outside of the yurts set up for Airbnb Adventures
Writer Bianca Lambert for xoNecole
Inside of the yurts
Writer Bianca Lambert for xoNecole
How does a girl who hates the outdoors end up an hour and a half away from New York City in a yurt?
Well, I'd like to thank my connect, okay, my fantastic editor Sheriden and the bossin' team at Airbnb who made this happen for me. I, along with a few other journalists, were invited on a "field trip." But the kicker was we didn't know the who, what, where, or why. It was like a blind travel date, and of course, the adventurer in me said "yes" without hesitation.
The bus the press members traveled in
Writer Bianca Lambert for xoNecole
Next thing I know, I'm catching a school bus in Washington Heights, eating a sack breakfast made by the Bronx-based chefs of Ghetto Gastro filled with plant-based goodies like a yam and collard green sandwich, infused fruit, and coconut yogurt; while napping all the way to Cedar Lake Estates. There, we were given a sneak peek into what would be offered with the launch Airbnb Adventures, where you can track lions on foot with warriors in Nairobi, Kenya, explore the Amazon, or take a trip around the world in 80 days.
A look at the leather journals press members were able to handcraft
Writer Bianca Lambert for xoNecole
We even got to make jam and handcraft our very own leather journals with Will and Jewel during the day.
Then, we made our way to a pre-sleep turndown musical performance around an open fire, with LA-based Flight of Voices sharing their gifts with us, while we roasted coffee and peppermint flavored marshmallows on an open fire which are all a part of their adventures in Indiana and Joshua Tree.
If you've read any of my travel stories, you know that Airbnb Experiences has helped me plan trips when going to international hot spots like Cuba, giving me the chance to support local educators, artisans, and hosts across the globe. The Airbnb Adventures model keeps that at the heart while providing adventurers the opportunity to book travel that not only offers the unique excursions but accommodations. The Adventures will cover a range of budgets with options starting at $79 for an overnight trip up to $5000 for a bucket list-worthy 80-day trip that will take you to six continents and eighteen countries with airfare included.
Um, where can I sign up?
Writer Bianca Lambert for xoNecole
These days many of us (millennials) are seeking a chance to get away. But instead of coming back with photos to post to our social media feeds, we want to walk away impactful moments to carry with us in our everyday lives with transformative travel experiences. I can attest that immersing myself into the culture of places I visit domestically and abroad have grown my world view and opened me up beyond my bubble, and that seems to be at the core of Airbnb's mission with the release of Airbnb Adventures.
"Getting access to epic and transformational travel has never been easier than through Airbnb Adventures," said Joe "Joebot" Zadeh, VP Experiences, Airbnb. "Like Airbnb Experiences, people can escape their day-to-day and put their screens and devices away, but now instead of just a few hours, they have the option to be fully immersed off-the-beaten-path, to push themselves out of their comfort zones and have experiences that will stay with them for the rest of their lives."
Writer Bianca Lambert for xoNecole
As of today, there are over 200 adventures available with plans for more to be added before the end of the year that will be vetted to ensure they met the Airbnb standard.
My 36-hour camping trip pushed me in a way I hadn't expected while allowing me to connect with nature and new people, which is what travel and Airbnb Adventures is all about. Whether you're a foodie, a nature lover, or a thrill-seeker, you can find an Adventure that will push you out of your comfort zone while connecting you with hosts that will make sure you are safe and supported, thanks to their expertise.
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While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Fortunately, five simple words have simplified my dating process and ushered in clarity faster: “Would my husband do this?”
A couple of years ago, I met an entertainment lawyer who was tonguing down a twenty-something-year-old woman for breakfast while I slurped my green smoothie and chomped on a flatbread sandwich. Okay, Black love, I grinned and thought as I sauntered out of the Joe & The Juice. As soon as I stepped down from the front door, a torrential downpour of Miami summer rain cascaded and throttled me back inside to wait out the storm.
I grabbed a hot green tea and vacillated between peering out the wet door and anxiously checking my watch. My lengthy agenda started with attending the Tabitha Brown and Chance Brown’s “Black Love” panel, and I was already late. That’s when the lawyer introduced himself to me, after he made a joke about neither one of us wanting to get soaked by the rain. His female companion had braved the storm, leaving us to find our commonalities.
We both lived in L.A. and had traveled to the American Black Film Festival to expand our network. He represented various artists, including entertainment writers, while I was working as a writer/creative producer in Hollywood.
While there is no shortage of internet advice on how to strategically meet a prominent man at conferences, if I spend my hard-earned funds on career growth, I have tunnel vision, and that doesn’t include finding Mr. Right. So, I stowed his contact details away as strictly professional.
Keep It Cute Love And Hip Hop GIFGiphyAs the humidity and mosquitoes were rising around L.A., two months later, another suitor-turned-terrible match cooled off after three unimpressive dates and a bevy of red flags. I posted what some of my friends called a thirst trap, but it was really me wearing a black freakum jumpsuit with a plunging neckline to my friend’s 35th birthday soiree despite feeling oh, so unsexy and bloated on my cycle.
I’d been waiting to post a sassy caption and finally had the perfect picture to match: “You not asking for too much, you just asking the wrong MF.”
That’s when the entertainment lawyer swooped into my DMs and asked me to dinner. I was quite confused. Is he asking me on a date? Or is this professional? Common sense would’ve picked the former. Once it clicked that this would in fact be a date, I told my mentor, who’s been happily married for over twenty years and has often been a guiding light and has steered me away from the wrong men.
Upon telling him about how we met, he emphatically stated, “He ain’t it.” He followed up with a simple question, "You have to ask yourself: Would my husband do this? Would you tell others that you met your husband, tonguing down another woman, and later married him?"
Aint It No Way GIF by UFCGiphyOuch. The thought-provoking question cleared any haze. Prior to going out with the lawyer, the first thing I inquired about was the woman.
“You saw that?” He said, taken aback that I’d witnessed his steamy PDA. Surely, anyone with two open eyes peeped him caressing her backside as he kissed her in the middle of the coffee shop.
He brushed her off as a casual someone he’d gone on a couple of dates with but had since stopped talking to. He said he hadn’t been in a serious relationship in over three years. Though I was still doubtful, dating in L.A. is treacherous and ephemeral. Making it past three months is considered a rarity.
With my antennae alert, I dined with him at a cozy beachside steakhouse restaurant where we were serenaded by a live jazz band. I’d emphasized forming a platonic friendship first.
Break Up Friendship GIF by TLCGiphy“I’ll come to you,” he obliged. I liked that he had made me a priority by driving over 50 miles to see me. I also liked the effort he made to check in with me daily. But I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that he initiated on a professional pretense and then alley hooped through the back door on a romantic venture, which bombarded me with confusion.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my dating life, God is not the author of confusion; any man who brings confusion, rather than clarity, is simply not The One. It doesn’t matter how many boxes he checks–eventually, that confusion will manifest itself into bigger problems, in time.
After diving into deeper conversations on the phone, post our first dinner date, I quickly realized this man was indeed not The One for me. But I’m grateful for the valuable lesson I learned.
I don’t expect some unattainable fairytale of a husband; we all have our own flaws and conflict is inevitable, but after dating for two decades, through failure and success, I’ve realized that the person I ultimately marry must mirror the values I exert into the world. He must reciprocate kindness, patience, and respect. He must be quick to listen and slow to respond. He needs to be forgiving and trustworthy, practice healthy communication, and be a man of his word at the bare minimum.
If I’d had “Would my husband do this?” in my toolbox when I was dating and floundering in stagnant relationships, in my twenties, it would’ve saved me a lot of precious time. But now that I’m equipped with the reminder, it’s allowed me to ground myself in my non-negotiables and set/maintain the standard for the special person, I’ll one day say, “I do,” to.
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